Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр
Шрифт:
him to talk about Vienna (во время обеда она пыталась разговорить о Вене).
But he was reticent (но он был сдержан: «молчалив»).
prefer [prI'fq:] afraid [q'freId] broker ['brqVkq] influence ['InflVqns]
reticent ['retIs(q)nt]
They were to dine by themselves. Julia asked him if he would like to go to a play
afterwards or to the pictures, but he said he preferred to stay at home.
"That'll be much nicer," she answered, "and we'll just talk."
Мультиязыковой
763
There was indeed a subject that Michael had invited her to discuss with Roger
when the opportunity arose. Now that he was going to Cambridge so soon he ought
to make up his mind what he wanted to do. Michael was afraid that he would drift
through his time there and then go into a broker's office or even on the stage.
Thinking that Julia had more tact than he, and more influence with the boy, he had
urged her to put before him the advantages of the Foreign Office and the brilliant
possibilities of the Bar. Julia thought it would be strange if in the course of two or
three hours' conversation she could not find a way to lead to this important topic.
At dinner she tried to get him to talk about Vienna. But he was reticent.
"Oh, I just did the usual things, you know (о, я просто делал обычные дела,
знаешь ли). I saw the sights (я осматривал достопримечательности) and worked
hard at my German (и упорно работал над /своим/ немецким). I knocked about
in beer places (я шлялся по пивнушкам: «пивным местам»; to knock —
стучать, ударять, to knock about — слоняться, вести беспутную жизнь). I
went to the opera a good deal (я ходил в оперу очень часто)."
She wondered if he had had any love affairs (ей было интересно, были ли у него
еще любовные интрижки).
"Anyhow, you haven't come back engaged to a Viennese maiden (в любом
случае, ты не вернулся домой, помолвленный с какой-нибудь молодой
венкой; maiden — /поэт./ девушка, девица)," she said, thinking to draw him out
(сказала она, думая вытащить из него /информацию/; to draw out — зд.
вызывать на разговор, откровенность).
He gave her a reflective, but faintly amused look (он
задумчивым, но слегка улыбающимся: «забавляющимся» взглядом). You
might almost have thought (можно было почти подумать) that he had seen what
she was driving at (что он догадался: «увидел», к чему она клонила). It was
strange (это было странно); though he was her own son she did not feel quite at
home with him (хотя он был ее собственным сыном, она не чувствовала себя с
ним как дома).
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"No (нет)," he answered (ответил он), "I was too busy to bother with that sort of
thing (я был слишком занят, чтобы заниматься: «беспокоить /себя/» такой
ерундой: «вещами такого рода»)."
"I suppose you went to all the theatres (/я/ полагаю, что ты ходил во все
театры)."
"I went two or three times (я был два или три раза)."
usual ['ju:ZVql, 'ju:Z(q)l] Viennese ["vIq'ni:z] reflective [rI'flektIv]
"Oh, I just did the usual things, you know. I saw the sights and worked hard at my
German. I knocked about in beer places. I went to the opera a good deal."
She wondered if he had had any love affairs.
"Anyhow, you haven't come back engaged to a Viennese maiden," she said,
thinking to draw him out.
He gave her a reflective, but faintly amused look. You might almost have thought
that he had seen what she was driving at. It was strange; though he was her own
son she did not feel quite at home with him.
"No," he answered, "I was too busy to bother with that sort of thing."
"I suppose you went to all the theatres."
"I went two or three times."
"Did you see anything that would be any use to me (ты видел что-нибудь, что
могло бы быть мне полезно)?"
"You know, I never thought about that (ты знаешь, я никогда не думал об
этом)."
His answer might have seemed a little ungracious (его ответ мог бы показаться
немного невежливым) but that it was accompanied by a smile (но он
сопровождался улыбкой), and his smile was very sweet (и его улыбка была
очень милой). Julia wondered again (Джулия снова задумалась) how it was that
he had inherited so little of Michael's beauty and of her charm (как такое