Мистер Всезнайка. Рассказы
Шрифт:
"Can’t you do that (ты можешь сделать это)?"
"Yes, if you’ll do something for me (да, если ты сделаешь кое-что для меня)."
"What is it (что же это)?"
"Cut off your hair (обрежь = подстриги волосы)."
reason [rJzn], sharply ['SRplI]
But she saw them making mental notes of what she wore, and for some reason this quite ‘put her about.’ For once in her life when she wasn’t wearing what everybody else did, she reflected, she didn’t see why everybody else should want to wear what she did.
"Gilbert," she said, quite sharply for her, "next time you’re designing dresses for me I wish you’d design things that people can’t copy."
"The only way to do that is to design things that only you can wear."
"Can’t you do that?"
"Yes, if you’ll do something for me."
"What is it?"
"Cut off your hair."
I think this was the first time that Jane jibbed (думаю, это был первый раз, когда Джейн воспротивилась: «уперлась»; to jib — внезапноостанавливаться,
jib [GIb], proceeding [prq'sJdIN], impudent ['Impjudqnt], masterpiece ['mRstqpJs]
I think this was the first time that Jane jibbed. Her hair was long and thick, and as a girl she had been quite vain of it; to cut it off was a very drastic proceeding. This really was burning her boats behind her. In her case it was not the first step that cost so much, it was the last; but she took it ("I know Marion will think me a perfect fool, and I shall never be able to go to Liverpool again," she said), and when they passed through Paris on their way home Gilbert led her (she felt quite sick, her heart was beating so fast) to the best hairdresser in the world. She came out of his shop with a jaunty, saucy, impudent head of crisp grey curls. Pygmalion had finished his fantastic masterpiece: Galatea was come to life.
"Yes," I said, "but that isn’t enough to explain why Jane is here to-night (но этого недостаточно, чтобы объяснить ни то, почему Джейн сегодня здесь) amid this crowd of duchesses (среди этого скопления герцогинь), cabinet ministers and such like (членов правительства и тому подобных); nor why she is sitting on one side of her host with an admiral of the Fleet on the other (ни то, почему она сидит с хозяйкой по одну сторону и с адмиралом флота по другую)."
"Jane is a humorist (Джейн шутница/балагур; humor — юмор)," said Mrs. Tower. "Didn’t you see them all laughing at what she said (разве вы не видите, как они все смеются над тем, что она говорит)?"
There was no doubt now of the bitterness in Mrs. Tower’s heart (теперь не было сомнений в том, что в сердце миссис Тауэр была печаль: «была горечь»; bitter— горький).
"When Jane wrote and told me they were back from their honeymoon (когда Джейн написала и сообщила мне, что они возвращаются из медового месяца) I thought I must ask them both to dinner (я подумала, что должна пригласить их обоих на обед; toask— спрашивать; приглашать). I didn’t much like the idea (мне не очень нравилась эта мысль), but I felt it had to be done (но я чувствовала, что должна сделать это: «это должно быть сделано»; tohaveto— быть должным /сделать что-либо/). I knew the party would be deadly (я знала, что прием будет ужасным) and I wasn’t going to sacrifice any of the people who really mattered (и не собиралась жертвовать людьми, которые действительно имели /для меня/ значение). On the other hand I didn’t want Jane to think I hadn’t any nice friends (с другой стороны, я не хотела, чтобы Джейн подумала, что у меня нет ни одного хорошего друга). You know I never have more than eight (знаете, я никогда не приглашала больше восьми), but on this occasion I thought it would make things go better if I had twelve (но в этом случае я подумала, что будет лучше: «заставит вещи идти лучше», если я приглашу двенадцать). I’d been too busy to see Jane until the evening of the party (я была слишком занята, чтобы увидеться с Джейн до вечера, в который должен был состояться обед: «до вечера обеда»). She kept us all waiting a little (она заставили всех нас немного подождать; tokeep— держать; заставлять) — that was Gilbert’s cleverness (это была уловка Гилберта; clever— умный) — and at last she sailed in (наконец, она вошла: «вплыла»; tosail— идти под парусами; плыть). You could have knocked me down with a feather (я была ошеломлена = я остолбенела: «вы могли бы сбить меня с ног пером»; toknockdownwithafeather— ошеломить). She made the rest of the women look dowdy and provincial (она заставила всех остальных женщин выглядеть неэлегантными и провинциальными = на ее фоне все остальные женщины выглядели серыми провинциалками). She made me feel like a painted old trollop (она заставила меня почувствовать себя = а я почувствовала себя разукрашенной старухой: «разукрашенной старой грязнулей/проституткой»; topaint— рисовать, красить)."
duchess ['dACIs], bitterness ['bItqnIs], trollop ['trOlqp]
"Yes," I said, "but that isn’t enough to explain why Jane is here to-night amid this crowd of duchesses, cabinet ministers and such like; nor why she is sitting on one side of her host with an admiral of the Fleet on the other."
"Jane is a humorist," said Mrs. Tower. "Didn’t you see them all laughing at what she said?"
There was no doubt now of the bitterness in Mrs. Tower’s heart.
"When Jane wrote and told me they were back from their honeymoon I thought I must ask them both to dinner. I didn’t much like the idea, but I felt it had to be done. I knew the party would be deadly and I wasn’t going to sacrifice any of the people who really mattered. On the other hand I didn’t want Jane to think I hadn’t any nice friends. You know I never have more than eight, but on this occasion I thought it would make things go better if I had twelve. I’d been too busy to see Jane until the evening of the party. She kept us all waiting a little — that was Gilbert’s cleverness — and at last she sailed in. You could have knocked me down with a feather. She made the rest of the women look dowdy and provincial. She made me feel like a painted old trollop."
Mrs. Tower drank a little champagne (миссис
"I wish I could describe the frock to you (жаль, что я не могу описать тебе /ее/ платье). It would have been quite impossible on anyone else (на любом другом человеке оно было бы просто невозможным; possible — возможный); on her it was perfect (а на ней оно сидело: «было» отлично). And the eyeglass (а монокль)! I’d known her for thirty-five years (я знаю ее тридцать пять лет) and I’d never seen her without spectacles (и ни разу не видела ее без очков)."
"But you knew she had a good figure (но вы знали, что у нее хорошая фигура)."
"How should I (откуда)? I’d never seen her except in the clothes you first saw her in (я всегда видела ее только в том: «никогда не видела ее, кроме как в той одежде», в чем ты впервые увидел ее). Did you think she had a good figure (а ты /мог/ сказать: «подумать», что у нее хорошая фигура)? She seemed not to be unconscious of the sensation she made (по всей видимости, она знала, что производит сенсацию: «не была неосознающей о сенсации, которую она делала»; tobeunconscious— не сознавать, не замечать;conscious— сознательный, осознанный; сознающий) but to take it as a matter of course (но принимала это за должное). I thought of my dinner and I heaved a sigh of relief (я подумала о своем обеде и вздохнула с облегчением: «издала вздох облегчения»; toheave— поднимать; издавать). Even if she was a little heavy in hand (даже если она и была бы немного скучной /в разговоре/; tobeheavyinhand— быть скучным, тягостным, неловким), with that appearance it didn’t so very much matter (с той ее внешностью это не имело большого значения). She was sitting at the other end of the table (она сидела на другом конце стола) and I heard a good deal of laughter (и я слышала много смеха; agooddealof— много, большое количество чего-либо); I was glad to think that the other people were playing up well (я была рада думать = радостно думала, что другие люди неплохо ей подыгрывали /в разговоре/; toplayup— деятельно участвовать; подыгрывать); but after dinner I was a good deal taken aback (но после обеда я была сильно поражена; totakeaback— захватить врасплох, поражать) when no less than three men came up to me and told me that my sister-in-law was priceless (когда по крайней мере трое мужчин подошли ко мне и сказали, что моя золовка весьма забавна/неподражаема; nolessthan— не менее, чем;priceless— бесценный; забавный, смешной), and did I think she would allow them to call on her (и не думаю ли я, что она позволит им навестить ее = как, по моему мнению, нельзя ли им будет нанести ей визит; tocallonsmb. — навестить, заходить в гости к кому-либо). I didn’t quite know whether I was standing on my head or my heels (я не знала, что происходит: «я не знала, стою ли на голове или на ногах»). Twenty-four hours later our hostess of to-night rang me up (двадцать четыре часа спустя хозяйка сегодняшнего /приема/ позвонила мне) and said she had heard my sister-in-law was in London (и сказала, что слышала о том, что моя золовка в Лондоне) and she was priceless (и что она была /ах как/ забавна: «бесценна») and would I ask her to luncheon to meet her (и не попрошу ли я ее /хозяйку/ на завтрак, чтобы познакомиться с ней /с Джейн/). She has an infallible instinct (у нее безошибочная интуиция), that woman (у той женщины): in a month everyone was talking about Jane (через месяц все говорили о Джейн). I am here to-night (я сегодня здесь), not because I’ve known our hostess for twenty years (не потому, что я знаю хозяйку уже двадцать лет) and have asked her to dinner a hundred times (и сотни раз приглашала ее обедать), but because I’m Jane’s sister-in-law (а потому, что я невестка Джейн)."
figure ['fIgq], unconscious [An'kOnSqs], heave [hJv], infallible [In'fxlqbl]
Mrs. Tower drank a little champagne.
"I wish I could describe the frock to you. It would have been quite impossible on anyone else; on her it was perfect. And the eyeglass! I’d known her for thirty-five years and I’d never seen her without spectacles."
"But you knew she had a good figure."
"How should I? I’d never seen her except in the clothes you first saw her in. Did you think she had a good figure? She seemed not to be unconscious of the sensation she made but to take it as a matter of course. I thought of my dinner and I heaved a sigh of relief. Even if she was a little heavy in hand, with that appearance it didn’t so very much matter. She was sitting at the other end of the table and I heard a good deal of laughter; I was glad to think that the other people were playing up well; but after dinner I was a good deal taken aback when no less than three men came up to me and told me that my sister-in-law was priceless, and did I think she would allow them to call on her. I didn’t quite know whether I was standing on my head or my heels. Twenty-four hours later our hostess of to-night rang me up and said she had heard my sister-in-law was in London and she was priceless and would I ask her to luncheon to meet her. She has an infallible instinct, that woman: in a month everyone was talking about Jane. I am here to-night, not because I’ve known our hostess for twenty years and have asked her to dinner a hundred times, but because I’m Jane’s sister-in-law."