Two or three weeks passed. 又过了两三个星期。

One morning, having come to a pause in my work, I thought I would give myself a holiday, and I went to the Louvre. 一天早晨，我的工作正好告一段落，我觉得可以放自己一天假，便决定到卢佛尔宫去消磨一天。

I wandered about looking at the pictures I knew so well, and let my fancy play idly with the emotions they suggested. 我在画廊里随便走着，一边欣赏那些我早已非常熟悉的名画，一边任凭我的幻想同这些画幅所激起的感情随意嬉戏。

I sauntered into the long gallery, and there suddenly saw Stroeve. 我悠闲地走进长画廊，突然一眼看到了施特略夫。

I smiled, for his appearance, so rotund and yet so startled, could never fail to excite a smile, 我脸上泛起了笑容，因为他那圆胖的身躯、象受了惊吓似的神情使我每次见到总是要发笑。

and then as I came nearer I noticed that he seemed singularly disconsolate. 但是在我走近他以后，我发现他的神情非常沮丧。

He looked woebegone and yet ridiculous, 他的样子凄苦不堪，但又那么滑稽，

like a man who has fallen into the water with all his clothes on, and, being rescued from death, frightened still, feels that he only looks a fool. 好象一个穿得衣冠齐楚而失足落水的人被打捞上来以后仍然心怀余悸，生怕别人拿他当笑话看。

Turning round, he stared at me, but I perceived that he did not see me. 他转过身来，两眼瞪着我，但是我知道他并没有看见我。

His round blue eyes looked harassed behind his glasses. 他的一双碧蓝的圆眼睛在眼镜片后面充满了忧伤。

Stroeve, I said. He gave a little start, and then smiled, but his smile was rueful. “施特略夫。”我叫了一声。他吓了一跳，接着就露出笑容来，但是他笑得那么凄惨。

Why are you idling in this disgraceful fashion? I asked gaily. “你怎么这样丢了魂似地在这里游荡？”我用快活的语调问道。

It's a long time since I was at the Louvre. I thought I'd come and see if they had anything new. “我很久没有到卢佛尔宫来了。我想得来看看他们展出了什么新东西没有。”

But you told me you had to get a picture finished this week. “可是你不是告诉我，这礼拜得画好一幅画吗？”

Strickland's painting in my studio. Well? “思特里克兰德在我画室里画画儿呢。”“哦？”

I suggested it myself. “我提议叫他在那里画的。

He's not strong enough to go back to his own place yet. 他身体还不够好，还不能回到自己的住处去。

I thought we could both paint there. 我本来想我们可以共用那间画室。

Lots of fellows in the Quarter share a studio. 在拉丁区很多人都是合伙租用一间画室。

I thought it would be fun. 我本来以为这是个好办法。

I've always thought it would be jolly to have someone to talk to when one was tired of work. 一个人画累了的时候，身边有个伴儿可以谈两句，我一直以为这样做会很有趣。”

He said all this slowly, detaching statement from statement with a little awkward silence, and he kept his kind, foolish eyes fixed on mine. 这些话他说得很慢，每说一句话就非常尴尬地停歇好半晌儿，与此同时，他的一对温柔的、有些傻气的大眼睛却一直紧紧盯着我，

They were full of tears. 只是在那里面已经充满了泪水了。