I was excitedby the encounter, and my fancy worked busily while I sought to concentratemyself on the game I was playing. I always tried my best to beat Strickland,because he was a player who despised the opponent he vanquished; his exultationin victory made defeat more difficult to bear. On the other hand, if he wasbeaten he took it with complete good-humour. He was a bad winner and a goodloser. Those who think that a man betrays his character nowhere more clearly thanwhen he is playing a game might on this draw subtle inferences.

When he hadfinished I called the waiter to pay for the drinks, and left them. The meetinghad been devoid of incident. No word had been said to give me anything to thinkabout, and any surmises I might make were unwarranted. I was intrigued. I couldnot tell how they were getting on. I would have given much to be a disembodiedspirit so that I could see them in the privacy of the studio and hear what theytalked about. I had not the smallest indication on which to let my imaginationwork.

这次与思特里克兰德和勃朗什不期而遇使我非常激动，勾起我无数奇思遐想。但是我还是拼命把精神集中在走棋上，使出全副本领，一定要把思特里克兰德击败。他非常看不起那些败在他手下的人；如果叫他取胜，他那种洋洋自得的样子简直叫你无地自容。但是在另一方面，如果他下输了，他倒也从来不发脾气。换言之，思特里克兰德只能输棋，不能赢棋。有人认为只有下棋的时候才能最清楚地观察一个人的性格，这倒是可以从思特里克兰德这人的例子取得一些微妙的推论。

下完棋以后，我把侍者叫来，付了酒账，便离开了他们。这次会面实在没有什么值得记述的地方，没有一句话可以使我追思、玩味，如果我有任何臆测，也毫无事实根据。但这反而更引起了我的好奇心。我实在摸不透这两人的关系。如果灵魂真能出窍的话，不论出什么代价我也得试一次；只有这样我才能在画室里看到他俩私下如何过活，才能听到他们交谈些什么。总之一句话，我没有可以供我的幻想力发挥作用的最小依据。