Мистер Всезнайка. Рассказы
Шрифт:
"She’s very well (с ней все хорошо)," said Mrs. Tower with a certain dryness (сказала миссис Тауэр с некоторой сухостью; dry — сухой).
"How has the marriage turned out (чем же обернулся ее брак; toturnout— выворачиваться; кончаться, оказываться)?"
Mrs. Tower paused a little (миссис Тауэр немного помедлила) and took a salted almond from the dish in front of her (и взяла соленый миндаль с блюда, стоявшего перед ней).
"It appears to be quite a success (он выглядит довольно успешным; success — успех)."
"You were wrong, then (значит, вы ошибались; tobewrong— ошибаться, быть неправым)?"
"I said it wouldn’t last (я говорила, что он = брак не продержится долго) and I still say it won’t last (я и сейчас говорю то же самое: «он не продержится долго»). It’s contrary to human nature (это
"Is she happy (она счастлива)?"
"They’re both happy (они оба счастливы)."
dryness ['draInIs], almond ['Rmqnd], appear [q'pIq], success [sqk'ses]
"She’s very well," said Mrs. Tower with a certain dryness.
"How has the marriage turned out?"
Mrs. Tower paused a little and took a salted almond from the dish in front of her.
"It appears to be quite a success."
"You were wrong, then?"
"I said it wouldn’t last and I still say it won’t last. It’s contrary to human nature."
"Is she happy?"
"They’re both happy."
"I suppose you don’t see very much of them (полагаю, вы не много = нечасто видите их)."
"At first I saw quite a lot of them (сначала я видела их довольно часто: «много»). But now… (но сейчас)" Mrs. Tower pursed her lips a little (миссис Тауэр слегка: «немного» сжала губы). "Jane is becoming very grand (Джейн стала очень важной)."
"What do you mean (что вы имеете в виду)?" I laughed (засмеялся я).
"I think I should tell you that she’s here tonight (думаю, мне следует сказать вам, что она сегодня здесь)."
"Here (здесь)?"
I was startled (я был поражен; tostartle— испугать, сильно удивить). I looked round the table again (я снова оглядел стол). Our hostess was a delightful and an entertaining woman (наша хозяйка была очаровательной и занимательной женщиной; to entertain — развлекать, занимать), but I could not imagine (но я не мог себе представить) that she would be likely to invite to a dinner such as this (что она будет способна пригласить на такой обед) the elderly and dowdy wife of an obscure architect (пожилую и безвкусно одетую жену неизвестного архитектора;obscure — темный; неизвестный, безвестный). Mrs. Tower saw my perplexity (миссис Тауэр увидела мою растерянность; perplexity — недоумение; растерянность;смущение) and was shrewd enough to see what was in my mind (и была достаточно проницательной, чтобы понять, о чем я думаю: «что было у меня на уме»). She smiled thinly (она слабо/поджав губы улыбнулась; thin — тонкий; слабый).
"Look on the left of our host (посмотрите — слева от хозяйки)."
startle [stRtl], entertaining [entq'teInIN], obscure [qb'skjuq]
"I suppose you don’t see very much of them."
"At first I saw quite a lot of them. But now…" Mrs. Tower pursed her lips a little. "Jane is becoming very grand."
"What do you mean?" I laughed.
"I think I should tell you that she’s here tonight."
"Here?"
I was startled. I looked round the table again. Our hostess was a delightful and an entertaining woman, but I could not imagine that she would be likely to invite to a dinner such as this the elderly and dowdy wife of an obscure architect. Mrs. Tower saw my perplexity and was shrewd enough to see what was in my mind. She smiled thinly.
"Look on the left of our host."
I looked (я посмотрел/взглянул). Oddly enough (довольно странно) the woman who sat there had by her fantastic appearance attracted my attention (/но/ женщина, которая сидела там, своей фантастической внешностью привлекла мое внимание) the moment I was ushered into the crowded drawing-room (в тот /самый/ момент, когда меня ввели в переполненную гостиную; tousher— провожать, вводить, сопровождать;crowd— толпа, множество людей). I thought I noticed a gleam of recognition in her eye (мне показалось, что она меня узнала: «в ее глазах я увидел проблеск узнавания»; torecognize— узнавать), but to the best of my belief I had never seen her before (но я был убежден, что никогда раньше ее не видел; belief — вера; доверие; мнение, убеждение; to the best of my belief — насколько мне известно). She was not a young woman (она не была молодой женщиной), for her hair was iron-grey (так как ее волосы были серо-стального цвета; iron— железо); it was cut very short (они были очень коротко пострижены) and clustered thickly round her well-shaped head in tight curls (и
recognition [rekqg'nISn], curl [kWl], conspicuous [kqn'spIkjuqs], artifice ['RtIfIs], magnificent [mxg'nIfIsnt]
I looked. Oddly enough the woman who sat there had by her fantastic appearance attracted my attention the moment I was ushered into the crowded drawing-room. I thought I noticed a gleam of recognition in her eye, but to the best of my belief I had never seen her before. She was not a young woman, for her hair was iron-grey; it was cut very short and clustered thickly round her well-shaped head in tight curls. She made no attempt at youth, for she was conspicuous in that gathering by using neither lipstick, rouge nor powder. Her face, not a particularly handsome one, was red and weather-beaten; but because it owed nothing to artifice had a naturalness that was very pleasing. It contrasted oddly with the whiteness of her shoulders. They were really magnificent. A woman of thirty might have been proud of them.
But her dress was extraordinary (но ее платье было невероятным/исключительным). I had not seen often anything more audacious (не часто я видел что-нибудь более смелое/дерзкое; audacious— смелый, дерзкий). It was cut very low (с глубоким вырезом: «вырезано очень низко»), with short skirts, which were then the fashion (с короткими оборками, которые были тогда в моде), in black and yellow (черно-желтое); it had almost the effect of fancy-dress (оно казалось каким-то /театральным/ костюмом: «имело эффект маскарадного костюма») and yet so became her (и все же так было ей к лицу; tobecome— становиться, делаться; быть к лицу) that though on anyone else it would have been outrageous (что хотя оно на ком-то другом выглядело бы возмутительно/шокирующе), on her it had the inevitable simplicity of nature (на ней платье казалось чем-то само собой разумеющимся: «имело неизбежную простоту природы»). And to complete the impression of an eccentricity (и чтобы дополнить впечатление эксцентричности; toimpress— впечатлять) in which there was no pose (в которой не было никакой манерности/позирования) and of an extravagance (и экстравагантности) in which there was no ostentation (в которой не было рисовки; ostentation — уст. показ, демонстрация; показное проявление /чего-либо/; хвастовство; выставление напоказ, рисовка) she wore (на ней висел: «она носила»), attached by a broad black ribbon (прикрепленный широкой черной лентой = на широкой черной ленте), a single eyeglass (монокль).
"You’re not going to tell me that is your sister-in-law (вы же не хотие мне сказать, что это ваша золовка)," I gasped (ахнул я).
"That is Jane Napier (это Джейн Напир)," said Mrs. Tower icily (холодно).
audacious [L'deISqs], outrageous [aut'reIGqs], eccentricity [eksen'trIsqtI], extravagance [Iks'trxvqgqns]
But her dress was extraordinary. I had not seen often anything more audacious. It was cut very low, with short skirts, which were then the fashion, in black and yellow; it had almost the effect of fancy-dress and yet so became her that though on anyone else it would have been outrageous, on her it had the inevitable simplicity of nature. And to complete the impression of an eccentricity in which there was no pose and of an extravagance in which there was no ostentation she wore, attached by a broad black ribbon, a single eyeglass.