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雙語·月亮與六便士 第二十章

所屬教程:譯林版·月亮與六便士

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2022年04月22日

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Dirk Stroeve agreed to fetch me on the following evening and take me to the café at which Strickland was most likely to be found.I was interested to learn that it was the same as that at which Strickland and I had drunk absinthe when I had gone over to Paris to see him.The fact that he had never changed suggested a sluggishness of habit which seemed to me characteristic.

“There he is,”said Stroeve, as we reached the café.

Though it was October, the evening was warm, and the tables on the pavement were crowded. I ran my eyes over them, but did not see Strickland.

“Look. Over there, in the corner.He's playing chess.”

I noticed a man bending over a chess-board, but could see only a large felt hat and a red beard. We threaded our way among the tables till we came to him.

“Strickland.”

He looked up.

“Hulloa, fatty. What do you want?”

“I've brought an old friend to see you.”

Strickland gave me a glance, and evidently did not recognize me. He resumed his scrutiny of the chess-board.

“Sit down, and don't make a noise,”he said.

He moved a piece and straightway became absorbed in the game. Poor Stroeve gave me a troubled look, but I was not disconcerted by so little.I ordered something to drink, and waited quietly till Strickland had fnished.I welcomed the opportunity to examine him at my ease.I certainly should never have known him.In the frst place his red beard, ragged and untrimmed, hid much of his face, and his hair was long;but the most surprising change in him was his extreme thinness.It made his great nose protrude more arrogantly;it emphasized his cheek-bones;it made his eyes seem larger.There were deep hollows at his temples.His body was cadaverous.He wore the same suit that I had seen him in fve years before;it was torn and stained, threadbare, and it hung upon him loosely, as though it had been made for someone else.I noticed his hands, dirty, with long nails;they were merely bone and sinew, large and strong;but I had forgotten that they were so shapely.He gave me an extraordinary impression as he sat there, his attention riveted on his game-an impression of great strength;and I could not understand why it was that his emaciation somehow made it more striking.

Presently, after moving, he leaned back and gazed with a curious abstraction at his antagonist. This was a fat, bearded Frenchman.The Frenchman considered the position, then broke suddenly into jovial expletives, and with an impatient gesture, gathering up the pieces, fung them into their box.He cursed Strickland freely, then, calling for the waiter, paid for the drinks, and left.Stroeve drew his chair closer to the table.

“Now I suppose we can talk,”he said.

Strickland's eyes rested on him, and there was in them a malicious expression. I felt sure he was seeking for some gibe, could think of none, and so was forced to silence.

“I've brought an old friend to see you,”repeated Stroeve, beaming cheerfully.

Strickland looked at me thoughtfully for nearly a minute. I did not speak.

“I've never seen him in my life,”he said.

I do not know why he said this, for I felt certain I had caught a gleam of recognition in his eyes. I was not so easily abashed as I had been some years earlier.

“I saw your wife the other day,”I said.“I felt sure you'd like to have the latest news of her.”

He gave a short laugh. His eyes twinkled.

“We had a jolly evening together,”he said.“How long ago is it?”

“Five years.”

He called for another absinthe. Stroeve, with voluble tongue, explained how he and I had met, and by what an accident we discovered that we both knew Strickland.I do not know if Strickland listened.He glanced at me once or twice refectively, but for the most part seemed occupied with his own thoughts;and certainly without Stroeve's babble the conversation would have been diffcult.In half an hour the Dutchman, looking at his watch, announced that he must go.He asked whether I would come too.I thought, alone, I might get something out of Strickland, and so answered that I would stay.

When the fat man had left I said:

“Dirk Stroeve thinks you're a great artist.”

“What the hell do you suppose I care?”

“Will you let me see your pictures?”

“Why should I?”

“I might feel inclined to buy one.”

“I might not feel inclined to sell one.”

“Are you making a good living?”I asked, smiling.

He chuckled.

“Do I look it?”

“You look half starved.”

“I am half starved.”

“Then come and let's have a bit of dinner.”

“Why do you ask me?”

“Not out of charity,”I answered coolly.“I don't really care a twopenny damn if you starve or not.”

His eyes lit up again.

“Come on, then,”he said, getting up.“I'd like a decent meal.”

迪爾柯·斯特羅伊夫答應(yīng)第二天傍晚來接我,然后領(lǐng)我到斯特里克蘭最可能出現(xiàn)的那家咖啡館去。我饒有趣味地得知,這家咖啡館正是上次我來巴黎找他時(shí),我們倆一起喝苦艾酒的那家咖啡館。事實(shí)上,他從未改變他那懶散的習(xí)慣,在我看來,這習(xí)慣正體現(xiàn)了他的個性。

“他在那兒?!碑?dāng)我們走到咖啡館跟前時(shí),斯特羅伊夫沖我說道。

雖然已是十月份了,但傍晚還是很溫暖,擺在人行道上的桌子旁坐滿了人,我用目光掃視了一下,沒有看到斯特里克蘭。

“看,那邊,在角上。他正在下棋呢?!?/p>

我這才注意到,一個人正俯身看著棋盤,我能看見的只是一頂大氈帽和一把紅胡須。我們穿過好幾張桌子,走到他跟前。

“斯特里克蘭?!?/p>

他抬起頭來。

“嘿,胖子,你有什么事?”

“我?guī)Я艘晃焕吓笥褋砜茨?。?/p>

斯特里克蘭瞟了我一眼,顯然沒認(rèn)出我來,他的目光又轉(zhuǎn)到了棋盤上。

“先坐下,別作聲?!彼f道。

他走了一步棋,注意力馬上又專注到了下棋上??蓱z的斯特羅伊夫憂心忡忡地看了我一眼,但是我一點(diǎn)兒也沒感到不安。我點(diǎn)了些喝的,安安靜靜地等著斯特里克蘭下完這盤棋。我很樂見有這樣的機(jī)會能夠很放松地端詳他。我確實(shí)已經(jīng)認(rèn)不出他來了。首先,他留起了紅胡須,亂蓬蓬的,好像從未修剪過,遮住了他大部分的臉,頭發(fā)也很長;但最讓人感到吃驚的變化是他瘦了很多,這就使他的大鼻子顯得傲慢地凸出來,也更凸顯了顴骨,同時(shí)使得雙眼似乎更大了。而他的太陽穴凹陷,身體形如枯槁。他還穿著五年前我見他時(shí)的同一件衣服,衣服已經(jīng)破舊不堪,污漬點(diǎn)點(diǎn),很多地方露出了線頭,穿在身上松松垮垮,晃里晃蕩,好像是別人的衣服。我還注意到了他的手,臟兮兮的,指甲很長,筋骨畢露,又大又有力,但我卻記不清他的雙手還曾這么勻稱。他坐在那兒,留給我一個很特別的印象,他的注意力全在棋局上——一個孔武有力的印象,我無法理解為什么他的消瘦反而使這種印象更為突出。

又走了一步棋之后,他馬上把身子向后一靠,用一種好奇和出神的目光緊緊地盯著對手。他的對手是一個胖胖的、滿臉胡須的法國人,這個法國人考慮了一下棋局的形勢,隨后突然笑呵呵地罵了一句,做了一個無奈的手勢,把棋子一攏,扔進(jìn)了棋盒里。他口無遮攔地罵了斯特里克蘭幾句。然后又叫來侍者,付了兩個人的酒錢,起身離開了。這時(shí),斯特羅伊夫拉著椅子往桌子前湊了湊。

“現(xiàn)在,我想我們可以談?wù)劻??!彼f道。

斯特里克蘭的目光落在了他身上,目光里閃著某種惡意的揶揄。我敢肯定他正在搜腸刮肚地找一些嘲笑的詞句,但可能一時(shí)沒有找到,所以被迫沉默了一會兒。

“我?guī)Я艘晃焕吓笥褋砜茨??!彼固亓_伊夫滿臉堆笑地把剛才的話又重復(fù)了一遍。

斯特里克蘭若有所思地看了我將近一分鐘,我沒說話。

“我這輩子從沒見過他?!彼f道。

不知道為什么,當(dāng)他說這話的時(shí)候,我的的確確地捕捉到他眼里閃過一絲已經(jīng)認(rèn)出我的微光。此時(shí)的我,已經(jīng)不像多年前那么動不動就會輕易感到窘迫了。

“我前幾天見到你妻子了,”我說,“我敢肯定你愿意聽聽她的近況。”

他干笑了一下,眼里閃著光。

“我們曾經(jīng)一起度過了一個開心的晚上,”他說,“那是多久以前的事了?”

“五年了?!?/p>

他又要了一杯苦艾酒。斯特羅伊夫還在喋喋不休地解釋他和我是怎么遇見的,而且機(jī)緣巧合地發(fā)現(xiàn),我們倆都認(rèn)識斯特里克蘭,我不知道斯特里克蘭是否在聽,因?yàn)樗孟襁€在沉思,有那么一兩次他瞥了我?guī)籽郏坪醮蟛糠謺r(shí)間他都在想自己的事。當(dāng)然,要是沒有斯特羅伊夫的嘮嘮叨叨,場面會很尷尬。半個小時(shí)以后,荷蘭人看了看他的手表,說他有事必須得走了。他問我是否和他一起走,我想,就我一個人,興許還能從斯特里克蘭那兒多掏點(diǎn)兒東西出來,所以我回答說我再待會兒。

等胖子斯特羅伊夫走了以后,我說道:

“迪爾柯·斯特羅伊夫認(rèn)為你是個偉大的藝術(shù)家?!?/p>

“你以為我他媽的在乎這話嗎?”

“你能讓我看看你的畫嗎?”

“我為什么要讓你看?”

“說不定我有意買下一幅呢?”

“說不定我無意賣給你呢。”

“那你過得不錯吧?”我笑著問道。

他咯咯地笑了起來。

“你看我像嗎?”

“你看上去都快餓死了?!?/p>

“我就是快餓死了。”

“那么來吧,我們一起去吃點(diǎn)東西?!?/p>

“你為什么要邀請我?”

“肯定不是出于慈善的目的?!蔽依淅涞鼗卮?,“你餓死,餓不死,跟我沒半點(diǎn)關(guān)系?!?/p>

他的雙眼又在放光了。

“那就走吧,”他站起來說,“我還真想大吃一頓呢。”

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