She looked atme with good-humoured contempt.

"A mandoesn't throw up his business and leave his wife and children at the age offorty to become a painter unless there's a woman in it. I suppose he met one ofyour -- artistic friends, and she's turned his head. "

A spot ofcolour rose suddenly to Mrs. Strickland's pale cheeks.

"What isshe like?"

I hesitated alittle. I knew that I had a bombshell.

"Thereisn't a woman. "

ColonelMacAndrew and his wife uttered expressions of incredulity, and Mrs. Stricklandsprang to her feet.

"Do youmean to say you never saw her?"

"There'sno one to see. He's quite alone. "

"That'spreposterous, " cried Mrs. MacAndrew.

"I knew Iought to have gone over myself, " said the Colonel. "You can bet yourboots I'd have routed her out fast enough. "

"I wishyou had gone over, " I replied, somewhat tartly. "You'd have seenthat every one of your suppositions was wrong. He's not at a smart hotel. He'sliving in one tiny room in the most squalid way. If he's left his home, it'snot to live a gay life. He's got hardly any money. "

"Do youthink he's done something that we don't know about, and is lying doggo onaccount of the police?"

The suggestionsent a ray of hope in all their breasts, but I would have nothing to do withit.

她又好气又好笑地看了我一眼。

“一个四十岁的人是不会为了要当画家而丢弃了工作、扔掉了妻子儿女的，除非这里面搀和着一个女人。我猜想他一定是遇见了你的哪个——艺术界的朋友，被她迷上了。”

思特里克兰德太太苍白的面颊上突然泛上一层红晕。

“她是怎样一个人？”

我没有立刻回答。我知道我给他们准备了一颗炸弹。

“没有女人。”

麦克安德鲁上校和他的妻子部表示不能相信地喊叫起来；思特里克兰德太太甚至从椅子上跳起来。

“你是说你一次也没有看见她？”

“根本就没有人，叫我去看谁？他只有一个人。”

“这是世界上没有的事，”麦克安德鲁太太喊道。

“我早就知道得我自己跑一趟，”上校说，“我敢和你们打赌，我一定能马上就把那个女人搜寻出来。”

“我也希望你自己去，”我不很客气地回答，“你就会看到你的那些猜想没有一点是对的。他并没有住在时髦的旅馆里。他住的是一间极其寒酸的小房间。他离开家绝不是去过花天酒地的生活。他简直没有什么钱。”

“你想他会不会做了什么我们都不知道的事，怕警察找他的麻烦，所以躲起来避避风？”

这个提示使每个人心头闪现了一线希望，但是我却认为这纯粹是想入非非。