"Now, bereasonable. Let me make you comfortable. Haven't you anyone to look afteryou?"

He looked roundthe squalid attic in dismay. He tried to arrange the bed-clothes. Strickland,breathing laboriously, kept an angry silence. He gave me a resentful glance. Istood quite quietly, looking at him.

"If youwant to do something for me, you can get me some milk, " he said at last."I haven't been able to get out for two days. " There was an emptybottle by the side of the bed, which had contained milk, and in a piece ofnewspaper a few crumbs.

"What haveyou been having?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"For howlong?" cried Stroeve. "Do you mean to say you've had nothing to eator drink for two days? It's horrible. "

"I've hadwater. "

His eyes dweltfor a moment on a large can within reach of an outstretched arm.

"I'll goimmediately, " said Stroeve. "Is there anything you fancy?"

I suggested thathe should get a thermometer, and a few grapes, and some bread. Stroeve, glad tomake himself useful, clattered down the stairs.

"Damnedfool, " muttered Strickland.

I felt hispulse. It was beating quickly and feebly. I asked him one or two questions, buthe would not answer, and when I pressed him he turned his face irritably to thewall. The only thing was to wait in silence. In ten minutes Stroeve, panting,came back. Besides what I had suggested, he brought candles, and meat-juice,and a spirit-lamp. He was a practical little fellow, and without delay setabout making bread-and-milk. I took Strickland's temperature. It was a hundredand four. He was obviously very ill.

“别不讲理，好不好？让我使你舒服一些。没有人照料你么？”

他在这间邋里邋遢的小阁楼里四处张望着，不知从何下手。他把思特里克兰德的被子整了一下。思特里克兰德呼呼地喘着气，忍着怒气一语不发。他气哼哼地看了我一眼。我静静地站在那里，盯着他。

“要是你想替我做点什么事的话，就去给我买点牛奶吧，”最后他开口说，“我已经有两天出不了门了。”

床旁边放着一只装牛奶用的空瓶，一张报纸上还有一些面包屑。

“你吃过什么了？”

“什么也没吃。”

“多久了？”施特略夫喊道。“你是说两天没吃没喝了吗？太可怕了。”

“我还有水喝。”

他的眼睛在一个大水罐上停留了一会儿；这只水罐放在他一伸手就够得到的地方。

“我马上就去，”施特略夫说。“你还想要别的东西吗？”

我建议给他买一只热水瓶，一点儿葡萄同面包。施特略夫很高兴有这个帮忙的机会，噔噔地跑下楼梯去。

“该死的傻瓜。”思特里克兰德咕噜了一句。

我摸了摸他的脉搏。脉搏很快，很虚弱。我问了他一两个问题，他不回答。我再一逼问，他赌气把脸转过去，对着墙壁。没有其他事可做了，只能一语不发地在屋里等着。过了十分钟，施特略夫气喘吁吁地回来了。除了我提议要他买的东西以外，他还买来了蜡烛、肉汁和一盏酒精灯。他是一个很会办事的人，一分钟也没有耽搁，马上就煮了一杯牛奶，把面包泡在里面。我量了量思特里克兰德的体温。华氏一百零四度，他显然病得很厉害。