William Somerset Maugham "The Moon and Sixpence"

Summary, 14-25 chapters

Crabbe returned to England. He realized that Strickland never come back, and he does not care about the opinion of him and of his paintings. Strickland's family could not believe that he left them for the sake of art, considering his passion a nonsense. In the end, Mrs. Strickland announced that she did not want her husband to come back and decided to earn her living herself.

5 years later Crabbe decided to live in Paris. He met his friend, an artist Dirk Stroeve. In a conversation Crabbe happened to discovere that they both know Strickland. Dirk considered him a genius, even in spite of the fact that his wife Blanche did not like because of bad manners. Meeting Strickland again, Crabbe felt clearly that Strickland was possessed by painting, however he didn't acquire popularity.

Christmas arrives, and Dirk decides to invite Strickland, who stayed alone. When Crabbe and Dirk visited him they found that Strickland was seriously ill, and they worried if they leave him alone, he would die. Dirk wanted to take him to his apartment to give him the necessary treatment, but Blanche was against this idea. She was afraid of Strickland and was convinced that it would bring misfortune to their house. But in the end, after Dirk's long persuasions and Blanche's hysterics, she agreed.