The Moon And Sixpence 23.4

Strickland wasin a good humour, and when Dirk Stroeve came up and sat down with us he attackedhim with ferocious banter. He showed a skill I should never have credited himwith in finding the places where the unhappy Dutchman was most sensitive.Strickland employed not the rapier of sarcasm but the bludgeon of invective.The attack was so unprovoked that Stroeve, taken unawares, was defenceless. Hereminded you of a frightened sheep running aimlessly hither and thither. He wasstartled and amazed. At last the tears ran from his eyes. And the worst of itwas that, though you hated Strickland, and the exhibition was horrible, it wasimpossible not to laugh. Dirk Stroeve was one of those unlucky persons whosemost sincere emotions are ridiculous.

But after allwhen I look back upon that winter in Paris, my pleasantest recollection is ofDirk Stroeve. There was something very charming in his little household. He andhis wife made a picture which the imagination gratefully dwelt upon, and thesimplicity of his love for her had a deliberate grace. He remained absurd, butthe sincerity of his passion excited one's sympathy. I could understand how hiswife must feel for him, and I was glad that her affection was so tender. If shehad any sense of humour, it must amuse her that he should place her on apedestal and worship her with such an honest idolatry, but even while shelaughed she must have been pleased and touched.

思特里克兰德这天情绪很好，当戴尔克·施特略夫走来同我们坐在一起时，思特里克兰德马上冷嘲热讽地对他大肆攻击起来。他惯会寻找这位不幸的荷兰人的痛处，技巧的高超实在令我钦佩。他这次用的不是讥刺的细剑，而是谩骂的大棒。他的攻击来得非常突然。施特略夫被打得个措手不及，完全失掉防卫能力。象一只受了惊的小羊，没有目的地东跑西窜，张皇失措，晕头转向。最后，泪珠扑簌簌地从他眼睛里滚出来。这件事最糟糕的地方在于，尽管你非常恼恨思特里克兰德，尽管你感到这出戏很可怕，你还是禁不住要笑起来。有一些人很不幸，即使他们流露的是最真挚的感情也令人感到滑稽可笑，戴尔克·施特略夫正是这样一个人。

但是尽管如此，在我回顾我在巴黎度过的这个冬天时，戴尔克·施特略夫还是给我留下了最愉快的回忆。他的小家庭有一种魅力，他同他的妻子是一幅叫你思念不置的图画；他对自己妻子的纯真的爱情使人感到是娴雅而高尚的。尽管他的举止还是那么滑稽，但他的感情的真挚却不由你不被感动。我可以理解他的妻子对他的反应，我很高兴她对他也非常温柔体贴。如果她有幽默感的话，看到自己的丈夫这样把她放在宝座上，当作偶像般地顶礼膜拜，她一定也会觉得好笑的；但是尽管她会笑他，一定也会觉得得意，被他感动。