"I've cometo see you on behalf of your wife. "

"I wasjust going out to have a drink before dinner. You'd better come too. Do youlike absinthe?"

"I candrink it. "

"Come on,then. "

He put on abowler hat much in need of brushing.

"We mightdine together. You owe me a dinner, you know. "

"Certainly.Are you alone?"

I flatteredmyself that I had got in that important question very naturally.

"Oh yes.In point of fact I've not spoken to a soul for three days. My French isn'texactly brilliant. "

I wondered as Ipreceded him downstairs what had happened to the little lady in the tea-shop.Had they quarrelled already, or was his infatuation passed? It seemed hardlylikely if, as appeared, he had been taking steps for a year to make hisdesperate plunge. We walked to the Avenue de Clichy, and sat down at one of thetables on the pavement of a large cafe.

“我是受你妻子的嘱托来看你的。”

“我正预备在吃晚饭以前到外边去喝点什么。你最好同我一起去。你喜欢喝苦艾酒？”

“可以喝一点儿。”

“那咱们就走吧”

他戴上一顶圆顶礼帽；帽子也早就该刷洗了。

“我们可以一起吃饭。你还欠我一顿饭呢，你知道。”

“当然了。你就一个人吗？”

我很得意，这样重要的一个问题我竟极其自然地提了出来。

“啊，是的。说实在的，我已经有三天没有同人讲话了。我的法文很不高明。”

当我领先走下楼梯的时候，我想起茶点店的那位女郎来，我很想知道她出了什么事了。是他们已经吵架了呢，还是他迷恋的热劲儿已经过去了？从我见到的光景看，很难相信他策划了一年只是为了这样没头没脑地窜到巴黎来。我们步行到克里舍林荫路，在一家大咖啡馆摆在人行道上的许多台子中拣了一张坐下。