Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек
Шрифт:
"One of those bad days?" he asked.
"It's always bad about this time." She explained: "He used to look in, and when I heard your ring, just for a moment, I thought ..." She sat down on a hard chair opposite him and said, "Please talk. You knew him. Just tell me anything."
And so he talked. The sky blackened outside the window while he talked. He noticed after a while that their hands had met. He said to me, "I never meant to fall in love, not with Harry's girl."
"When did it happen?" I asked him.
"It was very cold and I got up to close the window curtains. I only noticed my hand was on hers when I took it away. As I stood up I looked down at her face and she was looking up. It wasn't a beautiful face—that was the trouble. It was a face to live with, day in, day out. A face for wear. I felt as though I'd come into a new country where I couldn't speak the language. I had always thought it was beauty one loved in a woman. I stood there at the curtains, waiting to pull them, looking out. I couldn't see anything but my own face, looking back into the room, looking for her. She said, 'And what did Harry do that time?' and I wanted to say, 'Damn Harry. He's dead. We both loved him, but he's dead. The dead are made to be forgotten.' Instead of course all I said was, What do you think? He just whistled his old tune as if nothing was the matter,' and I whistled it to her as well as I could. I heard her catch her breath, and I looked round and before I could think is this the right way, the right card, the right gambit?—I'd already said, 'He's dead. You can't go on remembering him for ever.'"
She said, "I know (я
"What do you mean (что вы имеете в виду)—something happen (что-то может случиться)?"
"Oh, I mean (о, я имею в виду), perhaps there'll be another way (возможно, будет другой путь), or I’ll die (или я умру), or something (или что-то /еще/)."
"You'll forget him in time (вы забудете его cо временем). You'll fall in love again (вы полюбите снова)."
"I know, but I don't want to (я знаю, но я не хочу). Don't you see I don't want to (разве вы не видите, что я не хочу)."
So Rollo Martins came back from the window (так что Ролло Мартинс отошел от окна) and sat down on the divan again (и снова сел на тахту). When he had risen half a minute before (когда он поднимался за полминуты до этого; to rise — вставать, подниматься) he had been the friend of Harry comforting Harry's girl (он был другом Гарри, утешающим девушку Гарри): now he was a man in love with Anna Schmidt (теперь он был мужчиной, влюбленным в Анну Шмидт) who had been in love with a man (которая /раньше/ была влюблена в человека) they had both once known called Harry Lime (которого они оба когда-то знали, по имени Гарри Лайм). He didn't speak again that evening about the past (он не говорил снова тем вечером о прошлом). Instead he began to tell her of the people he had seen (вместо этого он начал рассказывать ей о людях, которых он повидал = с которыми он повстречался). "I can believe anything of Winkler (я могу поверить чему угодно о Винклере)," he told her (сказал он ей), "but Cooler—I liked Cooler (но Кулер — мне понравился Кулер). He was the only one of his friends (он был единственным из его друзей) who stood up for Harry (который защищал Гарри).The trouble is (проблема в том) , if Cooler's right (если Кулер прав), then Koch is wrong (тогда неправ Кох), and I really thought I had something there (а я действительно думал, что я что-то узнал там)."
"Who's Koch (кто такой Кох)?"
He explained how he had returned to Harry's flat (он объяснил, как он вернулся в квартиру Гарри) and he described his interview with Koch (и описал свою беседу с Кохом), the story of the third man (историю третьего человека).
"If it's true (если это правда)," she said, "it's very important (/то/ это очень важно)."
"It doesn't prove anything (это не доказывает чего-либо). After all (в конце концов: «после всего»), Koch backed out of the inquest (Кох вышел: «отступил назад» из расследования), so might this stranger (так мог /сделать и/ этот незнакомец)."
"That's not the point (это не есть /главный/ смысл = не в этом дело)," she said. "It means that they lied (это значит ,что
"They might have lied so as not to inconvenience this fellow (они могли солгать так, чтобы не причинить неудобство этому парню)—if he was a friend (если он был друг)."
"Yet another friend (еще один друг)—on the spot (немедленно: «на месте»). And where's your Cooler's honesty then (а где тогда честность твоего Кулера)?"
"What do we do (что мы собираемся делать)? He clamped down like an oyster and turned me out of his flat (он заперся, как устрица, и выставил меня из своей квартиры; clamp — зажим; to turn out — выгнать: «повернуть/вывернуть наружу»)."
"He won't turn me out (он не выгонит меня)," she said, "or his Ilse won't (или его Илзе не сделает /этого/)."
They walked up the long road to the flat together (они шли по длинной дороге к квартире вместе): the snow clogged on their shoes (снег прилип на их ботинки; to clog — затруднять движение, задерживать, препятствовать, обременять) and made them move slowly like convicts weighed down by irons (и заставил их двигаться медленно, как каторжан, отягощенных оковами; to make — делать; побуждать, заставлять). Anna Schmidt said, "Is it far (это далеко)?"
"Not very far now (не очень далеко теперь). Do you see that knot of people up the road (ты видишь эту группу: «узел» людей впереди на дороге)? It's somewhere about there (это где-то там)." The group of people up the road was like a splash of ink on the whiteness (группа людей впереди на дороге была как клякса чернил на белизне; splash — брызганье; всплеск, плеск; брызги; пятно; to splash — забрызгивать; брызгать, плескать) that flowed, changed shape, spread out (которая текла, меняла форму, расширялась; to spread out — расширяться: «простираться наружу»). When they came a little nearer Martins said (когда они подошли немного ближе, Мартинс сказал), "I think that is his block (я думаю, это его квартал; block — колода, чурбан; блок; глыба; квартал /города/; жилищный массив; многоквартирный дом). What do you suppose this is (что, как ты предполаешь, это такое = что это, по-твоему), a political demonstration (политическая демонстрация)?"
comfort ['kAmfqt], important [Im'pO:t(q)nt], inconvenience [Inkqn'vi:nIqns], spread [spred], suppose [sq'pquz], political [pq'lItIk(q)l]
She said, "I know, but perhaps something will happen first."
"What do you mean—something happen?"
"Oh, I mean, perhaps there'll be another way, or I’ll die, or something."
"You'll forget him in time. You'll fall in love again."
"I know, but I don't want to. Don't you see I don't want to."
So Rollo Martins came back from the window and sat down on the divan again. When he had risen half a minute before he had been the friend of Harry comforting Harry's girl: now he was a man in love with Anna Schmidt who had been in love with a man they had both once known called Harry Lime. He didn't speak again that evening about the past. Instead he began to tell her of the people he had seen. "I can believe anything of Winkler," he told her, "but Cooler—I liked Cooler. He was the only one of his friends who stood up for Harry. The trouble is, if Cooler's right, then Koch is wrong, and I really thought I had something there."
"Who's Koch?"
He explained how he had returned to Harry's flat and he described his interview with Koch, the story of the third man.
"If it's true," she said, "it's very important."
"It doesn't prove anything. After all, Koch backed out of the inquest, so might this stranger."
"That's not the point," she said. "It means that they lied. Kurtz and Cooler."
"They might have lied so as not to inconvenience this fellow—if he was a friend."
"Yet another friend—on the spot. And where's your Cooler's honesty then?"