I supposed that for somereason or other -- and Heaven knows what ingenuity men exercise to tormentthemselves -- Dirk had got it into his head that his wife cared for Strickland,and with his genius for blundering he might quite well have offended her sothat, to anger him, perhaps, she had taken pains to foster his suspicion.

"Look here, " Isaid, "let's go back to your studio. If you've made a fool of yourself youmust eat humble pie. Your wife doesn't strike me as the sort of woman to bearmalice. "

"How can I go back tothe studio?" he said wearily. "They're there. I've left it to them."

"Then it's not yourwife who's left you; it's you who've left your wife. "

"For God's sake don'ttalk to me like that. "

Still I could not take himseriously. I did not for a moment believe what he had told me. But he was invery real distress.

"Well, you've come hereto talk to me about it. You'd better tell me the whole story. "

"This afternoon Icouldn't stand it any more. I went to Strickland and told him I thought he wasquite well enough to go back to his own place. I wanted the studio myself."

"No one but Stricklandwould have needed telling, " I said. "What did he say?"

"He laughed a little;you know how he laughs, not as though he were amused, but as though you were adamned fool, and said he'd go at once. He began to put his things together. Youremember I fetched from his room what I thought he needed, and he asked Blanchefor a piece of paper and some string to make a parcel. "

我猜想，不知为了什么原因——天知道人们如何想尽办法来折磨自己——戴尔克毫无道理地怀疑起自己的妻子爱上了思特里克兰德，因为他最不会处理事情，多半把她惹恼了。而他的妻子为了气他，也就故意想尽方法增加他的疑虑。

“听我说，”我对他说，“咱们一起回你的画室去吧。如果你自己把事办糟了，现在只好去负荆请罪。我认为你的妻子不是那种爱记仇的女人。”

“我怎么能回画室呢？”他有气无力地说，“他们在那里呢。我把屋子让给他们了。”

“这么一说不是你妻子离开了你，是你把她丢了。”

“看在老天面上，别同我说这种话吧。”

我仍然不能把他的话当真。我一点也不相信他告诉我的事，但是他的痛苦却是真真实实的。

“好吧，既然你到这里来是要同我谈这件事，你就从头到尾给我说说吧。”

“今天下午我再也无法忍受了。我走到思特里克兰德跟前，对他讲，我觉得他身体已经完全恢复了，可以回自己的住处去了。我自己要用我的画室。”

“只有思特里克兰德才需要人家明明白白告诉他，”我说。“他怎么说的？”

“他笑了笑。你知道他笑起来是什么样子，让人看起来不象是他觉得有什么事情好笑，而是叫你觉得自己是个大傻瓜。他说他马上就走，说着，就开始收拾东西。你还记得我从他的住处拿来一些我认为他用得着的东西。他叫勃朗什替他找一张纸，一条绳子，准备打一个包。”