"You'vebeen very kind to me, " he said at last. "Everyone's been very kind."

"Nonsense," I said, a little embarrassed.

"At thehospital they told me I might wait. They gave me a chair, and I sat outside thedoor. When she became unconscious they said I might go in. Her mouth and chinwere all burnt by the acid. It was awful to see her lovely skin all wounded.She died very peacefully, so that I didn't know she was dead till the sistertold me. "

He was tootired to weep. He lay on his back limply, as though all the strength had goneout of his limbs, and presently I saw that he had fallen asleep. It was thefirst natural sleep he had had for a week. Nature, sometimes so cruel, issometimes merciful. I covered him and turned down the light. In the morningwhen I awoke he was still asleep. He had not moved. His gold-rimmed spectacleswere still on his nose.

“你对我太好了，”最后他说，“没有一个人不对我好的。”

“别胡说了，”我有些尴尬地说。

“刚才在医院里他们对我说我可以等着。他们给我搬来一把椅子，我就在病房外边坐着。等到她已经不省人事的时候他们叫我进去了。她的嘴和下巴都被酸液烧伤了。看到她那可爱的皮肤满是伤痕真叫人心痛极了。她死得非常平静，还是护士告诉了我我才知道她已经死了。”

他累得连哭的力气都没有了。他浑身瘫软地仰面躺着，好象四肢的力量都已枯竭，没过一会儿便昏昏沉沉地睡着了。这是一个星期以来他第一次不靠吃安眠药自己进入了梦乡。自然对人有时候很残忍，有时候又很仁慈。我给他盖上被，把灯熄掉。第二天早晨我醒来的时候他仍然没有睡醒。他一夜连身都没翻，金边眼镜一直架在鼻梁上。