Chapter 25 twenty five

After a while we left there.Dirk came home for supper, and I volunteered to find a doctor and bring him in to see what was wrong with Strickland.When we came out into the street and came out of the stuffy attic, the air was so fresh that the Dutchman told me to go to his studio at once.He has something on his mind, but he just refuses to tell me.He insisted that I go home with him.I thought that even if the doctor were sent at once there would be nothing more to be done for the time being than what we had done for Strickland, so I consented.We found Blanche.Stroeve was setting the table for supper.Dirk walked up to her and held her hands.

Darling, I beg you to do one thing.He said. She looked at him with a kind of seriousness in the joy that was so charming about her.Stroeve's face was glistening with sweat, and his agitated expression made his face comical, but there was an eager gleam in his round, frightened eyes. Strickland was very ill, probably dying.He lives alone in a dirty attic with no one to take care of him.I beg you to promise me to bring him to our house. She withdrew her hand quickly. I've never seen her move so fast before, and her cheeks flushed all of a sudden. Ah, no. Oops, dear, don't say no.I couldn't bear to have him there alone.I won't even be able to fall asleep thinking about him.

I have no objection to you taking care of him. Her voice sounded very cold and distant. But he will die. Let him die. Stroeve gasped and wiped his face.He turned and asked me for help, but I didn't know what to say. He is an amazing painter. What does that have to do with me?I hate this guy. Ah, my darling, my darling, you don't mean that!I beg you, let me get him into our house.We can make him more comfortable.Maybe we can save his life.He won't give you trouble.I do everything.We can build him a bed in the studio.We can't tell him to die like a wild dog.It's so inhumane.

Why can't he go to the hospital? Hospital!He needs loving hands to care for.Nursing him requires the utmost tenderness. I found Blanche.Stroeve found it strange that his emotions fluctuated so much.She continued to set the tableware, but her hands were shaking. I just lost my patience with you.Do you think he would lift a finger to help you if you were sick? What does that matter?I have you to take care of me.He doesn't need to help.Besides, I'm not like him; I'm not important at all. You're not as bloody as a mongrel puppy!You lie on the ground and let people step on you.

Stroeve smiled.He thought he understood his wife's attitude. Ah, poor baby, you're still thinking about the time he came to see me paint.What does it matter if he thinks my drawing is bad?I really shouldn't have shown him the drawing that day, and I dare say my drawing wasn't very good. He looked around the studio dejectedly.On an easel stands an unfinished oil painting of a smiling Italian peasant holding a bunch of grapes above the head of a dark-eyed little girl. Even if he doesn't like your paintings, he should be a little polite.He doesn't have to insult you.His attitude clearly shows that he despises you very much, but you still want to lick his hand.Ah, I hate this man.

He is gifted, dear boy.Don't think I believe I'm a genius too.I wish I had.But I can tell who is a genius in others, and I respect this kind of person from the bottom of my heart.Genius is the most wonderful thing in the world.For them themselves, genius is a great burden.We have to be very tolerant, very patient with these people. I stood and listened, a little embarrassed by the family conflict.I don't understand why Stroeve insisted that I come with him.I saw his wife was about to shed tears. But it's not just because he's a genius that I beg you to let me bring him.I'm going to do it because he's a man, because he's sick, because he doesn't have any money.

I will never let him in our house, never ever. Stroeve turned to face me. You tell her, it's a matter of life and death.In any case, he can't be left alone in that unlucky place. It was perfectly clear that it would be much better for him to come here for recuperation, I said, but of course it would be very inconvenient for you.I want someone to watch over him day and night. Honey, you're not the kind of person who won't be bothered to lend a helping hand. If he comes here, I'll go.said Mrs. Stroeve angrily. I just don't recognize you.Haven't you always been soft-hearted?

Ah, for God's sake, don't push me.You are driving me crazy. Finally, she finally shed tears.She was slumped in a chair, her face in her hands, her shoulders twitching.Dirk suddenly knelt beside her, hugged her, kissed her, and called her all kinds of intimate names, and cheap tears flowed down his cheeks.After a while, she broke free from his embrace and wiped away her tears. Let me have a good time.She said, her tone much smoother.Then, she forced a smile and said to me: I am like that just now, I really don’t know what kind of person you will take me as. Stroeve looked at her in perplexity, not knowing what to do.He frowned tightly and pursed his red mouth.His strange appearance reminded me of a flustered guinea pig.

So you won't say yes, dear?Finally he said. She waved her hand feebly.She is exhausted. The studio is yours.This home is all yours.If you want him to move here, how can I stop it? Stroeve's fat face broke into a smile at once. So you agree?I know you won't say no.oh my dear. But she immediately restrained herself again.She looked at him with dull eyes, and pressed her fingers together on her chest, as if her heart was beating too hard for her. Oh, Dirk, I haven't begged you to do anything since we met. You also know that as long as you say a word, there is nothing in the world that I will not do for you.

I beg you, don't ask Strickland to come here.Call whoever you want, whether it's a thief, a drunk, or a bum on the street, I promise, I'll serve them all, I'll serve them with all my power.But I beg you, don't take Strickland home. But why? I am afraid of him.I don't know why, but he frightens me to death.He will bring us evil.I know very well.I can feel it.It won't end well if you recruit him. You are really unreasonable. No, no, I know I'm right.Something terrible is going to happen to our family. Why?Because we did a good thing? She was breathing very rapidly, and there was an unexplainable fear on her face.I don't know what she was thinking.It seemed to me that she was being seized by an invisible terror, and she had lost all control of herself.She had always been calm and stable, and now she was startlingly frightened.Stroeve looked at her for a moment with perplexity and amazement.

You are my wife and you are more precious to me than anything else.No one will come to our house without your complete consent. She closed her eyes for a moment, and I thought she might faint.I'm a little impatient with her.I didn't expect her to be such a neurotic woman.Then I heard Stroeve's voice again, and the silence seemed strangely broken by his voice. Have you ever been in a very miserable situation yourself, and someone just happened to offer you a helping hand?You know how important that is to you.If you encounter this situation, would you like to help others? His remark was not new at all, and I even felt that there was some lesson in it; I almost laughed out.But it is to Blanche.Stroeve's influence surprised me.She shuddered and stared at her husband for a long time.Stroeve kept his eyes on the ground.I don't know why he looks so embarrassed.Frau Stroeve's face was flushed with a faint blush, and then turned pale and pale; you felt the blood in her body shrink back from the surface, and even the color of her hands was gone.She trembled all over.The studio is silent, as if the silence has become a reality, as long as you stretch out your hand, you can feel it.I couldn't be more surprised. Bring Strickland, Dirk.I will try my best to take care of him. my dear.he laughed. He wanted to hug her, but she avoided it. Don't be so sentimental in front of strangers, Dirk, she said, it's too much to get off the stage. Her expression had become perfectly natural; no one would have dared to say that a few minutes before she had been agitated by a powerful emotion.