The Canterville Ghost
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IV
The next day (на следующий день) the ghost was very weak and tired (призрак был очень слабым и усталым). The terrible excitement of the last four weeks was beginning to have its effect (ужасное волнение последних четырех недель начинало сказываться на нем: «начинало иметь свое воздействие»). His nerves were completely shattered (его нервы были полностью расшатаны; to shatter — разбить вдребезги; раздробить; пошатнуть, расстроить /здоровье и т.п./), and he started at the slightest noise (и он вздрагивал при малейшем шуме; slight — легкий, небольшой, незначительный). For five days he kept his room (пять дней он не покидал свою комнату), and at last made up his mind to give up the point of the blood-stain on the library floor (и наконец решил оставить затею с пятном крови на полу библиотеки; to make up one’s mind —
excitement [ik`saitmnt] effect [i`fekt] deserve [di`z:v] sensuous [`sensjus]
The next day the ghost was very weak and tired. The terrible excitement of the last four weeks was beginning to have its effect. His nerves were completely shattered, and he started at the slightest noise. For five days he kept his room, and at last made up his mind to give up the point of the blood-stain on the library floor. If the Otis family did not want it, they clearly did not deserve it. They were evidently people on a low, material plane of existence, and quite incapable of appreciating the symbolic value of sensuous phenomena.
The question of phantasmic apparitions (вопрос появления привидений), and the development of astral bodies (и развития астральных тел), was of course quite a different matter (был, конечно, совсем другим делом), and really not under his control (и на самом деле не находился под его контролем). It was his solemn duty to appear in the corridor once a week (его святейшей обязанностью было появляться в коридоре раз в неделю; solemn — торжественный; важный, серьезный), and to gibber from the large oriel window on the first and third Wednesdays in every month (и бормотать что-то непонятное из большого балконного окна в первую и третью среду каждого месяца; oriel — ниша; закрытый балкон), and he did not see how he could honourably escape from his obligations (и он не знал: «не видел», как бы он смог с честью уклониться от своих обязанностей; to escape — бежать, совершать побег; избежать /наказания, опасности и т.п./, спастись; отделаться). It is quite true that his life had been very evil (это было действительно правда, что его жизнь была очень порочной), but, upon the other hand (но, с другой стороны), he was most conscientious in all things connected with the supernatural (он был очень добросовестен во всех вещах, связанных со сверхъестественным).
question [kwestn] apparition ["aep`rin] control [kn`trl]
The question of phantasmic apparitions, and the development of astral bodies, was of course quite a different matter, and really not under his control. It was his solemn duty to appear in the corridor once a week, and to gibber from the large oriel window on the first and third Wednesdays in every month, and he did not see how he could honourably escape from his obligations. It is quite true that his life had been very evil, but, upon the other hand, he was most conscientious in all things connected with the supernatural.
For the next three Saturdays, accordingly (соответственно, в течение следующих трех суббот), he traversed the corridor as usual between midnight and three o'clock (он проходил по коридору, как обычно, между полуночью и тремя часами ночи), taking every possible precaution against being either heard or seen (принимая все возможные предосторожности, чтобы его не было ни слышно, ни видно). He removed his boots (он снимал свои ботинки), trod as lightly as possible on the old worm-eaten boards (ступая так легко, как это было возможно, по старым, изъеденным червями половицам; to tread), wore a large black velvet cloak (надевал большой черный бархатный плащ; to wear — носить /об одежде/), and was careful to use the Rising Sun Lubricator for oiling his chains (и тщательно использовал масло «Восходящее солнце» для смазывания своих цепей). I am bound to acknowledge (я должен признать), that it was with a good deal of difficulty (что ему было очень трудно: «с изрядной долей трудности») that he brought himself to adopt this last mode of protection (заставить себя прибегнуть к этому последнему способу защиты: «что он заставил себя…»; to adopt — усыновлять; удочерять; принимать).
traverse [`traevs] usual [`ju:l] midnight [`midnait]
For the next three Saturdays, accordingly, he traversed the corridor as usual between midnight and three o'clock, taking every possible precaution against being either heard or seen. He removed his boots, trod as lightly as possible on the old worm-eaten boards, wore a large black velvet cloak, and was careful to use the Rising Sun Lubricator for oiling his chains. I am bound to acknowledge that it was with a good deal of difficulty that he brought himself to adopt this last mode of protection.
However, one night, while the family were at dinner (однако
humiliated [hju:`milieitid] afterwards [`:ftwdz] enough [i`nf]
However, one night, while the family were at dinner, he slipped into Mr. Otis's bedroom and carried off the bottle. He felt a little humiliated at first, but afterwards was sensible enough to see that there was a great deal to be said for the invention, and, to a certain degree, it served his purpose. Still in spite of everything he was not left unmolested. Strings were continually being stretched across the corridor, over which he tripped in the dark, and on one occasion, while dressed for the part of "Black Isaac, or the Huntsman of Hogley Woods," he met with a severe fall, through treading on a butter-slide, which the twins had constructed from the entrance of the Tapestry Chamber to the top of the oak staircase.
This last insult so enraged him (это последнее оскорбление привело его в такую ярость), that he resolved to make one final effort to assert his dignity and social position (что он решил предпринять последнюю попытку утвердить свое достоинство и общественное положение), and determined to visit the insolent young Etonians the next night (и решил навестить надоедливых молодых воспитанников Итона на следующей неделе) in his celebrated character of "Reckless Rupert, or the Headless Earl (в своей знаменитой роли «Безрассудного Руперта или Обезглавленного Герцога»)."
assert [`s:t] insolent [`inslnt] headless [`hedlis]
This last insult so enraged him, that he resolved to make one final effort to assert his dignity and social position, and determined to visit the insolent young Etonians the next night in his celebrated character of "Reckless Rupert, or the Headless Earl."
He had not appeared in this disguise for more than seventy years (он не появлялся в этом костюме более чем семьдесят лет); in fact, not since he had so frightened pretty Lady Barbara Modish by means of it (на самом деле, с тех пор как с его помощью он так напугал хорошенькую леди Барбару Модиш; means — средство; способ, метод; by means of — посредством), that she suddenly broke off her engagement with the present Lord Canterville's grandfather (что она внезапно расторгла помолвку с дедушкой нынешнего лорда Кентервиля; to break off), and ran away to Gretna Green with handsome Jack Castletown (и убежала в Гретна Грин {Gretna Green — деревня в Дамфрисшире, Шотландия, на границе с Англией; сюда после 1754 г. направлялись пары, стремящиеся обвенчаться без согласия родителей, что было невозможно в Англии} с красавцем Джеком Каслтауном; to run — бежать; to run away — убежать), declaring that nothing in the world would induce her to marry into a family (заявив, что ничто на свете не заставит ее войти в семью; to marry — жениться; выйти замуж) that allowed such a horrible phantom to walk up and down the terrace at twilight (которая позволяет такому ужасному призраку прогуливаться по террасе в сумерки; up and down — вверх и вниз; здесь и там; там и сям; в разных местах).