When I reachedLondon I found waiting for me an urgent request that I should go to Mrs.Strickland's as soon after dinner as I could. I found her with ColonelMacAndrew and his wife. Mrs. Strickland's sister was older than she, not unlikeher, but more faded; and she had the efficient air, as though she carried theBritish Empire in her pocket, which the wives of senior officers acquire fromthe consciousness of belonging to a superior caste. Her manner was brisk, andher good-breeding scarcely concealed her conviction that if you were not asoldier you might as well be a counter-jumper. She hated the Guards, whom shethought conceited, and she could not trust herself to speak of their ladies,who were so remiss in calling. Her gown was dowdy and expensive.

Mrs. Stricklandwas plainly nervous.

"Well,tell us your news, " she said.

"I sawyour husband. I'm afraid he's quite made up his mind not to return. " Ipaused a little. "He wants to paint. "

"What doyou mean?" cried Mrs. Strickland, with the utmost astonishment.

"Did younever know that he was keen on that sort of thing. "

"He mustbe as mad as a hatter, " exclaimed the Colonel.

Mrs. Stricklandfrowned a little. She was searching among her recollections.

"Iremember before we were married he used to potter about with a paint-box. Butyou never saw such daubs. We used to chaff him. He had absolutely no gift foranything like that. "

"Of courseit's only an excuse, " said Mrs. MacAndrew.

我回到伦敦家里，发现有一封急信在等着我，叫我一吃过晚饭就到思特里克兰德太太那里去。我在她家里也看到了麦克安德鲁上校同他的妻子。思特里克兰德太太的姐姐比思特里克兰德太太年纪大几岁，样子同她差不多，只是更衰老一些。这个女人显出一副精明能干的样子，仿佛整个大英帝国都揣在她口袋里似的；一些高级官员的太太深知自己属于优越的阶层，总是带着这种神气的。麦克安德鲁太太精神抖擞，言谈举止表现得很有教养，但却很难掩饰她那根深蒂固的偏见：如果你不是军人，就连站柜台的小职员还不如。她讨厌近卫队军官，认为这些人傲气；不屑于谈论这些官员的老婆，认为她们出身低微。麦克安德鲁上校太太的衣服不是时兴的样式，价钱却很昂贵。

思特里克兰德太太显然十分紧张。

“好了，给我们讲讲你的新闻吧，”她说。

“我见到你丈夫了。我担心他已经拿定主意不再回来了。”我停了一会儿。“他想画画儿。”

“你说什么？”思特里克兰德太太喊叫起来，惊奇得不知所以。

“你一点儿也不知道他喜欢画画儿？”

“这人简直神经失常了，”上校大声说。

思特里克兰德太太皱了皱眉头。她苦苦地搜索她的记忆。

“我记得在我们结婚以前他常常带着个颜料盒到处跑。可是他画的画儿要多难看有多难看。我们常常打趣他。他对这种事可以说一点才能也没有。”

“当然没有，这只不过是个借口，”麦克安德鲁太太说。