The falseemphasis with which they try to deck their worthless thoughts blunts theirsusceptibilities. Like the charlatan who counterfeits a spiritual force he hassometimes felt, they lose the power they have abused. But Stroeve, theunconquerable buffoon, had a love and an understanding of beauty which were ashonest and sincere as was his own sincere and honest soul. It meant to him whatGod means to the believer, and when he saw it he was afraid.

"What didyou say to Strickland when you saw him?"

"I askedhim to come with me to Holland. "

I wasdumbfounded. I could only look at Stroeve in stupid amazement.

"We bothloved Blanche. There would have been room for him in my mother's house. I thinkthe company of poor, simple people would have done his soul a great good. Ithink he might have learnt from them something that would be very useful tohim. "

"What didhe say?"

"He smileda little. I suppose he thought me very silly. He said he had other fish to fry."

I could havewished that Strickland had used some other phrase to indicate his refusal.

"He gaveme the picture of Blanche. "

I wondered whyStrickland had done that. But I made no remark, and for some time we keptsilence.

他们用以遮饰自己毫无价值的思想的虚假夸大使他们的感受力变得迟钝不堪。正如一个假内行有时也会感觉到自己是在无中生有地伪造某件器物的精神价值一样，人们已经失掉了他们用之过滥的赏识能力。但是施特略夫，这位本性无法改变的小丑，对于美却有着真挚的爱和理解，正象他的灵魂也是诚实、真挚的一样。对他说来，美就象虔诚教徒心目中的上帝一样；一旦他见到真正美的事物，他变得恐惧万分。

“你见到思特里克兰德的时候，对他说什么了？”

“我邀他同我一起到荷兰去。”

我愣在那里，一句话也说不出来，目瞪口呆地直勾勾地望着他。

“我们两人都爱勃朗什。在我的老家也有地方给他住。我想叫他同贫寒、淳朴的人们在一起，对他的灵魂是有好处的。我想他也许能从这些人身上学到一些对他有用的东西。”

“他说什么？”

“他笑了笑。我猜想他一定觉得我这个人非常蠢。他说他没有那么多闲工夫。”

我真希望思特里克兰德用另一种措词拒绝施特略夫的邀请。

“他把勃朗什的这幅画送给我了。”

我很想知道思特里克兰德为什么要这样做，但是我什么也没有说。好大一会儿，我们两人都没有说话。