He looked at mewith an astonishment that was certainly not feigned. The smile abandoned hislips, and he spoke quite seriously.

"But, mydear fellow, I don't care. It doesn't matter a twopenny damn to me one way orthe other. "

I laughed.

"Oh, comenow; you mustn't think us such fools as all that. We happen to know that youcame away with a woman. "

He gave alittle start, and then suddenly burst into a shout of laughter. He laughed souproariously that people sitting near us looked round, and some of them beganto laugh too.

"I don'tsee anything very amusing in that. "

"Poor Amy," he grinned.

Then his facegrew bitterly scornful.

"What poorminds women have got! Love. It's always love. They think a man leaves onlybecause he wants others. Do you think I should be such a fool as to do whatI've done for a woman?"

"Do youmean to say you didn't leave your wife for another woman?"

"Of coursenot. "

"On yourword of honour?"

I don't knowwhy I asked for that. It was very ingenuous of me.

"On myword of honour. "

"Then,what in God's name have you left her for?"

"I want topaint. "

I looked at himfor quite a long time. I did not understand. I thought he was mad. It must beremembered that I was very young, and I looked upon him as a middle-aged man. Iforgot everything but my own amazement.

他非常惊讶地紧紧盯着我，显然不是在装假。笑容从他嘴角上消失了，他一本正经地说：

“但是，亲爱的朋友，我才不管她怎么做呢。她同我离婚也好，不离婚也好，我都无所谓。”

我笑了起来。

“噢，算了吧！你别把我们当成那样的傻瓜了。我们凑巧知道你是同一个女人一起走的。”

他愣了一下，但是马上就哈哈大笑起来。他笑得声音那么响，连坐在我们旁边的人都好奇地转过头来，甚至还有几个人也跟着笑起来。

“我看不出这有什么可笑的。”

“可怜的阿美，”他笑容未消地说。

接着，他的面容一变而为鄙夷不屑的样子。

“女人的脑子太可怜了！爱情。她们就知道爱情。她们认为如果男人离开了她们就是因为又有了新宠。你是不是认为我是这么一个傻瓜，还要再做一遍我已经为一个女人做过了的那些事？”

“你是说你不是因为另外一个女人才离开你妻子？”

“当然不是。”

“你敢发誓？”

我不知道为什么我这样要求他。我问这句话完全没有动脑子。

“我发誓。”

“那么你到底是为什么离开她的？”

“我要画画儿。”

我半天半天目不转睛地盯着他。我一点儿也不理解。我想这个人准是疯了。读者应该记住，我那时还很年轻，我把他看做是一个中年人。我除了感到自己的惊诧外什么都不记得了。