Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы

"I didn't expect to find you selling three and a half yards of rotten cotton to a greasy nigger (я не ожидал увидеть тебя продающим три с половиной ярда истертой тряпки грязному ниггеру; yard — ярд, мера длины/= 3 фута, = 91,44 см/; rotten — гнилой; непрочный, слабый; greasy — сальный, жирный; грязный)," he laughed (рассмеялся он).

apprehension ["xprI'henS(q)n], facetious [fq'si: Sqs], yard [jQ: d]

"We can't talk here. Come along to my hotel. I suppose you can get away?"

This he added with some apprehension.

"Of course I can get away. We're not so businesslike as all that in Tahiti." He called out to a Chinese who was standing behind the opposite counter. "Ah-Ling, when the boss comes tell him a friend of mine's just arrived from America and I've gone out to have a drain with him."

"All-light," said the Chinese, with a grin.

Edward slipped on a coat and, putting on his hat, accompanied Bateman out of the store. Bateman attempted to put the matter facetiously.

"I didn't expect to find you selling three and a half yards of rotten cotton to a greasy nigger," he laughed.

"Braunschmidt fired me, you know (да понимаешь, Брауншмидт уволил меня; you know — видишь ли, знаешь ли, понимаешь ли), and I thought that would do as well as anything else (и я подумал, что и эта /работа/ подойдет, как и любая другая; to do — осуществлять, выполнять; годиться, подходить)."

Edward's candour seemed to Bateman very surprising (откровенность Эдварда показалась Бейтману очень удивительной), but he thought it indiscreet to pursue the subject (но он подумал, что было бы нескромным продолжать разговор на эту тему; to pursue — преследовать/кого-либо/;продолжать/занятие, обсуждение и т. п./).

"I guess you won't make a fortune where you are (полагаю, что здесь состояния не наживешь: «ты не разбогатеешь /там/, где ты /работаешь/»; fortune — счастье, удача; богатство, состояние)," he answered, somewhat dryly (ответил он немного сухо).

"I guess not (думаю, нет). But I earn enough to keep body and soul together (но я зарабатываю достаточно, чтобы сводить концы с концами: «держать тело и душу вместе»), and I'm quite satisfied with that (и я этим вполне доволен)."

"You wouldn't have been two years ago (ты бы не был /доволен этим/ два года назад)."

"We grow wiser as we grow older (с годами мы умнеем: «мы становимся умнее, становясь старше»; to grow— делаться, становиться)," retorted Edward, gaily (весело ответил Эдвард; to retort— отвечать резко и остроумно).

candour ['kxndq], indiscreet ["IndI'skri: t], pursue [pq'sju: ], gaily ['geIlI]

"Braunschmidt fired me, you know, and I thought that would do as well as anything else."

Edward's candour seemed to Bateman very surprising, but he thought it indiscreet to pursue the subject.

"I guess you won't make a fortune where you are," he answered, somewhat dryly.

"I guess not. But I earn enough to keep body and soul together, and I'm quite satisfied with that."

"You wouldn't have been two years ago."

"We grow wiser as we grow older," retorted Edward, gaily.

Bateman took a glance at him (Бейтман посмотрел на него; glance — взгляд). Edward was dressed in a suit of shabby white ducks, none too clean (Эдвард был одет в поношенный белый парусиновый костюм, не очень чистый; duck — грубое полотно, парусина), and a large straw hat of native make (и /на нем была/ большая соломенная шляпа местного производства; make — форма, конструкция; производство, изготовление). He was thinner than he had been (он еще больше похудел: «был еще тоньше, чем был»), deeply burned by the sun (сильно загорел на солнце; deeply — глубоко; очень, сильно; to burn — жечь, сжигать; вызывать загар/о солнце/,загорать), and he was certainly better looking than ever (и выглядел он, несомненно, лучше, чем когда-либо). But there was something in his appearance that disconcerted Bateman (но в его внешности было нечто, что смущало Бейтмана). He walked with a new jauntiness (он шел с какой-то новой веселой беспечностью; jaunty — бойкий, веселый, живой; оживленный;беспечный); there was a carelessness in his demeanour (в его поведении была беззаботность; carelessness — небрежность, невнимательность; беспечность, легкомыслие), a gaiety about nothing in particular (какая-то беспричинная: «не от чего-то особенного» веселость), which Bateman could not precisely blame (за которую Бейтман не мог укорять /того/; to blame— обвинять, порицать), but which exceedingly puzzled him (но которая чрезвычайно озадачивала его).

shabby ['SxbI], appearance [q'pI(q)rqns], demeanour [dI'mi: nq], precisely [prI'saIslI], exceedingly [Ik'si: dINlI]

Bateman took a glance at him. Edward was dressed in a suit of shabby white ducks, none too clean, and a large straw hat of native make. He was thinner than he had been, deeply burned by the sun, and he was certainly better looking than ever. But there was something in his appearance that disconcerted Bateman. He walked with a new jauntiness; there was a carelessness in his demeanour, a gaiety about nothing in particular, which Bateman could not precisely blame, but which exceedingly puzzled him.

"I'm blest if I can see what he's got to be so darned cheerful about (черт побери: «я проклят», не могу понять, чему он радуется; to bless (blessed, blest) — благословлять; ирон. проклинать; darned = damned — проклятый; эмоц. — усил. отвратительный, ужасный)," he said to himself (думал он).

They arrived at the hotel and sat on the terrace (они пришли к гостинице и сели на веранде). A Chinese boy brought them cocktails (юноша-китаец принес им коктейли). Edward was most anxious to hear all the news of Chicago (Эдварду не терпелось услышать все новости из Чикаго; anxious — беспокоящийся, тревожащийся; страстно желающий/чего-либо/) and bombarded his friend with eager questions (и он засыпал своего друга вопросами одним за другим; to bombard — бомбардировать; засыпать, забрасывать/вопросами, просьбами и т. п./; eager — жаждущий/чего-либо/,нетерпеливый). His interest was natural and sincere (его интерес был естественным и искренним). But the odd thing was that it seemed equally divided among a multitude of subjects (но странным было то, что он /интерес/, казалось, был равноценно поделен между большим количеством предметов). He was as eager to know how Bateman's father was as what Isabel was doing (ему так же не терпелось узнать, как чувствует себя отец Бейтмана, как и то, что делала Изабелла).

terrace ['terIs], bombard [bOm'bQ: d], sincere [sIn'sIq], equally ['i: kwqlI], multitude ['multItju: d]

"I'm blest if I can see what he's got to be so darned cheerful about," he said to himself.

They arrived at the hotel and sat on the terrace. A Chinese boy brought them cocktails. Edward was most anxious to hear all the news of Chicago and bombarded his friend with eager questions. His interest was natural and sincere. But the odd thing was that it seemed equally divided among a multitude of subjects. He was as eager to know how Bateman's father was as what Isabel was doing.

He talked of her without a shade of embarrassment (он говорил о ней без тени смущения), but she might just as well have been his sister as his promised wife (но она с тем же успехом могла бы быть его сестрой, а не суженой: «обещанной женой»); and before Bateman had done analyzing the exact meaning of Edward's remarks (и прежде чем Бейтман проанализировал точный смысл замечаний Эдварда) he found that the conversation had drifted to his own work (он обнаружил, что разговор перешел к его /собственной/ работе; to drift — относить или гнать/ветром, течением/;изменять состояние) and the buildings his father had lately erected (и зданиям, которые его отец недавно возвел). He was determined to bring the conversation back to Isabel (он был полон решимости вернуть разговор обратно, к Изабелле) and was looking for the occasion (и искал удобного случая) when he saw Edward wave his hand cordially (когда увидел, что Эдвард сердечно машет /кому-то/ рукой). A man was advancing towards them on the terrace (какой-то человек приближался к ним /по веранде/), but Bateman's back was turned to him and he could not see him (но Бейтман сидел к нему спиной: «но спина Бейтмана была повернута к нему» и не мог его видеть).