Individual Reading №4

Chapters 31-40

Next day after Stroeve’s coming he left the narrator though the latter asked him to stay. Dirk was a weak-willed man without self-respect and because of it he began to follow his wife Blanche but did not get any answer from her. She did not want to speak to Dirk and even see him. The narrator could not understand his behavior and recommend him to leave Paris and move to Holland, his native country. However, Stroeve supposed to be necessary to Blanche and stayed. The narrator had no explanation why the woman had behaved that way and helped Dirk by sending a letter to her with Stroeve’s feelings. One evening he met Charles and Blanche and spent little time with them but could not recognize whether she was happy or not because her face did not show anything.

Several days later Stroeve came to the narrator in a panic and informed that Blanche tried to kill herself. She did not die and was sent to the hospital. Dirk was absolutely destroyed by this news and asked the narrator to help. The woman did not want to see anyone even the narrator whose Stroeve took for this purpose. The doctor did not predict her future condition because horrible consequences were possible. Next week Dirk visited the hospital but the nurse did not let him to see her. Blanche felt worse and worse and was going to die in two or three days. Once Dirk again came to the narrator and the latter understood that the woman had died. Stroeve made up his mind to move to Holland but before it he told about his meeting with Strickland and his picture. The widower hated him but the picture impressed him greatly he could not destroy it. His wife was depicted on this piece of art and Charles gifted it to Stroeve. Next month the narrator had seen anyone he knew but later he met Strickland who had a visible desire to communicate with him.