Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы
Шрифт:
"I say, it`s childish to make a scene about a little thing like that."
"How dare you speak to me like that?"
"Oh, go to hell," said Cooper, and he flung out of the room.
Mr. Warburton, trembling with passion, was left contemplating his papers (мистер Уорбертон, дрожа от гнева/ярости, был оставлен разглядывать = остался разглядывать свои газеты; to contemplate — обозревать, разглядывать). His greatest pleasure in life had been destroyed by those callous, brutal hands (его величайшее наслаждение в жизни было разрушено грубыми, жестокими руками; callous — загрубелый, затвердевший; мозолистый). Most people living in out of the way places when the mail comes tear open impatiently their papers and taking the last ones first glance at the latest news from home (большинство людей, живущих в отдаленных местах, когда приходит почта, открывают = разворачивают нетерпеливо газеты и, взяв последние, сначала бросают взгляд на самые
contemplate [`kOntqmpleIt], pleasure [`pleZq], callous [`kxlqs], glance [glQ: ns], wrapper [`rxpq]
Mr. Warburton, trembling with passion, was left contemplating his papers. His greatest pleasure in life had been destroyed by those callous, brutal hands. Most people living in out of the way places when the mail comes tear open impatiently their papers and taking the last ones first glance at the latest news from home. Not so Mr. Warburton. His newsagent had instructions to write on the outside of the wrapper the date of each paper he dispatched, and when the great bundle arrived Mr. Warburton looked at these dates and with his blue pencil numbered them. His head-boy`s orders were to place one on the table every morning in the verandah with the early cup of tea, and it was Mr. Warburton`s especial delight to break the wrapper as he sipped his tea, and reap the morning paper.
It gave him the illusion of living at home (это создавало: «давало» для него иллюзию жизни дома). Every Monday morning he read the Monday Times of six weeks back, and so went through the week (каждое утро в понедельник он читал понедельничный «Таймс» шестинедельной давности, и так шло = длилось всю неделю). On Sunday he read The Observer (в воскресенье он читал «Обсервер» /«Наблюдатель»/). Like his habit of dressing for dinner it was a tie to civilization (так же, как и его привычка переодеваться к обеду, это было связью с цивилизацией). And it was his pride that no matter how exciting the news was (и он гордился тем: «это было его гордостью», что, неважно, насколько захватывающими были новости) he had never yielded to the temptation of opening a paper before its allotted time (он никогда не поддавался искушению раскрыть газету раньше назначенного времени; to yield — уступать, пропускать вперед; соглашаться;поддаваться). During the war the suspense sometimes had been intolerable (во время войны неизвестность иногда была = становилась невыносимой; suspense — неизвестность, неопределенность; беспокойство;тревога ожидания; нерешенность;to suspend — подвешивать), and when he read one day that a push was begun he had undergone agonies of suspense (и, когда он прочитал = прочитав однажды, что началось наступление, он перенес = пережил муки неизвестности/ожидания; push — толчок; толкание; атака; наступление) which he might have saved himself by the simple expedient of opening a later paper which lay waiting for him on a shelf (/от/ которых он мог себя спасти = избавить, простым приемом, открыв/распечатав более позднюю = следующую газету, которая лежала /и/ ждала его на полке; expedient— целесообразный; средство для достижения цели; прием, уловка). It had been the severest trial to which he had ever exposed himself (это было тяжелейшее испытание, которому он когда-либо подвергал себя), but he victoriously surmounted it (но он вышел из него победителем: «победно преодолел его»). And that clumsy fool had broken open those neat tight packages (а этот невоспитанный/бестактный болван разорвал эти тугие/плотные аккуратные пачки) because he wanted to know whether some horrid woman had murdered her odious husband (потому что ему захотелось узнать, убила ли какая-то ужасная женщина своего ненавистного мужа).
illusion [I`lu: Zn], yield [ji: ld], exciting [Ik`saItIN], victoriously [vIk`tO: rIqslI]
It gave him the illusion of living at home. Every Monday morning he read the Monday Times of six weeks back, and so went through the week. On Sunday he read The Observer. Like his habit of dressing for dinner it was a tie to civilization. And it was his pride that no matter how exciting the news was he had never yielded to the temptation of opening a paper before its allotted time. During the war the suspense sometimes had been intolerable, and when he read one day that a push was begun he had undergone agonies of suspense which he might have saved himself by the simple expedient of opening a later paper which lay waiting for him on a shelf. It had been the severest trial to which he had ever exposed himself, but he victoriously surmounted it. And that clumsy fool had broken open those neat tight packages because he wanted to know whether some horrid woman had murdered her odious husband.
Mr. Warburton sent for his boy and told him to bring wrappers (мистер
"I shall never forgive him (я никогда ему не прощу)," he said. "Never (никогда)."
Of course his boy had been with him on his expedition (конечно, его бой был с ним = сопровождал его в экспедиции); he never travelled without him, for his boy knew exactly how he liked things (он никогда не ездил/путешествовал без него, потому что бой точно знал его привычки: «какими он любил вещи»), and Mr. Warburton was not the kind of jungle traveller who was prepared to dispense with his comforts (а мистер Уорбертон был не из тех путешественников по джунглям, которые готовы обойтись без удобств;to dispense with— обходиться без чего-либо); but in the interval since their arrival he had been gossiping in the servants` quarter (но все то время, что прошло после их возвращения, он сплетничал в комнате: «жилище» для прислуги). He had learnt that Cooper had had trouble with his boys (он узнал, что у Купера были проблемы с его боями; trouble — беспокойство, неприятности). All but the youth Abas had left him (все, кроме Абаса, ушли от него: «оставили его»). Abas had desired to go too, but his uncle had placed him there on the instructions of the Resident (Абас тоже хотел уйти, но его дядя устроил его туда по указанию резидента), and he was afraid to leave without his uncle`s permission (и он боялся уйти без разрешения своего дяди; to permit — позволять, разрешать).
dispense [dI`spens], arrival [q`raIvl], quarter [`kwO: tq]
Mr. Warburton sent for his boy and told him to bring wrappers. He folded up the papers as neatly as he could, placed a wrapper round each and numbered it. But it was a melancholy task.
"I shall never forgive him," he said. "Never."
Of course his boy had been with him on his expedition; he never travelled without him, for his boy knew exactly how he liked things, and Mr. Warburton was not the kind of jungle traveller who was prepared to dispense with his comforts; but in the interval since their arrival he had been gossiping in the servants` quarters. He had learnt that Cooper had had trouble with his boys. All but the youth Abas had left him. Abas had desired to go too, but his uncle had placed him there on the instructions of the Resident, and he was afraid to leave without his uncle`s permission.
"I told him he had done well, Tuan (я сказал ему, что он хорошо сделал = поступил, туан)," said the boy (сказал бой). "But he is unhappy (но он несчастен). He says it is not a good house (он говорит, это нехороший дом), and he wishes to know if he may go as the others have gone (и он хочет знать, может ли он уйти, поскольку другие /уже/ ушли)."
"No, he must stay (нет, он должен остаться). The Tuan must have servants (туан должен иметь слуг). Have those who went been replaced (заменили ли тех, которые ушли)?"
"No, Tuan, no one will go (нет, туан, никто не хочет идти)."
Mr. Warburton frowned (мистер Уорбертон нахмурился). Cooper was an insolent fool, but he had an official position (Купер — наглый болван, но он занимает официальное/служебное положение) and must be suitably provided with servants (и ему необходимо предоставить слуг соответствующим образом: «должен быть надлежащим образом снабжен слугами»). It was not seemly that his house should be improperly conducted (это неподобающе = недопустимо, чтобы его домом неправильно управляли; to conduct — вести, руководить).
insolent [`Insqlqnt], official [q`fIS(q)l], suitably [`su: tqblI], servant [`sq: vqnt]
"I told him he had done well, Tuan," said the boy. "But he is unhappy. He says it is not a good house, and he wishes to know if he may go as the others have gone."
"No, he must stay. The Tuan must have servants. Have those who went been replaced?"
"No, Tuan, no one will go."
Mr. Warburton frowned. Cooper was an insolent fool, but he had an official position and must be suitably provided with servants. It was not seemly that his house should be improperly conducted.