Since that time the youngest one and the one on the right became wary of each other. They sought their subject matter in things far away and of course did not consider preparing anything for the second anniversary of their so-helpful association. But the middle one, who suspected nothing, worked all the more enthusiastically at painting a subject that was quite near the house of the one on the right. Something vague kept him from choosing his house itself as the point of departure for his work.

When he brought his finished painting to the one who lived on the right, the latter behaved in a strangely restrained manner, looking at it only fleetingly while remarking on some incidental matter. Then, after a while, he said, “By the way, I had no idea that you had traveled so far over the last period of time.”

“What do you mean, traveled? Far?” The middle one didn’t understand a word he was saying.

“Well, this excellent work here,” the other responded, “obviously some sort of a Dutch motif.”

The measured one in the middle broke out into a laugh. “That’s rich. Why, this Dutch motif is located right outside your door.” And he would not leave off laughing. But his fellow member of the association was not laughing, not laughing at all. He forced a smile out of himself and opined:

“A good joke.”

“But not at all. Just open the door and I’ll show you.”

And the one in the middle moved toward the door himself.

“Stop!” his host commanded him. “And let me tell you once and for all that I have never seen this place and also never will see it, because for my eye it is altogether incapable of existing.”

“But—” said the middle one, astonished.

“You’re going to insist?” the one on the right continued indignantly. “Fine! I’m leaving—today! You’re forcing me to leave, because I don’t want to live in this place. You understand?”

And that was the end of their friendship—but not of the association. For to this day it has still not been statutorily dissolved. No one has thought of doing it, and we would be fully justified in saying that it has spread over the entire earth.

“Once again,” broke in the eager young man, who had already been continuously flexing his lips, “here we see one of those colossal successes of association life. Without a doubt many outstanding masters have been produced by this intimate bonding.”

“Allow me,” I said as he unexpectedly dusted my sleeve. “This was really just the introduction to my story, although it is more complicated than the story itself. So . . .”