"I thinkyou've made a conquest, " I laughed.

"I'm notflattered. "

In his place Ishould have been more embarrassed and less calm. She had laughing eyes and amost charming mouth. She was young. I wondered what she found so attractive inStrickland. She made no secret of her desires, and I was bidden to translate.

"She wantsyou to go home with her. "

"I'm nottaking any, " he replied.

I put hisanswer as pleasantly as I could. It seemed to me a little ungracious to declinean invitation of that sort, and I ascribed his refusal to lack of money.

"But Ilike him, " she said. "Tell him it's for love. "

When Itranslated this, Strickland shrugged his shoulders impatiently.

"Tell herto go to hell, " he said.

His manner madehis answer quite plain, and the girl threw back her head with a sudden gesture.Perhaps she reddened under her paint. She rose to her feet.

"Monsieurn'est pas poli, " she said.

She walked outof the inn. I was slightly vexed.

"Therewasn't any need to insult her that I can see, " I said. "After all,it was rather a compliment she was paying you. "

"That sortof thing makes me sick, " he said roughly.

I looked at himcuriously. There was a real distaste in his face, and yet it was the face of acoarse and sensual man. I suppose the girl had been attracted by a certainbrutality in it.

I could havegot all the women I wanted in London. I didn't come here for that. "

“我想你把一颗心征服了。”我笑着说。

“我并不感到得意。”

如果我换在他的地位上，我会感到很困窘，也不会象他这样心平气静。这个女人生着一双笑眼，一张很可爱的嘴。她很年轻。我奇怪她在思特里克兰德身上发现了什么吸引她的地方。她一点儿也不想隐瞒自己的要求，她叫我把她说的都翻译出来。

“她要你把她带回家去。”

“我用不着女人。”他回答。

我尽量把他的回答说得很婉转；我觉得拒绝这种邀请有些太不礼貌了。我向她解释，他是因为没有钱才拒绝的。

“但是我喜欢他，”她说，“告诉他是为了爱情。”

当我把她的话翻译出以后，思特里克兰德不耐烦地耸了耸肩膀。

“告诉她叫她快滚蛋。”他说。

他的神色清楚地表明了他的意思，女孩子一下子把头向后一扬。也许在她涂抹的脂粉下脸也红起来。她站起身来。

“这位先生太不懂得礼貌①。”她说。

①原文为法语。

她走出酒馆，我觉得有些生气。

“我看不出你有什么必要这样侮辱她，”我说，“不管怎么说，她这样做还是看得起你啊。”

“这种事叫我恶心，”他没好气地说。

我好奇地打量了他一会儿。他的脸上确实有一种厌恶的神情，然而这却是一张粗野的、显现着肉欲的脸。我猜想吸引了那个女孩子的正是他脸上的这种粗野。

“我在伦敦想要什么女人都可以弄到手，我不是为这个到巴黎来的。”