“Stop!” cried Virginia, stamping her foot, “it is you who are rude, and horrid, and vulgar, and as for dishonesty, you know you stole the paints out of my box to try and furbish up that ridiculous blood-stain in the library. First you took all my reds, including the vermilion, and I couldn’t do any more sunsets, then you took the emerald-green and the chrome-yellow, and finally I had nothing left but indigo and Chinese white, and could only do moonlight scenes, which are always depressing to look at, and not at all easy to paint. I never told on you, though I was very much annoyed, and it was most ridiculous, the whole thing; for who ever heard of emerald-green blood?”
“Well, really (да,
на самом деле),” said the Ghost, rather meekly (довольно кротко), “what was I to do (/а/ что мне было делать)? It is a very difficult thing to get real blood nowadays (в наши дни очень трудно достать настоящую кровь), and, as your brother began it all with his Paragon Detergent (и с тех пор, как твой брат начал все это с моющим средством «Идеал»), I certainly saw no reason (я совершенно не видел причины) why I should not have your paints (почему я не должен был брать твои краски). As for colour (что касается цвета), that is always a matter of taste (это всего лишь дело вкуса): the Cantervilles have blue blood, for instance (например, Кентервили имели голубую кровь), the very bluest in England (самую голубую во всей Англии); but I know you Americans don’t care for things of this kind (но я знаю, что американцы не обращают внимание на такие вещи; not to care – относиться с безразличием).”
“Well, really,” said the Ghost, rather meekly, “what was I to do? It is a very difficult thing to get real blood nowadays, and, as your brother began it all with his Paragon Detergent, I certainly saw no reason why I should not have your paints. As for colour, that is always a matter of taste: the Cantervilles have blue blood, for instance, the very bluest in England; but I know you Americans don’t care for things of this kind.”
“You know nothing about it (вы ничего не знаете об этом), and the best thing you can do (и самое лучшее, что вы можете сделать) is to emigrate and improve your mind (это эмигрировать и усовершенствовать ваше мышление). My father will be only too happy to give you a free passage (мой отец будет счастлив обеспечить вам бесплатный проезд), and though there is a heavy duty on spirits of every kind (и хотя на спиртное/спиритическое любого рода таможенная пошлина очень высока; spirit – дух; spirits – алкоголь), there will be no difficulty about the Custom House (с таможней не будет никакой трудности), as the officers are all Democrats (так как служащие – все демократы). Once in New York (когда вы попадете в Нью-Йорк), you are sure to be a great success (вы без сомнения будете иметь большой успех). I know lots of people there (я знаю там многих людей), who would give a hundred thousand dollars (которые дали бы сотню тысяч долларов) to have a grandfather (чтобы иметь дедушку), and much more than that to have a family ghost (и гораздо больше – за семейное привидение; than that – чем это).”
“You know nothing about it, and the best thing you can do is to emigrate and improve your mind. My father will be only too happy to give you a free passage, and though there is a heavy duty on spirits of every kind, there will be no difficulty about the Custom House, as the officers are all Democrats. Once in New York, you are sure to be a great success. I know lots of people there who would give a hundred thousand dollars to have a grandfather, and much more than that to have a family ghost.”
“I don’t think I should like America (я
не думаю, что мне бы понравилась Америка).”
“I suppose because we have no ruins and no curiosities (я полагаю, потому что у нас нет руин и диковинок),” said Virginia, satirically (сказала Вирджиния с иронией)
“I don’t think I should like America.”
“I suppose because we have no ruins and no curiosities,” said Virginia, satirically.
“No ruins! no curiosities!” answered the Ghost; “you have your navy and your manners (у вас есть ваш флот и ваши манеры).”
“Good evening (до свидания); I will go and ask papa to get the twins an extra week’s holiday (я пойду и попрошу папу устроить близнецам дополнительную неделю каникул).”
“No ruins! no curiosities!” answered the Ghost; “you have your navy and your manners.”
“Good evening; I will go and ask papa to get the twins an extra week’s holiday.”
“Please don’t go, Miss Virginia (пожалуйста, не уходите),” he cried (воскликнул он); “I am so lonely and so unhappy (я так одинок и так несчастлив), and I really don’t know what to do (и я действительно не знаю, что мне делать). I want to go to sleep and I cannot (я хочу заснуть, но я не могу).”
“Please don’t go, Miss Virginia,” he cried; “I am so lonely and so unhappy, and I really don’t know what to do. I want to go to sleep and I cannot.”
“That’s quite absurd (это абсолютно нелепо)! You have merely to go to bed (вы всего лишь должны лечь в постель) and blow out the candle (и задуть свечу). It is very difficult sometimes to keep awake (иногда бывает очень трудно бодрствовать), especially at church (особенно в церкви), but there is no difficulty at all about sleeping (но уснуть совсем не трудно). Why, even babies know how to do that, and they are not very clever (ну, даже маленькие дети знают, как это сделать, а они не очень умны).”
“That’s quite absurd! You have merely to go to bed and blow out the candle. It is very difficult sometimes to keep awake, especially at church, but there is no difficulty at all about sleeping. Why, even babies know how to do that, and they are not very clever.”
“I have not slept for three hundred years (я не спал триста лет),” he said sadly (грустно), and Virginia’s beautiful blue eyes opened in wonder (и красивые голубые глаза Вирджинии широко распахнулись от удивления); “for three hundred years I have not slept (триста лет я не спал), and I am so tired (и я так устал).”