Chapter 32 three two

I have not seen Strickland for several weeks.I loathe him so much that if I had the chance I'd tell him to my face what I think of him, but I can't afford to go all the way to him just for that.I'd be hesitant to put on an air of righteous indignation, there's always an element of smugness about it that would strike a person with a sense of humor as putting on airs.I don't want to be made a joke of myself unless I'm really pissed off.Strickland is used to being sarcastic and sarcasm, and I have to be more careful in front of him, and I must never let him think that I am posturing.

But one evening, as I was passing a café in the Rue Cleese (I knew it was one of Strickland's frequented cafés, which I had tried to avoid lately), I met with Strickland bumped his chest.Blanche.Stroeve was with him, and the two of them were making their way to Strickland's favorite corner. Where have you been all these days?He asked me and said, I thought you had gone to other places. His being so courteous to me shows that he knows very well that I don't want to talk to him.But you don't need to be polite to a man like Strickland. No, I say it straight, I haven't been out of town.

Why haven't you been here for a long time? There is not only one cafe in Paris, where can't you kill time? Blanche then held out his hand to greet me.I don't know why I thought her appearance must have changed, but I see her still the same: she is wearing the same gray dress she used to wear, her forehead is clean and clear, and there is no worry or worry in her eyes , just as I used to see her do the housework in Stroeve's studio. Let's play chess.said Strickland. I don't know why I didn't think of an excuse to turn him down at the time.Sullenly, I followed them to Strickland's old seat.He asked the waiter to bring the chessboard and pieces.The two of them didn't make a fuss at all about this unexpected encounter, so naturally I can only pretend to be nonchalant, otherwise it will appear that I am too unreasonable.Mrs. Stroeve watched us play chess, and it was impossible to guess from the expression on her face what was going on in her mind.She didn't say anything, but she wasn't a talkative person at all.I looked at her mouth, hoping to see an expression that would allow me to guess her true feelings; I looked at her eyes, looking for some kind of flash that revealed her inner secrets, expressing confusion or pain; I looked at her on her forehead, and see if there is an occasional wrinkle there, telling me of her fading enthusiasm.But her face is like a mask, and I can't see in it what she really thinks.Her hands lay motionless in her lap, one loosely holding the other.From what I have heard, I know that she has a violent temperament. Dirk loves her so wholeheartedly, but she slaps him severely, which shows that she is ruthless and has a very cold heart.She abandoned the comfort zone under the protection of her husband, abandoned the affluent life of food, clothing and comfort, and was willing to bear the risks and hardships that she herself saw very clearly.This speaks to her love of adventure and her willingness to endure hunger and hard work; the latter character is not surprising in view of her past duties as a hard-working housekeeper and a devoted housewife.It seemed that she must be a woman of very complicated character, which formed a dramatic contrast with her demure and demure appearance.

This unexpected encounter with Strickland and Blanche excited me so much that it aroused my imagination.But I still concentrated my energy on the game of chess and used all my skills to defeat Strickland.He despises those who are defeated by him very much; if you ask him to win, his self-satisfied appearance will make you feel ashamed.But on the other hand, he never loses his temper if he loses a bet.In other words, Strickland can only lose chess, not win chess.Some people think that a person's character can be observed most clearly only when he is playing chess. Some subtle inferences can be drawn from the example of Strickland.

After the chess game, I called the waiters, paid the bill, and left them.There is really nothing worth recording about this meeting, there is not a single sentence that can make me think about it and ponder it, and if I have any speculations, there is no factual basis.But this piqued my curiosity even more.I really can't figure out the relationship between the two.If it were possible to get out of my body, I'd have to try it at any cost; only then would I be able to see how they lived in private in the studio, and hear what they were talking about.In a word, I have no minimum basis upon which my fancy can operate.