The Moon And Sixpence 21.3

When the smallsum of money which he brought with him from London came to an end he sufferedfrom no dismay. He sold no pictures; I think he made little attempt to sellany; he set about finding some way to make a bit of money. He told me with grimhumour of the time he had spent acting as guide to Cockneys who wanted to seethe night side of life in Paris; it was an occupation that appealed to hissardonic temper and somehow or other he had acquired a wide acquaintance withthe more disreputable quarters of the city. He told me of the long hours hespent walking about the Boulevard de la Madeleine on the look-out forEnglishmen, preferably the worse for liquor, who desired to see things whichthe law forbade. When in luck he was able to make a tidy sum; but theshabbiness of his clothes at last frightened the sight-seers, and he could notfind people adventurous enough to trust themselves to him. Then he happened ona job to translate the advertisements of patent medicines which were sentbroadcast to the medical profession in England. During a strike he had beenemployed as a house-painter.

当他把从伦敦带来的一点钱花完以后，他也没有沮丧气馁。他没有出卖自己的画作，我想他在这方面并没有怎么努力。他开始寻找一些挣钱的门径。他用自我解嘲的语气告诉我，有一段日子他曾经给那些想领略巴黎夜生活的伦敦人当向导。由于他惯爱嘲讽挖苦，这倒是一个投合他脾气的职业。他对这座城市的那些不体面的地区逐渐都熟悉起来。他告诉我他如何在马德莲大马路走来走去，希望遇到个想看看法律所不允许的事物的英国老乡，最好是个带有几分醉意的人。如果运气好他就能赚一笔钱。但是后来他那身破烂衣服把想观光的人都吓跑了，他找不到敢于把自己交到他手里的冒险家了。这时由于偶然的机会他找到了一个翻译专卖药广告的工作，这些药要在英国医药界推销，需要英语说明。有一次赶上罢工，他甚至还当过粉刷房屋的油漆匠。