第34章

Shortly before Christmas Dirk Stroeve came to ask me to spend the holiday with him.He had a characteristic sentimentality about the day and wanted to pass it among his friends with suitable ceremonies.Neither of us had seen Strickland for two or three weeks -- I because I had been busy with friends who were spending a little while in Paris, and Stroeve because, having quarreled with him more violently than usual, he had made up his mind to have nothing more to do with him.Strickland was impossible, and he swore never to speak to him again.But the season touched him with gentle feeling, and he hated the thought of Strickland spending Christmas Day by himself; he ascribed his own emotions to him, and could not bear that on an occasion given up to good-fellowship the lonely painter should be abandoned to his own melancholy.Stroeve had set up a Christmas-tree in his studio, and I suspected that we should both find absurd little presents hanging on its festive branches; but he was shy about seeing Strickland again; it was a little humiliating to forgive so easily insults so outrageous, and he wished me to be present at the reconciliation on which he was determined.

We walked together down the Avenue de Clichy, but Strickland was not in the cafe.It was too cold to sit outside, and we took our places on leather benches within.It was hot and stuffy, and the air was gray with smoke.Strickland did not come, but presently we saw the French painter who occasionally played chess with him.I had formed a casual acquaintance with him, and he sat down at our table.Stroeve asked him if he had seen Strickland.

"He's ill," he said."Didn't you know?" "Seriously?""Very, I understand." Stroeve's face grew white.

"Why didn't he write and tell me? How stupid of me to quarrel with him.We must go to him at once.He can have no one to look after him.Where does he live?""I have no idea," said the Frenchman.

We discovered that none of us knew how to find him.Stroeve grew more and more distressed.

"He might die, and not a soul would know anything about it.It's dreadful. I can't bear the thought. We must find him at once."I tried to make Stroeve understand that it was absurd to hunt vaguely about Paris. We must first think of some plan.

"Yes; but all this time he may be dying, and when we get there it may be too late to do anything.""Sit still and let us think," I said impatiently.

The only address I knew was the Hotel des Belges, but Strickland had long left that, and they would have no recollection of him.With that queer idea of his to keep his whereabouts secret, it was unlikely that, on leaving, he had said where he was going.Besides, it was more than five years ago.I felt pretty sure that he had not moved far.If he continued to frequent the same cafe as when he had stayed at the hotel, it was probably because it was the most convenient.Suddenly I remembered that he had got his commission to paint a portrait through the baker from whom he bought his bread, and it struck me that there one might find his address.I called for a directory and looked out the bakers.There were five in the immediate neighbourhood, and the only thing was to go to all of them.Stroeve accompanied me unwillingly.His own plan was to run up and down the streets that led out of the Avenue de Clichy and ask at every house if Strickland lived there.My commonplace scheme was, after all, effective, for in the second shop we asked at the woman behind the counter acknowledged that she knew him.She was not certain where he lived, but it was in one of the three houses opposite.Luck favoured us, and in the first we tried the concierge told us that we should find him on the top floor.

"It appears that he's ill," said Stroeve.