Two or three weeks passed. One morning, having come to a pause in my work, I thought I would give myself a holiday, and I went to the Louvre. —
两三个星期过去了。有一天早晨，我的工作停顿了下来，我想给自己放个假，于是去了卢浮宫。 —

I wandered about looking at the pictures I knew so well, and let my fancy play idly with the emotions they suggested. —
我到处闲逛，看着我熟悉的画作，让我的想象随意地玩耍着所引发的情感。 —

I sauntered into the long gallery, and there suddenly saw Stroeve. —
我漫步进了长廊，突然看到了斯特罗夫。 —

I smiled, for his appearance, so rotund and yet so startled, could never fail to excite a smile, and then as I came nearer I noticed that he seemed singularly disconsolate. —
我微笑了，因为他那样丰满而又惊恐的样子总是令人感到好笑，然后当我走近时，我注意到他看起来异常忧郁。 —

He looked woebegone and yet ridiculous, like a man who has fallen into the water with all his clothes on, and, being rescued from death, frightened still, feels that he only looks a fool. —
他看起来忧郁，而又可笑，就像一个穿着所有衣服落水的人，被救了出来，仍然感到受惊，意识到自己看起来很傻。 —

Turning round, he stared at me, but I perceived that he did not see me. —
他转过身来，盯着我看，但我察觉到他没有看到我。 —

His round blue eyes looked harassed behind his glasses.
他那双蓝色的圆眼睛透过眼镜看起来很忧虑。

“Stroeve, ” I said.
“斯特罗夫，”我说。

He gave a little start, and then smiled, but his smile was rueful.
他微微一惊，然后微笑了，但他的微笑很悲凉。

“Why are you idling in this disgraceful fashion?” I asked gaily.
“你为什么要这样懒散地在这里？”我快乐地问道。

“It’s a long time since I was at the Louvre. I thought I’d come and see if they had anything new. “
“我很久没有来卢浮宫了。我想来看看他们有没有新作品。”

“But you told me you had to get a picture finished this week. “
“但你告诉我你这周要完成一幅画。”

“Strickland’s painting in my studio. “
“斯特里克兰在我的工作室作画。”

“Well?”
“那么？”

“I suggested it myself. He’s not strong enough to go back to his own place yet. —
“我自己建议的。他还没恢复到能回他自己家去的程度。” —

I thought we could both paint there. Lots of fellows in the Quarter share a studio. —
我以为我们可以在那里一起画画。区里有很多人共用一个工作室。 —

I thought it would be fun. I’ve always thought it would be jolly to have someone to talk to when one was tired of work. “
我以为会很有趣。我一直觉得有人在身边，可以在工作累的时候聊天，是挺不错的。

He said all this slowly, detaching statement from statement with a little awkward silence, and he kept his kind, foolish eyes fixed on mine. —
他慢条斯理地说着，每一句话之间都有一点尴尬的沉默，他一直用他慈祥又愚蠢的眼睛注视着我的眼睛。 —

They were full of tears.
他的眼睛里充满了泪水。

“I don’t think I understand, ” I said.
“我不明白，”我说。

“Strickland can’t work with anyone else in the studio. “
“斯特里克兰不和别人一起在工作室工作。”

“Damn it all, it’s your studio. That’s his lookout. “
“该死，这是你的工作室。那是他的问题。”

He looked at me pitifully. His lips were trembling.
他可怜兮兮地看着我。他的嘴唇颤抖着。

“What happened?” I asked, rather sharply.
“发生了什么事呢？”我有点严厉地问道。

He hesitated and flushed. He glanced unhappily at one of the pictures on the wall.
他犹豫了一下，脸红了起来。他不快地瞥了一眼墙上的一幅画。

“He wouldn’t let me go on painting. He told me to get out. “
“他不让我继续画画。他叫我滚出去。”

“But why didn’t you tell him to go to hell?”
“但是你为什么不让他去死呢？”

“He turned me out. I couldn’t very well struggle with him. —
“他把我赶了出来。我也不能跟他争吵。” —

He threw my hat after me, and locked the door. “
“他把我的帽子扔出去，然后锁上了门。”

I was furious with Strickland, and was indignant with myself, because Dirk Stroeve cut such an absurd figure that I felt inclined to laugh.
我对斯特里克兰感到气愤，也对自己感到愤怒，因为迪克·斯特勒夫看起来如此荒谬，让我感觉想笑。

“But what did your wife say?”
“你的妻子怎么说？”

“She’d gone out to do the marketing. “
“她出去买菜了。”

“Is he going to let her in?”
“他会让她进来吗？”

“I don’t know. “
“我不知道。”

I gazed at Stroeve with perplexity. He stood like a schoolboy with whom a master is finding fault.
我困惑地看着斯特鲁夫。他站在那里，像是一个被老师责备的学生。

“Shall I get rid of Strickland for you?” I asked.
“我帮你摆脱斯特里克兰好吗？”我问道。

He gave a little start, and his shining face grew very red.
他略微一震，脸色变得通红。

“No. You’d better not do anything. “
“不要。最好不要做任何事。”

He nodded to me and walked away. It was clear that for some reason he did not want to discuss the matter. —
他对我点了点头，走开了。很明显他出于某种原因不想讨论这件事。 —

I did not understand.
我不明白。