I wasastonished, and at the same time I was very much excited. I remembered suddenlymy last talk with him.

"Wherecan one see his work?" I asked. "Is he having any success? Where ishe living?"

"No; hehas no success. I don't think he's ever sold a picture. When you speak to menabout him they only laugh. But I know he's a great artist. After all, theylaughed at Manet. Corot never sold a picture. I don't know where he lives, butI can take you to see him. He goes to a cafe in the Avenue de Clichy at seveno'clock every evening. If you like we'll go there to-morrow. "

"I'm notsure if he'll wish to see me. I think I may remind him of a time he prefers toforget. But I'll come all the same. Is there any chance of seeing any of hispictures?"

"Notfrom him. He won't show you a thing. There's a little dealer I know who has twoor three. But you mustn't go without me; you wouldn't understand. I must showthem to you myself. "

"Dirk,you make me impatient, " said Mrs. Stroeve. "How can you talk likethat about his pictures when he treated you as he did?" She turned to me."Do you know, when some Dutch people came here to buy Dirk's pictures hetried to persuade them to buy Strickland's? He insisted on bringing them hereto show. "

"Whatdid you think of them?" I asked her, smiling.

"Theywere awful. "

"Ah,sweetheart, you don't understand. "

"Well,your Dutch people were furious with you. They thought you were having a joke withthem."

我非常吃惊，但与此同时我也非常兴奋。我忽然想起我最后一次同他谈话。

“在什么地方可以看到他的作品？”我问，“他有了点儿名气没有？他现在住在什么地方？”

“没有名气。我想他没有卖出过一幅画。你要是和人谈起他的画来，没有一个不笑他的。但是我知道他是个了不起的画家。他们还不是笑过马奈？柯罗也是一张画没有卖出去过。我不知道他住在什么地方，但是我可以带你去找到他。每天晚上七点钟他都到克利舍路一家咖啡馆去。你要是愿意的话，咱们明天就可以去。”

“我不知道他是不是愿意看到我。我怕我会使他想起一段他宁愿忘掉的日子。但是我想我还是得去一趟。有没有可能看到他的什么作品？”

“从他那里看不到。他什么也不给你看。我认识一个小画商，手里有两三张他的画。但是你要是去，一定得让我陪着你；你不会看懂的。我一定要亲自指点给你看。”

“戴尔克，你简直叫我失去耐性了，”施特略夫太太说。“他那样对待你，你怎么还能这样谈论他的画？”她转过来对我说：“你知道，有一些人到这里来买戴尔克的画，他却劝他们买思特里克兰德的。他非让思特里克兰德把画拿到这里给他们看不可。”

“你觉得思特里克兰德的画怎么样？”我笑着问她。

“糟糕极了。”

“啊，亲爱的，你不懂。”

“哼，你的那些荷兰老乡简直气坏了。他们认为你是在同他们开玩笑。”