Читать интересную книгу Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр - Илья Франк

Scotland ['skOtlqnd] thinner ['TInq] exuberant [Ig'zju:b(q)rqnt]

THEY had been rehearsing for a fortnight when Roger arrived from Austria. He

had been spending a few weeks on a Carinthian lake, and after a day or two in

London was to go and stay with friends in Scotland. Since Michael had to dine

early to go to the theatre Julia went to meet him by herself. When she was

dressing, Evie, sniffing as usual, told her that she was taking as much pains to

make herself look nice as if she were going to meet a young man. She wanted

Roger to be proud of her, and certainly she looked very young and pretty in her

summer frock as she strolled up and down the platform. You would have thought,

but wrongly, that she was perfectly unconscious of the attention she attracted.

Roger, after a month in the sun, was very brown, but he was still rather spotty and

he seemed thinner than when he had left London at the New Year. She hugged him

with exuberant affection. He smiled slightly.

They were to dine by themselves (они должны были пообедать вдвоем). Julia

asked him if he would like to go to a play afterwards or to the pictures (Джулия

спросила его, не хочет ли он пойти на спектакль после этого или в кино), but

he said he preferred to stay at home (но он сказал, что он предпочел бы остаться

дома).

"That'll be much nicer (так будет гораздо приятнее)," she answered (ответила

она), "and we'll just talk (и мы просто поболтаем)."

There was indeed a subject (был, на самом деле, некий предмет для разговора)

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that Michael had invited her to discuss with Roger (который Майкл просил ее

обсудить с Роджером; to invite — приглашать, провоцировать, призывать)

when the opportunity arose (когда появится такая возможность; to arise (arose,

arisen) — возникать). Now that he was going to Cambridge so soon (теперь,

когда он собирался в Кембридж так рано) he ought to make up his mind what he

wanted to do (ему следовало бы решить, чем он хочет заниматься). Michael

was afraid that he would drift through his time there (Майкл боялся, что он

бездумно проведет там /свое/ время; to drift — дрейфовать, плыть по

течению, бездействовать) and then go into a broker's office (и затем

отправиться в брокерскую контору) or even on the stage (или даже в театр: «на

сцену»). Thinking that Julia had more tact than he (думая, что Джулия обладает

большим тактом, чем он сам), and more influence with the boy (и имеет на

юношу больше влияния), he had urged her to put before him the advantages of

the Foreign Office (он настаивал, чтобы она рассказала ему: «изложила,

представила на рассмотрение» о преимуществах /работы в/ Министерстве

иностранных дел) and the brilliant possibilities of the Bar (и о блестящих

возможностях, что предлагает адвокатура). Julia thought it would be strange

(Джулия подумала, что было бы странным) if in the course of two or three

hours' conversation (если бы в течении двух или трехчасового разговора) she

could not find a way to lead to this important topic (она не смогла бы найти

возможность: «путь» подвести к этой важной теме). At dinner she tried to get

him to talk about Vienna (во время обеда она пыталась разговорить о Вене).

But he was reticent (но он был сдержан: «молчалив»).

prefer [prI'fq:] afraid [q'freId] broker ['brqVkq] influence ['InflVqns]

reticent ['retIs(q)nt]

They were to dine by themselves. Julia asked him if he would like to go to a play

afterwards or to the pictures, but he said he preferred to stay at home.

"That'll be much nicer," she answered, "and we'll just talk."

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There was indeed a subject that Michael had invited her to discuss with Roger

when the opportunity arose. Now that he was going to Cambridge so soon he ought

to make up his mind what he wanted to do. Michael was afraid that he would drift

through his time there and then go into a broker's office or even on the stage.

Thinking that Julia had more tact than he, and more influence with the boy, he had

urged her to put before him the advantages of the Foreign Office and the brilliant

possibilities of the Bar. Julia thought it would be strange if in the course of two or

three hours' conversation she could not find a way to lead to this important topic.

At dinner she tried to get him to talk about Vienna. But he was reticent.

"Oh, I just did the usual things, you know (о, я просто делал обычные дела,

знаешь ли). I saw the sights (я осматривал достопримечательности) and worked

hard at my German (и упорно работал над /своим/ немецким). I knocked about

in beer places (я шлялся по пивнушкам: «пивным местам»; to knock —

стучать, ударять, to knock about — слоняться, вести беспутную жизнь). I

went to the opera a good deal (я ходил в оперу очень часто)."

She wondered if he had had any love affairs (ей было интересно, были ли у него

еще любовные интрижки).

"Anyhow, you haven't come back engaged to a Viennese maiden (в любом

случае, ты не вернулся домой, помолвленный с какой-нибудь молодой

венкой; maiden — /поэт./ девушка, девица)," she said, thinking to draw him out

(сказала она, думая вытащить из него /информацию/; to draw out — зд.

вызывать на разговор, откровенность).

He gave her a reflective, but faintly amused look (он посмотрел на нее

задумчивым, но слегка улыбающимся: «забавляющимся» взглядом). You

might almost have thought (можно было почти подумать) that he had seen what

she was driving at (что он догадался: «увидел», к чему она клонила). It was

strange (это было странно); though he was her own son she did not feel quite at

home with him (хотя он был ее собственным сыном, она не чувствовала себя с

ним как дома).

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"No (нет)," he answered (ответил он), "I was too busy to bother with that sort of

thing (я был слишком занят, чтобы заниматься: «беспокоить /себя/» такой

ерундой: «вещами такого рода»)."

"I suppose you went to all the theatres (/я/ полагаю, что ты ходил во все

театры)."

"I went two or three times (я был два или три раза)."

usual ['ju:ZVql, 'ju:Z(q)l] Viennese ["vIq'ni:z] reflective [rI'flektIv]

"Oh, I just did the usual things, you know. I saw the sights and worked hard at my

German. I knocked about in beer places. I went to the opera a good deal."

She wondered if he had had any love affairs.

"Anyhow, you haven't come back engaged to a Viennese maiden," she said,

thinking to draw him out.

He gave her a reflective, but faintly amused look. You might almost have thought

that he had seen what she was driving at. It was strange; though he was her own

son she did not feel quite at home with him.

"No," he answered, "I was too busy to bother with that sort of thing."

"I suppose you went to all the theatres."

"I went two or three times."

"Did you see anything that would be any use to me (ты видел что-нибудь, что

могло бы быть мне полезно)?"

"You know, I never thought about that (ты знаешь, я никогда не думал об

этом)."

His answer might have seemed a little ungracious (его ответ мог бы показаться

немного невежливым) but that it was accompanied by a smile (но он

сопровождался улыбкой), and his smile was very sweet (и его улыбка была

очень милой). Julia wondered again (Джулия снова задумалась) how it was that

he had inherited so little of Michael's beauty and of her charm (как такое

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случилось: «там было», что он унаследовал так мало от красоты Майкла и от

ее очарования). His red hair was nice (ее рыжие волосы были красивыми), but

his pale lashes gave his face a sort of empty look (но его бледные ресницы

придавали его лицу почти пустое выражение; a sort of — нечто вроде).

Heaven only knew (одним небесам было известно) where with such a father and

such a mother (где, с таким отцом и такой матерью) he had got his rather lumpy

figure (он заполучил такую довольно грузную фигуру; lumpy — комковатый,

неуклюжий; lump — глыба, ком; крупный кусок).

ungracious [An'greISqs] inherited [In'herItId] lumpy ['lAmpI]

"Did you see anything that would be any use to me?"

"You know, I never thought about that." His answer might have seemed a little

ungracious but that it was accompanied by a smile, and his smile was very sweet.

Julia wondered again how it was that he had -inherited so little of Michael's beauty

and of her charm. His red hair was nice, but his pale lashes gave his face a sort of

empty look. Heaven only knew where with such a father and such a mother he had

got his rather lumpy figure.

He was eighteen now (сейчас ему было восемнадцать лет); it was time he fined

down (/это было/ самое время ему стать стройнее; to fine — очищаться;

становиться тоньше). He seemed a trifle apathetic (он казался немного

апатичным); he had none of her sparkling vitality (у него не было ни капли ее

искрящейся энергии); she could picture the vividness (она представляла:

«могла описать» ту живость) with which she would have narrated her

experiences (с которой она бы рассказывала о своих впечатлениях) if she had

just spent six months in Vienna (если бы она только что провела шесть месяцев

в Вене). Why, already she had made a story about her stay at St. Malo with Aunt

Carrie and her mother (ба, ранее она выдумала историю о том, как она гостила:

«о своем пребывании» в Сен-Мало с тетей Кэрри и своей матерью) that made

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people roar with laughter (которая заставляла людей хохотать во все горло; to

roar — реветь, рычать, вопить, оглушительно хохотать). They all said it was

as good as a play (все они говорили, что она /история/ была так же хороша,

как спектакль), and her own impression was that it was much better than most (и

ее собственное впечатление было такое, что ее /история/ была гораздо лучше,

чем большинство /спектаклей/). She told it to Roger now (она рассказывала ее

теперь Роджеру). He listened with his slow, quiet smile (он слушал со /своей/

вялой: «медленной», спокойной улыбкой); but she had an uneasy feeling (но у

нее было такое беспокойное чувство) that he did not think it quite so funny as

she did (что он не думал, что история была настолько забавной, как ей

казалось: «как она делала»). She sighed in her heart (она вздохнула в душе).