Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек
Шрифт:
The warning stayed in his brain all the way to Sacher's: after nine o'clock the streets are very empty, and he would turn his head at every padding step coming up the street behind him, as though that third man whom they had protected so ruthlessly was following him like an executioner. The Russian sentry outside the Grand Hotel looked rigid with the cold, but he was human, he had a face, an honest peasant face with Mongol eyes. The third man had no face: only the top of a head seen from a window. At Sacher's Mr. Schmidt said, "Colonel Calloway has been in, asking after you, sir. I think you'll find him in the bar."
"Back in a moment," Martins said and walked straight out of the hotel again: he wanted time to think. But immediately he stepped outside a man came forward, touched his cap and said firmly, "Please, sir." He flung open the door of a khaki painted truck with a union jack on the windscreen and firmly urged Martins within. He surrendered without protest; sooner or later he felt sure inquiries would be made: he had only pretended optimism to Anna Schmidt.
The driver drove too fast for safety on the frozen road, and Martins protested. All he got in reply was a sullen grunt and a muttered sentence containing the word "orders." "Gave you orders to kill me?" Martins said and got no reply at all. He caught sight of the Titans on the Hofburg balancing great globes of snow above their heads, and then they plunged into ill-lit streets beyond where he lost all sense of direction.
"Is it far?" But the driver paid him no attention at all. At least, Martins thought, I am not under arrest: they have not sent a guard; I am being invited, wasn't that the word they used? to visit the station to make a statement.
The car drew up and the driver led the way up two nights of stairs: he rang the bell of a great double door, and Martins was aware beyond it of many voices. He turned sharply to the driver and said, "Where the hell ...?" but the driver was already halfway down the stairs, and already the door was opening. His eyes were dazzled from the darkness by the lights inside: he heard but he could hardly see the advance of Crabbin. "Oh, Mr. Dexter, we have been so anxious, but better late than never. Let me introduce you to Miss Wilbraham and the Gr"afin von Meyersdorf."
A buffet laden with coffee cups: an urn steamed: a woman's face shiny with exertion: two young men with the happy intelligent faces of sixth formers, and huddled in the background, like faces in a family album, a multitude of the old-fashioned, the dingy, the earnest and cheery features of constant readers. Martins looked behind him, but the door had closed.
He said desperately to Mr. Crabbin (он
"Don't think any more about it (не думайте сколько-нибудь больше об этом)," Mr. Crabbin said. "One cup of coffee (одна чашка кофе) and then let's go on to the discussion (и затем давайте перейдем: «пойдем дальше» к дискуссии). We have a very good gathering tonight (у нас сегодня вечером очень хорошее собрание). They'll put you on your mettle, Mr. Dexter (они вас воодушевят, мистер Декстер; mettle — темперамент, характер; пыл; отвага, храбрость)." One of the young men placed a cup in his hand (один из молодых людей вложил чашку в его руку; to place — помещать), the other shovelled in sugar before he could say he preferred his coffee unsweetened (другой насыпал внутрь сахар, прежде чем он смог сказать, что он предпочитал свой кофе неподслащенным). The youngest man breathed into his ear (самый молодой человек продышал в его ухо), "Afterwards would you mind signing one of your books, Mr. Dexter (потом вы бы не возражали подписать одну из ваших книг, мистер Декстер)?" A large woman in black silk bore down upon him and said (большая женщина в черном шелке набросилась на него и сказала; to bear down — набрасываться), "I don't mind if the Gr"afin does hear me, Mr. Dexter (я не возражаю, если графиня все-таки услышит меня, мистер Декстер), but I don't like your books (но я не люблю ваши книги), I don't approve of them (я не одобряю их). I think a novel should tell a good story (я думаю, роман должен рассказывать хорошую историю)."
"So do I (я тоже /так думаю/)," Martins said hopelessly (сказал Мартинс безнадежно).
"Now Mrs. Bannock, wait for question time (ну, миссис Бэннок, подождите времени для вопросов)."
"I know I'm downright (я знаю, что я откровенна; downright —
An old lady, who he supposed was the Gr"afin (старая дама, которая, как он подозревал, была графиней; to suppose — предполагать), said (сказала), "I do not read many English books, Mr. Dexter (я не читаю много английских книг, мистер Декстер), but I am told that yours (но мне говорили, что ваши)..."
"Do you mind drinking up (вы не возражаете против того, чтобы выпить; to drink up — выпить до дна)?" Crabbin said and hustled him through into an inner room (сказал Крэббин и протолкал его во внутреннюю комнату) where a number of elderly people were sitting on a semi-circle of chairs with an air of sad patience (где некоторое число престарелых людей сидело на полукруге стульев с видом грустного терпения).
Martins was not able to tell me very much about the meeting (Мартинс не был способен рассказать мне очень много о встрече): his mind was still dazed with the death (его разум был все еще затуманен смертью): when he looked up he expected to see at any moment the child H"ansel (когда он поднимал глаза, он ожидал увидеть в любой момент ребенка Хензеля) and hear that persistent informative refrain (и услышать этот настойчивый информативный рефрен), "Papa, Papa." Apparently Crabbin opened the proceedings (очевидно, Крэббин открывал заседание), and knowing Crabbin I am sure (и, зная Крэббина, я уверен) that it was a very lucid, very fair and unbiased picture of the contemporary English novel (что это была очень ясная, очень справедливая и беспристрастная картина современного английского романа; bias — наклон, покатость, склон, уклон; to bias — склонять; оказывать влияние /обыкн. плохое/; настраивать to bias against — настраивать против кого-л.; unbiased — беспристрастный, объективный, непредубежденный). I have heard him give that talk so often (я так часто слышал, как он произносит эту речь), varied only by the emphasis given to the work of the particular English visitor (изменяемую только особым упором на работу: «данным работе» конкретного английского посетителя). He would have touched lightly on various problems of technique (он касался легко разнообразных проблем техники)—the point of view (точки зрения), the passage of time (течения времени), and then he would have declared the meeting open for questions and discussions (а затем он объявлял собрание открытым для вопросов и обсуждений).
desperate ['desp(q)rqt], gather ['gxDq], shovel [SAvl], sugar ['Sugq], prefer [prI'fq:], breathe [bri:D], approve [q'pru:v], circle [sq:kl], persistent [pq'sIst(q)nt], informative [In'fO:mqtIv], proceeding [prq'si:dIN], unbiased ['An'baIqst], emphasis ['emfqsIs], particular [pq'tIkjulq]
He said desperately to Mr. Crabbin, "I'm sorry, but..."
"Don't think any more about it," Mr. Crabbin said. "One cup of coffee and then let's go on to the discussion. We have a very good gathering tonight. They'll put you on your mettle, Mr. Dexter." One of the young men placed a cup in his hand, the other shovelled in sugar before he could say he preferred his coffee unsweetened. The youngest man breathed into his ear, "Afterwards would you mind signing one of your books, Mr. Dexter?" A large woman in black silk bore down upon him and said, "I don't mind if the Gr"afin does hear me, Mr. Dexter, but I don't like your books, I don't approve of them. I think a novel should tell a good story."
"So do I," Martins said hopelessly.
"Now Mrs. Bannock, wait for question time."
"I know I'm downright, but I'm sure Mr. Dexter values honest criticism."
An old lady, who he supposed was the Gr"afin, said, "I do not read many English books, Mr. Dexter, but I am told that yours ..."
"Do you mind drinking up?" Crabbin said and hustled him through into an inner room where a number of elderly people were sitting on a semi-circle of chairs with an air of sad patience.