The Moon And Sixpence 58.4

"I hope hedidn't bore you, " she said, when the door closed behind him. "Ofcourse it's a nuisance sometimes, but I feel it's only right to give people anyinformation I can about Charlie. There's a certain responsibility about havingbeen the wife of a genius. "She looked atme with those pleasant eyes of hers, which had remained as candid and assympathetic as they had been more than twenty years before. I wondered if shewas making a fool of me."Of courseyou've given up your business, " I said."Oh, yes," she answered airily. "I ran it more by way of a hobby than for anyother reason, and my children persuaded me to sell it. They thought I wasovertaxing my strength. "I saw that Mrs.Strickland had forgotten that she had ever done anything so disgraceful as towork for her living. She had the true instinct of the nice woman that it isonly really decent for her to live on other people's money."They'rehere now, " she said. "I thought they'd, like to hear what you had tosay about their father. You remember Robert, don't you? I'm glad to say he'sbeen recommended for the Military Cross. " “我希望这个人没有使你感到厌烦，”当门在凡·布施·泰勒的身背后关上以后，思特里克兰德太太说。“当然了，有时候也实在让人讨厌，但是我总觉得，有人来了解查理斯的情况，我是应该尽量把我知道的提供给人家的。作为一个伟大天才的未亡人，这该是一种义务吧。”她用她那一对可爱的眼睛望着我，她的目光非常真挚，非常亲切，同二十多年以前完全一样。我有点儿怀疑她是不是在耍弄我。“你那个打字所大概早就停业了吧？”我说。“啊，当然了，”她大大咧咧地说，“当年我开那家打字所主要也是为了觉得好玩，没有其他什么原因。后来我的两个孩子都劝我把它出让给别人。他们认为太耗损我的精神了。”我发现思特里克兰德太太已经忘记了她曾不得不自食其力这一段不光彩的历史。同任何一个正派女人一样，她真实地相信只有依靠别人养活自己才是规矩的行为。“他们都在家，”她说，“我想你给他们谈谈他们父亲的事，他们一定很愿意听的。你还记得罗伯特吧？我很高兴能够告诉你，他的名字已经提上去，就快要领陆军十字勋章了。”