Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр

She tiptoed down the stairs so that no one should hear her and closed the door

softly behind her. She was a trifle nervous, but pleasantly excited; she felt that she

was doing something rather shocking. She walked through Connaught Square into

the Edgware Road. It was about five o'clock. There was a dense line of buses, taxis

and lorries; bicyclists dangerously threaded their way through the traffic. The

pavements were thronged. She sauntered slowly north. At first she walked with her

eyes straight in front of her, looking neither to the right nor to the left, but soon

realized that this was useless. She must look at people if she wanted them to look

at her.

Two or three times when she saw half a dozen persons gazing at a shop window

(два или три раза, когда она видела, как с полдюжины людей уставились на

витрины) she paused and gazed too (она останавливалась и тоже пристально

вглядывалась), but none of them took any notice of her (но никто из них не

замечал ее). She strolled on (она прогуливалась дальше). People passed her in

one direction and another (люди проходили мимо нее в одном и другом

направлении). They seemed in a hurry (они, казалось, все спешили; in a hurry

— в спешке, второпях). No one paid any attention to her (никто не обращал на

нее никакого внимания). When she saw a man alone coming towards her (когда

она увидела мужчину, в одиночестве идущего по направлению к ней) she

gave him a bold stare (она нагло уставилась на него; bold — храбрый, дерзкий,

самоуверенный), but he passed on with a blank face (но он прошел дальше с

непроницаемым лицом; blank — чистый, невыразительный). It occurred to her

that her expression was too severe (ей пришло в голову, что выражение ее лица

было слишком суровым), and she let a slight smile hover on her lips (и она

позволила легкой улыбке блуждать: «парить» на /ее/ губах). Two or three men

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thought she was smiling at them (двое или трое мужчин подумали, что она

улыбалась им) and quickly averted their gaze (и быстро отводили свои

взгляды). She looked back as one of them passed her (она оглянулась, когда

один из них прошел мимо ее) and he looked back too (и он оглянулся тоже),

but catching her eye he hurried on (но, поймав ее взгляд, он поспешил дальше).

direction [d(a)I'rekS(q)n] hover ['hOvq] avert [q'vq:t]

Two or three times when she saw half a dozen persons gazing at a shop window

she paused and gazed too, but none of them took any notice of her. She strolled on.

People passed her in one direction and another. They seemed in a hurry. No one

paid any attention to her. When she saw a man alone coming towards her she gave

him a bold stare, but he passed on with a blank face. It occurred to her that her

expression was too severe, and she let a slight smile hover on her lips. Two or

three men thought she was smiling at them and quickly averted their gaze. She

looked back as one of them passed her and he looked back too, but catching her

eye he hurried on.

She felt a trifle snubbed (она почувствовала себя слегка униженной; to snub —

относиться пренебрежительно, осадить) and decided not to look round again

(и решила больше не смотреть по сторонам: «снова»). She walked on and on

(она шла дальше и дальше; on — указывает на продолжение действия). She

had always heard that the London crowd was the best behaved in the world (она

часто: «всегда» слышала, что лондонская толпа была самой хорошо себя

ведущей /толпой/ в мире), but really its behaviour on this occasion was

unconscionable (но, на самом деле, ее поведение в этом случае было

чрезмерно /хорошим/; unconscionable — бессовестный; непомерный).

"This couldn't happen to one in the streets of Paris, Rome or Berlin (этого не

могло бы случиться /с человеком/ на улицах Парижа, Рима или Берлина)," she

reflected (размышляла она).

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726

She decided to go as far as the Marylebone Road (она решила дойти до

Мэрилибоун-роуд; as far as — до кого-либо места: «так далеко как»), and

then turn back (и затем повернуть назад). It would be too humiliating to go home

(это было бы слишком унизительным, отправиться домой) without being once

accosted (без того, чтобы к ней ни разу не пристали). She was walking so

slowly (она шла так медленно) that passers-by sometimes jostled her (что

прохожие иногда толкали ее). This irritated her (это раздражало ее).

"I ought to have tried Oxford Street (мне следовало бы попробовать Оксфорд-

стрит)," she said. "That fool Evie (эта дура Эви). The Edgware Road's obviously

a wash-out (очевидно — что Эдвард-роуд — это провал)."

unconscionable [An'kOnS(q)nqb(q)l] jostle ['dZOs(q)l] obviously ['ObvIqslI]

She felt a trifle snubbed and decided not to look round again. She walked on and

on. She had always heard that the London crowd was the best behaved in the

world, but really its behaviour on this occasion was unconscionable.

"This couldn't happen to one in the streets of Paris, Rome or Berlin," she reflected.