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Chapter 23
第二十三章
I saw Strickland not infrequently, and now and then played chess with him. He was of uncertain temper. Sometimes he would sit silent and abstracted, taking no notice of anyone; and at others, when he was in a good humour, he would talk in his own halting way. He never said a clever thing, but he had a vein of brutal sarcasm which was not ineffective, and he always said exactly what he thought. He was indifferent to the susceptibilities of others, and when he wounded them was amused. He was constantly offending Dirk Stroeve so bitterly that he flung away, vowing he would never speak to him again; but there was a solid force in Strickland that attracted the fat Dutchman against his will, so that he came back, fawning like a clumsy dog, though he knew that his only greeting would be the blow he dreaded.
我常常見到思特里克蘭德，有時候同他下下棋。他的脾氣時好時壞。有些時候他神思不定地坐在那里，一言不發，任何人都不理；另外一些時候他的興致比較好，就磕磕巴巴地同你閑扯。他說不出什么寓意深長的話來，但是他慣用惡毒的語言挖苦諷刺，不由你不被打動；此外，他總是把心里想的如實說出來，一點也不隱諱。他絲毫也不理會別人是否經受得??；如果他把別人刺傷了，就感到得意非常。他總是不斷刻薄戴爾克·施特略夫，弄得施特略夫氣沖沖地走開，發誓再也不同他談話了。但是在思特里克蘭德身上卻有一股強大的力量，這位肥胖的荷蘭人身不由己地被它吸引著，最終還是跑了回來，象只笨拙的小狗一樣向他搖尾巴，盡管他心里一清二楚，迎接他的將是他非常害怕的當頭一棒。
I do not know why Strickland put up with me. Our relations were peculiar. One day he asked me to lend him fifty francs.
我不知道為什么思特里克蘭德對我始終保留著情面。我們兩人的關系有些特殊。有一天他開口向我借五十法郎。
I wouldn't dream of it, I replied.
“這真是我連做夢也沒想到的事，”我回答說。
Why not?
“為什么沒有？”
It wouldn't amuse me.
“這不是一件使我感到有趣的事。”
I'm frightfully hard up, you know.
“我已經窮得叮當響了，知道吧？”
I don't care.
“我管不著。”
You don't care if I starve?
“我餓死你也管不著嗎？”
Why on earth should I? I asked in my turn.
“我為什么要管呢？”我反問道。
He looked at me for a minute or two, pulling his untidy beard. I smiled at him.
他盯著我看了一兩分鐘，一面揪著他那亂蓬蓬的胡子。我對他笑了笑。
What are you amused at? he said, with a gleam of anger in his eyes.
“你有什么好笑的？”他說，眼睛里閃現出一絲惱怒的神色。
You're so simple. You recognise no obligations. No one is under any obligation to you.
“你這人太沒心眼了。你從來不懂欠人家的情。誰也不欠你的情。”
Wouldn't it make you uncomfortable if I went and hanged myself because I'd been turned out of my room as I couldn't pay the rent?
“如果我因為交不起房租被攆了出來，逼得去上了吊，你不覺得心里不安嗎？”
Not a bit.
“一點也不覺得?！?/div>
He chuckled.
他咯咯地笑起來。
