Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки

Еремин Андрей

"We'll just go in here, so that you can say you've been, but it's very simple. It's absurd to call it a maze. You keep on taking the first turning to the right. We'll just walk round for ten minutes, and then go and get some lunch."

They met some people soon after they had got inside, who said they had been there for three-quarters of an hour, and had had about enough of it. Harris told them they could follow him, if they liked; he was just going in, and then should turn round and come out again. They said it was very kind of him, and fell behind, and followed.

They picked up various other people who wanted to get it over, as they went along (пока шли = по дороге они подобрали многих других людей, которые хотели выбраться оттуда; various — различный, разный; многие; to get over — перейти; преодолеть /трудности/,

разделаться с чем-либо; to go along — двигаться вперед /по дороге, улице и т.д./), until they had absorbed all the persons in the maze (пока не поглотили всех, /кто находился/ в лабиринте). People who had given up all hopes of ever getting either in or out (люди, которые оставили все надежды когда-либо войти или выйти), or of ever seeing their home and friends again (или когда-либо увидеть снова свой дом и друзей), plucked up courage at the sight of Harris and his party (воспрянули духом при виде Гарриса и его компании; to pluck up courage — собраться с духом, набраться храбрости; party — отряд, команда, группа, партия), and joined the procession, blessing him (и присоединились к процессии/шествию, благословляя его). Harris said he should judge there must have been twenty people, following him, in all (Гаррис сказал, по его оценке, за ним следовало, должно быть, в общей сложности двадцать человек; to judge — судить; полагать, оценивать); and one woman with a baby, who had been there all the morning (и одна женщина с ребенком, которая пробыла там все утро), insisted on taking his arm, for fear of losing him (настаивала на том, чтобы взять его за руку, опасаясь потерять его; for fear of — из боязни; опасаясь; чтобы не).

Harris kept on turning to the right, but it seemed a long way (Гаррис продолжал сворачивать направо, но, казалось, это был длинный путь = идти было далеко), and his cousin said he supposed it was a very big maze (и его родственник сказал, наверно, это очень большой лабиринт).

"Oh, one of the largest in Europe (один из самых больших в Европе)," said Harris.

"Yes, it must be (да, должно быть)," replied the cousin (ответил родственник), "because we've walked a good two miles already (потому что мы уже прошли добрых две мили)."

absorbed [b'z:bd] courage ['kr]

They picked up various other people who wanted to get it over, as they went along, until they had absorbed all the persons in the maze. People who had given up all hopes of ever getting either in or out, or of ever seeing their home and friends again, plucked up courage at the sight of Harris and his party, and joined the procession, blessing him. Harris said he should judge there must have been twenty people, following him, in all; and one woman with a baby, who had been there all the morning, insisted on taking his arm, for fear of losing him.

Harris kept on turning to the right, but it seemed a long way, and his cousin said he supposed it was a very big maze.

"Oh, one of the largest in Europe," said Harris.

"Yes, it must be," replied the cousin, "because we've walked a good two miles already."

Harris began to think it rather strange himself (Гаррис и сам начал думать, что это довольно странно), but he held on until, at last, they passed the half of a penny bun on the ground (но он продолжал /идти/, пока, наконец, они не прошли мимо половины булочки стоимостью один пенс, /валявшейся/ на земле; to hold on — продолжать делать что-либо, упорствовать в чем-либо; bun — сдобная булочка с изюмом) that Harris's cousin swore he had noticed there seven minutes ago (которую родственник Гарриса, как он утверждал, заметил там семь минут назад; to swear — клясться, присягать, заявлять под присягой). Harris said: "Oh, impossible (невозможно)!" but the woman with the baby said, "Not at all (вовсе нет)," as she herself had taken it from the child (поскольку

она сама забрала ее у своего ребенка; to take from), and thrown it down there, just before she met Harris (и бросила там как раз перед тем, как встретила Гарриса; to throw-threw-thrown; to meet). She also added that she wished she never had met Harris (она также добавила, что желает, чтобы никогда не встречала Гарриса = жалеет, что встретила его), and expressed an opinion that he was an impostor (и выразила мнение, что он обманщик). That made Harris mad, and he produced his map, and explained his theory (это взбесило Гарриса, он предъявил карту и объяснил свою теорию).

"The map may be all right enough (карта, может быть, в порядке)," said one of the party (сказал кто-то из группы), "if you know whereabouts in it we are now (если знаешь местонахождение на ней = где мы сейчас находимся)."

Harris didn't know, and suggested that the best thing to do would be to go back to the entrance, and begin again (Гаррис не знал и сказал, что самым лучшим будет вернуться ко входу и начать снова; to suggest — предлагать, советовать). For the beginning again part of it there was not much enthusiasm (насчет части начинания снова = насчет того, чтобы начать сначала, было немного энтузиазма); but with regard to the advisability of going back to the entrance there was complete unanimity (но что касается целесообразности возвращения ко входу, было полное единодушие), and so they turned, and trailed after Harris again, in the opposite direction (и они повернулись и потащились за Гаррисом снова, в противоположном направлении). About ten minutes more passed (прошло еще около десяти минут), and then they found themselves in the centre (и тут они очутились: «обнаружили себя» в центре /лабиринта/; to find — найти).

ground [raund] impostor [m'pst] theory ['r] unanimity [,ju:n'nmt]

Harris began to think it rather strange himself, but he held on until, at last, they passed the half of a penny bun on the ground that Harris's cousin swore he had noticed there seven minutes ago. Harris said: "Oh, impossible!" but the woman with the baby said, "Not at all," as she herself had taken it from the child, and thrown it down there, just before she met Harris. She also added that she wished she never had met Harris, and expressed an opinion that he was an impostor. That made Harris mad, and he produced his map, and explained his theory.

"The map may be all right enough," said one of the party, "if you know whereabouts in it we are now."

Harris didn't know, and suggested that the best thing to do would be to go back to the entrance, and begin again. For the beginning again part of it there was not much enthusiasm; but with regard to the advisability of going back to the entrance there was complete unanimity, and so they turned, and trailed after Harris again, in the opposite direction. About ten minutes more passed, and then they found themselves in the centre.

Harris thought at first of pretending that that was what he had been aiming at (Гаррис подумал сначала сделать вид, что это /именно/ то, к чему он стремился); but the crowd looked dangerous, and he decided to treat it as an accident (но толпа была раздражена: «выглядела опасной = угрожающе», и он решил отнестись к этому как к случайности; to look dangerous — быть в раздраженном состоянии; dangerous — опасный; to treat as — относиться, рассматривать).

Anyhow, they had got something to start from then (во всяком случае, у них теперь было что-то, с чего начинать; to start from — исходить, начинать с). They did know where they were, and the map was once more consulted (они знали, где находятся, и еще раз сверились с картой; to consult — советоваться, справляться), and the thing seemed simpler than ever, and off they started for the third time (и дело казалось проще простого, и они отправились в путь в третий раз; to start off — начинать путешествие, трогаться).