The Moon And Sixpence 28.8

He looked round his studiowearily; he had loved it because her presence had made it gay and homelike; heshut his eyes for an instant; then he gave her a long look as though to impresson his mind the picture of her. He got up and took his hat.

"No; I'll go. "

"You?"

She was startled. She didnot know what he meant.

"I can't bear to thinkof you living in that horrible, filthy attic. After all, this is your home justas much as mine. You'll be comfortable here. You'll be spared at least theworst privations. "

He went to the drawer inwhich he kept his money and took out several bank-notes.

"I would like to giveyou half what I've got here. "

He put them on the table.Neither Strickland nor his wife spoke.

Then he recollectedsomething else.

"Will you pack up myclothes and leave them with the concierge? I'll come and fetch them to-morrow." He tried to smile. " Good-bye, my dear. I'm grateful for all the happinessyou gave me in the past. "

He walked out and closed thedoor behind him. With my mind's eye I saw Strickland throw his hat on a table,and, sitting down, begin to smoke a cigarette.

他疲惫不堪地环顾了一下自己的画室；他喜爱这间画室，因为她的存在，这间屋子显得那么美好，那么充满了家庭气氛。他把眼睛闭了一刻，接着他的目光在她身上逗留了好一会儿，似乎想把她的图像永远印记在脑中似的。他站起来，拿起了帽子。

“不，叫我走吧。”

“你？”

她吃了一惊。她不明白他是什么意思。

“想到你要生活在那样一间肮脏可怕的阁楼里，我受不了。不管怎么说，这个地方既是我的家，同样也是你的家。你在这里会过得舒服些。至少你用不着受那种最可怕的罪了。”

他走到放钱的抽屉前边，从里面拿出几张钞票来。

“我把我这里的一点钱给你一半吧。”

他把钱放在桌子上。思特里克兰德和他的妻子都没有说什么。

这时他又想起一件事来。

“你好不好把我的衣服理一理，放在下边门房那儿？我明天再来取。”他苦笑了一下。“再见，亲爱的。你过去给了我那么多幸福，我感谢你。”

他走了出去，随手把门关上。在想象中，我看到思特里克兰德把自己的帽子往桌上一扔，坐下来，开始吸一支纸烟。