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"What did you say to Strickland when you saw him?"
“你见到思特里克兰德的时候，对他说什么了？”
"I asked him to come with me to Holland."
“我邀他同我一起到荷兰去。”
I was dumbfounded. I could only look at Stroeve in stupid amazement.
我愣在那里，一句话也说不出来，目瞪口呆地直勾勾地望着他。
"We both loved Blanche. There would have been room for him in my mother's house. I think the company of poor, simple people would have done his soul a great good. I think he might have learnt from them something that would be very useful to him."
“我们两人都爱勃朗什。在我的老家也有地方给他住。我想叫他同贫寒、淳朴的人们在一起，对他的灵魂是有好处的。我想他也许能从这些人身上学到一些对他有用的东西。”
"What did he say?"
“他说什么？”
"He smiled a little. I suppose he thought me very silly. He said he had other fish to fry."
“他笑了笑。我猜想他一定觉得我这个人非常蠢。他说他没有那么多闲工夫。”
I could have wished that Strickland had used some other phrase to indicate his refusal.
我真希望思特里克兰德用另一种措词拒绝施特略夫的邀请。
"He gave me the picture of Blanche."
“他把勃朗什的这幅画送给我了。”
I wondered why Strickland had done that. But I made no remark, and for some time we kept silence.
我很想知道思特里克兰德为什么要这样做，但是我什么也没有说。好大一会儿，我们两人都没有说话。
"What have you done with all your things?" I said at last.
“你那些东西怎么处置了？”最后我问道。
"I got a Jew in, and he gave me a round sum for the lot. I'm taking my pictures home with me. Beside them I own nothing in the world now but a box of clothes and a few books."
“我找了一个收旧货的犹太人，他把全部东西都买了去，给了我一笔整钱。我的那些画我准备带回家去。除了画以外，我还有一箱子衣服，几本书，此外，在这个世界上我什么财产也没有了。”
"I'm glad you're going home," I said.
“我很高兴你回老家去。”我说。
I felt that his chance was to put all the past behind him. I hoped that the grief which now seemed intolerable would be softened by the lapse of time, and a merciful forgetfulness would help him to take up once more the burden of life. He was young still, and in a few years he would look back on all his misery with a sadness in which there would be something not unpleasurable. Sooner or later he would marry some honest soul in Holland, and I felt sure he would be happy. I smiled at the thought of the vast number of bad pictures he would paint before he died.
我觉得他还是有希望让过去的事成为过去的。我希望随着时间的流逝，现在他觉得无法忍受的悲痛会逐渐减轻，记忆会逐渐淡薄；老天是以慈悲为怀的！他终究会再度挑起生活的担子来的。他年纪还很轻，几年以后再回顾这一段惨痛遭遇，在悲痛中或许不无某种愉悦的感觉。或迟或早，他会同一个朴实的荷兰女人结婚，我相信他会生活得很幸福的。想到他这一辈子还会画出多少幅蹩脚的图画来，我的脸上禁不住浮现出笑容。
Next day I saw him off for Amsterdam.
第二天我就送他启程回阿姆斯特丹去了。
