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I spoke of your conduct to me on three successive days, three years ago, did I not? I was trying to finish my last play at Worthing by myself. The two visits you had paid to me had ended. You suddenly appeared a third time bringing with you a companion whom you actually proposed should stay in my house. I (you must admit now quite properly) absolutely declined. I entertained you, of course; I had no option in the matter: but elsewhere, and not in my own home. The next day, a Monday, your companion returned to the duties of his profession, and you stayed with me. Bored with Worthing, and still more, I have no doubt, with my fruitless efforts to concentrate my attention on my play, the only thing that really interested me at the moment, you insist on being taken to the Grand Hotel at Brighton[19a]. The night we arrive you fall ill with that dreadful low fever that is foolishly called the influenza, your second, if not third attack. I need not remind you how I waited on you, and tended you, not merely with every luxury of fruit, flowers, presents, books, and the like that money can procure, but with that affection, tenderness and love[19b] that, whatever you may think, is not to be procured for money. Except for an hour’s walk in the morning, an hour’s drive in the afternoon, I never left the hotel. I got special grapes from London for you, as you did not care for those the hotel supplied, invented things to please you, remained either with you or in the room next to yours, sat with you every evening to quiet or amuse you[19c].
三年前我曾连续三天讲过你对我的举止态度，不是吗？那时我想一个人呆在沃辛，把最后一个剧本写完。你来过两次。走后又突然第三次出现，还带了一个人，竟说要在我的房子里逗留。我断然拒绝了（你现在必须承认我那样做是很对的）。我当然是接待了你们，在这事上我别无选择——但要在别的地方，不能在我家里。第二天是星期一，你的那个人回去办他的公务去了，你则留下来。沃辛呆腻了，而且我不怀疑，由于我毫无希望地想把注意力集中在剧本上，而那又是我当时唯一的兴趣所在，你更不耐烦了，硬要我带你去布莱顿的宏伟酒家[19a]。我们到的那个晚上你病倒了，就是那讨厌的低烧，人们糊里糊涂地称之为流感。这是你的第二次发作，如果不是第三次的话。用不着提醒你，当时我是怎样地伺候照顾你，不只是源源不断的水果鲜花、礼物书籍诸如此类用钱买得到的东西，还有那份感情、那份亲切、那份爱[19b]，不管你怎么想这些都是用钱买不来的。 除了上午一个小时散步，下午一个小时驾车出去，我从未离开过旅馆。因为你不喜欢旅馆提供的葡萄，我就给你从伦敦买来特别的葡萄，还编造各种事情让你高兴，要不就守在你旁边，要不就呆在隔壁房间，每天晚上都坐着陪你，使你安静，逗你开心[19c]。
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