Dirk Stroeve agreed to fetch me on the following evening and take me to the cafe at which Strickland was most likely to be found. —
迪克·斯特罗夫同意在第二天晚上来接我，并带我去最有可能找到斯特里克兰的咖啡馆。 —

I was interested to learn that it was the same as that at which Strickland and I had drunk absinthe when I had gone over to Paris to see him. —
我很惊讶地得知这家咖啡馆和我去巴黎看他时我们喝苦艾酒的地方是一样的。 —

The fact that he had never changed suggested a sluggishness of habit which seemed to me characteristic.
他从未改变的事实显示了一种我认为很典型的习性迟钝。

“There he is, ” said Stroeve, as we reached the cafe.
“他在那儿，”斯特罗夫说着，当我们到达咖啡馆时。

Though it was October, the evening was warm, and the tables on the pavement were crowded. —
尽管已经是十月，晚上还是很温暖，人行道上的桌子挤满了人。 —

I ran my eyes over them, but did not see Strickland.
我扫视着桌子，但没有看到斯特里克兰。

“Look. Over there, in the corner. He’s playing chess. “
“看，那边角落。他在下象棋。”

I noticed a man bending over a chess-board, but could see only a large felt hat and a red beard. —
我注意到一个人弯腰在一个象棋盘上，但只看到一个大毡帽和一个红胡子。 —

We threaded our way among the tables till we came to him.
我们在桌子间穿行，直到找到他。

“Strickland. “
“斯特里克兰。”

He looked up.
他抬起头来。

“Hulloa, fatty. What do you want?”
“喂，胖子。你要什么？”

“I’ve brought an old friend to see you. “
“我带来一个老朋友来见你。”

Strickland gave me a glance, and evidently did not recognise me. —
斯特里克兰瞥了我一眼，显然没有认出我。 —

He resumed his scrutiny of the chessboard.
他重新审视起象棋棋盘。

“Sit down, and don’t make a noise, ” he said.
“坐下，不要出声，”他说。

He moved a piece and straightway became absorbed in the game. —
他移动了一枚棋子，立刻陷入了对游戏的痴迷。 —

Poor Stroeve gave me a troubled look, but I was not disconcerted by so little. —
可怜的斯特路夫给了我一个困扰的眼神，但我并没有被吓倒。 —

I ordered something to drink, and waited quietly till Strickland had finished. —
我点了饮料，静静地等待斯特里克兰完成。 —

I welcomed the opportunity to examine him at my ease. I certainly should never have known him. —
我欢迎这个机会，可以慢慢地观察他。我肯定永远都认不出他。 —

In the first place his red beard, ragged and untrimmed, hid much of his face, and his hair was long; but the most surprising change in him was his extreme thinness. —
首先，他那红色杂乱的胡须遮住了他脸的大部分，头发长而凌乱；但他身上最让人惊讶的变化是他消瘦得极其厉害。 —

It made his great nose protrude more arrogantly; it emphasized his cheekbones; —
消瘦让他那高傲的大鼻子凸显得更加突出；凸出了他的颧骨； —

it made his eyes seem larger. There were deep hollows at his temples. His body was cadaverous. —
让他的眼睛看起来更大了。他的太阳穴深凹。他的身体骨瘦如柴。 —

He wore the same suit that I had seen him in five years before; —
他穿着那套我五年前见过他穿的衣服； —

it was torn and stained, threadbare, and it hung upon him loosely, as though it had been made for someone else. —
它破烂而脏，布满污渍，破烂不堪，松垮着，仿佛是为别人做的。 —

I noticed his hands, dirty, with long nails; they were merely bone and sinew, large and strong; —
我注意到他的手，又脏又长指甲；它们只是骨头和筋肉，又大又坚实； —

but I had forgotten that they were so shapely. —
但我忘了它们曾经如此优雅。 —

He gave me an extraordinary impression as he sat there, his attention riveted on his game – an impression of great strength; —
他坐在那里使我产生了一种不可思议的印象，目光紧盯着游戏–一种强大的印象； —

and I could not understand why it was that his emaciation somehow made it more striking.
我无法理解为什么他的消瘦在某种程度上让这种印象更加明显。

Presently, after moving, he leaned back and gazed with a curious abstraction at his antagonist. —
过了一会儿，他移动了一步后向后靠着，用某种奇怪的心不在焉的眼神看着他的对手。 —

This was a fat, bearded Frenchman. The Frenchman considered the position, then broke suddenly into jovial expletives, and with an impatient gesture, gathering up the pieces, flung them into their box. —
这是一个又胖又有胡须的法国人。法国人考虑了一下情况，然后突然爆发出愉快的骂人话，并不耐烦地把碎片收拾起来，扔进了盒子里。 —

He cursed Strickland freely, then, calling for the waiter, paid for the drinks, and left. —
他对斯特里克兰大骂不止，然后叫来服务生，付了酒钱，离开了。 —

Stroeve drew his chair closer to the table.
斯特罗夫把椅子拉近桌子。

“Now I suppose we can talk, ” he said.
“现在我想我们可以谈谈了，”他说。

Strickland’s eyes rested on him, and there was in them a malicious expression. —
斯特里克兰的目光停留在他身上，眼中带着一丝恶意。 —

I felt sure he was seeking for some gibe, could think of none, and so was forced to silence.
我确信他在寻找一些讽刺的话，却想不出来，只能沉默。

“I’ve brought an old friend to see you, ” repeated Stroeve, beaming cheerfully.
“我带来一个老朋友来看你，”斯特罗夫欣喜地笑着说。

Strickland looked at me thoughtfully for nearly a minute. I did not speak.
斯特里克兰沉思地看了我将近一分钟，我没有说话。

“I’ve never seen him in my life, ” he said.
“我从来没有见过他，”他说。

I do not know why he said this, for I felt certain I had caught a gleam of recognition in his eyes. —
我不知道他为什么这么说，因为我肯定看到他的眼中闪过一丝认识的光芒。 —

I was not so easily abashed as I had been some years earlier.
我已经不像几年前那样容易尴尬了。

“I saw your wife the other day, ” I said. “I felt sure you’d like to have the latest news of her. “
“我前几天见到了你的妻子，”我说。“我确信你会想知道她的最新消息。”

He gave a short laugh. His eyes twinkled.
他发出了一声短暂的笑声。他的眼睛闪烁着。

“We had a jolly evening together, ” he said. “How long ago is it?”
“我们玩得很愉快，”他说。“多久以前了？”

“Five years. “
“五年前。”

He called for another absinthe. Stroeve, with voluble tongue, explained how he and I had met, and by what an accident we discovered that we both knew Strickland. —
他要了另一杯苦艾酒。Stroeve滔滔不绝地解释我和他是怎么认识的，以及我们如何偶然发现我们都认识Strickland。 —

I do not know if Strickland listened. He glanced at me once or twice reflectively, but for the most part seemed occupied with his own thoughts; —
我不知道Strickland是否在听。他偶尔看了一两次我，但大部分时间似乎都在专注自己的思考； —

and certainly without Stroeve’s babble the conversation would have been difficult. —
而且毫无疑问，如果没有Stroeve的唠叨，对话可能会艰难。 —

In half an hour the Dutchman, looking at his watch, announced that he must go. —
半小时后，那个荷兰人看了看手表，宣布他必须走了。 —

He asked whether I would come too. I thought, alone, I might get something out of Strickland, and so answered that I would stay.
他问我是否也会一起走。我想，独自时，我可能会从Strickland那里得到一些东西，所以回答说我会留下来。

When the fat man had left I said:
那位胖胖的男人离开后，我说：

“Dirk Stroeve thinks you’re a great artist. “
“Dirk Stroeve认为你是个了不起的艺术家。”

“What the hell do you suppose I care?”
“你认为我在乎吗？”

“Will you let me see your pictures?”
“你愿意让我看看你的画吗？”

“Why should I?”
“为什么要呢？”

“I might feel inclined to buy one. “
“我也许会有兴趣买一幅。”

“I might not feel inclined to sell one. “
“我也许没有兴趣卖。”

“Are you making a good living?” I asked, smiling.
“你过得好吗？”我笑着问道。

He chuckled.
他笑了。

“Do I look it?”
“我看起来像吗？”

“You look half starved. “
“你看起来半饿了。”

“I am half starved. “
“我确实是半饿了。”

“Then come and let’s have a bit of dinner. “
“那就过来吧，让我们吃点晚餐吧。”

“Why do you ask me?”
“你为什么问我？”

“Not out of charity, ” I answered coolly. —
“不是出于慈善心，”我冷冷地回答道。 —

“I don’t really care a twopenny damn if you starve or not. “
“我真的一点儿都不在乎你是饿是饱。”

His eyes lit up again.
他的眼睛又亮了起来。

“Come on, then, ” he said, getting up. “I’d like a decent meal. “
“那就走吧，”他站起身来说道，”我想吃一顿像样的晚餐。”