The Moon And Sixpence 8.7

"I dare say you'd likeme to go, " I said to the Colonel, getting up.

"I suppose you've heardthat blackguard has deserted her, " he cried explosively.

I hesitated.

"You know how peoplegossip, " I answered. "I was vaguely told that something was wrong."

"He's bolted. He's goneoff to Paris with a woman. He's left Amy without a penny. "

"I'm awfully sorry," I said, not knowing what else to say.

The Colonel gulped down hiswhisky. He was a tall, lean man of fifty, with a drooping moustache and greyhair. He had pale blue eyes and a weak mouth. I remembered from my previousmeeting with him that he had a foolish face, and was proud of the fact that forthe ten years before he left the army he had played polo three days a week.

"I don't suppose Mrs.Strickland wants to be bothered with me just now, " I said. "Will youtell her how sorry I am? If there's anything I can do. I shall be delighted todo it. "

He took no notice of me.

"I don't know what's tobecome of her. And then there are the children. Are they going to live on air?Seventeen years. "

"What about seventeenyears?"

"They've been married," he snapped. "I never liked him. Of course he was my brother-in-law,and I made the best of it. Did you think him a gentleman? She ought never tohave married him. "

"Is it absolutelyfinal?"

"There's only one thingfor her to do, and that's to divorce him. That's what I was telling her whenyou came in. 'Fire in with your petition, my dear Amy, ' I said. `You owe it toyourself and you owe it to the children. ' He'd better not let me catch sightof him. I'd thrash him within an inch of his life. "

“我看我该走了吧，”我对上校说，站起身来。

“我想你已经听说那个流氓把她甩了的事吧，”他一下子爆发出来。

我踌躇了一会儿。

“你知道人们怎样爱扯闲话，”我说，“有人闪烁其词地对我说，这里出了点儿事。”

“他逃跑了。他同一个女人跑到巴黎去了。他把阿美扔了，一个便士也没留下。”

“我感到很难过，”我说；我实在找不到别的什么话了。

上校一口气把威士忌灌下去。他是一个五十岁左右的高大、削瘦的汉子，胡须向下垂着，头发已经灰白。他的眼睛是浅蓝色的，嘴唇的轮廓很不鲜明。我从上一次见到他就记得他长着一副傻里傻气的面孔，并且自夸他离开军队以前每星期打三次马球，十年没有间断过。

“我想现在我不必再打搅思特里克兰德太太了，”我说，“好不好请你告诉她，我非常为她难过？如果有什么我能做的事，我很愿意为她效劳。”

他没有理会我的话。

“我不知道她以后怎么办。而且还有孩子。难道让他们靠空气过活？十六年啊！”

“什么十六年？”

“他们结婚十六年了，”他没好气儿地说。“我从来就不喜欢他。当然了，他是我的连襟，我尽量容忍着。你以为他是个绅士吗？她根本就不应该嫁给他。”

“就没有挽回的余地了吗？”

“她只有一件事好做：同他离婚。这就是你刚进来的时候我对她说的。‘把离婚申请书递上去，亲爱的阿美，’我说，‘为了你自己，为了你的孩子，你都该这么做。’他最好还是别叫我遇见。我不把他打得灵魂出窍才怪。”