Dirk was, for one of the few times in a life of exuberantly prolific loquacity, wordless.

Beauty doesn't have to be about anything. What's a vase about? What's a sunset or a flower about? What, for that matter, is Mozart's Twenty-third Piano Concerto about?

Simple. I got very bored and depressed, so I went and plugged myself in to its external computer feed. I talked to the computer at great length and explained my view of the Universe to it," said Marvin. "And what happened?" pressed Ford. "It committed suicide," said Marvin and stalked off back to the Heart of Gold.

I can see we're in for a fabulous evening's apocalypse.

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The Ultimate Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything is...42!

Having not said anything the first time, it was somehow even more difficult to broach the subject the second time around.