Next day wemoved Strickland. It needed a good deal of firmness and still more patience toinduce him to come, but he was really too ill to offer any effective resistanceto Stroeve's entreaties and to my determination. We dressed him, while hefeebly cursed us, got him downstairs, into a cab, and eventually to Stroeve'sstudio. He was so exhausted by the time we arrived that he allowed us to puthim to bed without a word. He was ill for six weeks. At one time it looked asthough he could not live more than a few hours, and I am convinced that it wasonly through the Dutchman's doggedness that he pulled through. I have neverknown a more difficult patient. It was not that he was exacting and querulous;on the contrary, he never complained, he asked for nothing, he was perfectlysilent; but he seemed to resent the care that was taken of him; he received allinquiries about his feelings or his needs with a jibe, a sneer, or an oath. Ifound him detestable, and as soon as he was out of danger I had no hesitationin telling him so.

"Go tohell, " he answered briefly.

第二天我们就去给思特里克兰德搬家。劝说他搬到施特略夫家里来需要绝大的毅力和更多的耐心，幸而思特里克兰德病得实在太重，对于施特略夫的央求和我的决心都做不出有效的抵抗了。在他的软弱无力的咒骂声中，我们给他穿好衣服，扶着他走下楼梯，安置在一辆马车里，最后终于把他弄到施特略夫的画室里。当我们到达以后，他已经一点气力也没有了，只好一言不发地由我们把他放在一张床上。他的病延续了六个星期。有一段日子看上去他连几个钟头也活不过去了，我毫不怀疑，他之所以能够活下来完全要归功这位荷兰画家任劳任怨的护理。我从来也没有见到过比他更难伺候的病人。倒不是说他挑剔、抱怨；恰恰相反，他从来也不诉苦，从来不提出什么要求，他躺在那里一语不发。但是他似乎非常厌恨你对他的照顾；谁要是问一问他觉得怎么样、有什么需要，他轻则挖苦你一句，重则破口大骂。我发现这个人实在让人厌恶，他刚一脱离危险，我就把我的想法告诉了他。

“见鬼去吧，你，”他一点不客气地回敬了我一句。