Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр - Илья Франк

She looked at Evie (она посмотрела на Эви). Funny-looking old thing of course,

but one never knew (смешно выглядит старушка, конечно, но кто знает: «но

один никогда не знает»).

"Tell me, Evie, do men ever try to pick you up in the street (скажи мне, Эви,

мужчины когда нибудь пытаются познакомиться с тобой на улице)?"

"Me (со мной)? I'd like to see 'em try (хотелось бы мне увидеть, как они

пытаются; 'em = them)."

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

720

"So would I, to tell you the truth (мне бы тоже /хотелось/, сказать тебе по

правде). Women are always telling me (женщины всегда рассказывают мне)

how men follow them in the street (как мужчины идут за ними на улице) and if

they stop and look in at a shop window (и, если они останавливаются и смотрят

на витрину магазина; shop window — витрина: shop (магазин) + window

(окно)) come up and try to catch their eye (подходят и пытаются поймать их

взгляд). Sometimes they have an awful bother (иногда, им причиняют ужасное

беспокойство) getting rid of them (пока избавишься от них)."

"Disgusting, I call it (отвратительно, вот как я это называю)."

generally ['dZen(q)rqlI] nostril ['nOstrIl] disgusting [dIs'gAstIN]

"Knowing what men are, I wouldn't be surprised. Who d'you want to get off with

now?"

"Nobody. I was only talking generally."

Evie sniffed and drew her forefinger along her nostrils.

"Don't sniff like that. If your nose wants blowing, blow it."

Julia ate her boiled egg slowly. She was busy with her thoughts. She looked at

Evie. Funny-looking old thing of course, but one never knew.

"Tell me, Evie, do men ever try to pick you up in the street?"

"Me? I'd like to see' em try."

"So would I, to tell you the truth. Women are always telling me how men follow

them in the street and if they stop and look in at a shop window come up and try to

catch their eye. Sometimes they have an awful bother getting rid of them."

"Disgusting, I call it."

"I don't know about that (/я/ не знаю об этом). It's rather flattering (это довольно

лестно). You know, it's a most extraordinary thing (ты знаешь, это чрезвычайно

необычайное событие), no one ever follows me in the street (никто никогда не

следует за мной на улице). I don't remember a man ever having tried to pick me

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

721

up (я не припомню, чтобы какой-нибудь мужчина хоть когда-нибудь пытался

подцепить меня)."

"Oh well, you walk along Edgware Road one evening (да уж, пройдитесь: «вы

прогуляйтесь» по Эдвард-роуд однажды вечером). You'll get picked up all right

(вас подцепят, уж конечно)."

"I shouldn't know what to do if I was (я не буду знать что делать, если с мной

/будут знакомиться/)."

"Call a policeman (позовите полисмена)," said Evie grimly (сказала Эви

мрачно).

"I know a girl (я знаю одну девушку) who was looking in a shop window in Bond

Street (которая смотрела в витрину магазина на Бонд-стрит), a hat shop

(шляпного магазина), and a man came up and asked her if she'd like a hat (и

мужчина подошел, и спросил у нее, не хочет ли она шляпку). I'd love one, she

said (мне бы хотелось одну, сказала она), and they went in and she chose one (и

они вошли и она выбрала одну) and gave her name and address (и дала свое

имя и адрес), he paid for it on the nail (он оплатил ее, тут же, немедленно; on

the nail — на месте, сразу же), and then she said, thank you so much, and

walked out while he was waiting for the change (и затем она сказала: «спасибо

вам большое», и вышла, пока он ожидал сдачи)."

extraordinary [Ik'strO:d(q)n(q)rI] policeman [pq'li:smqn] change [tSeIndZ]

"I don't know about that. It's rather flattering. You know, it's a most extraordinary

thing, no one ever follows me in the street. I don't remember a man ever having

tried to pick me up."

"Oh well, you walk along Edgware Road one evening. You'll get picked up all

right."

"I shouldn't know what to do if I was."

"Call a policeman," said Evie grimly.

"I know a girl who was looking in a shop window in Bond Street, a hat shop, and a

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

722

man came up and asked her if she'd like a hat. I'd love one, she said, and they went

in and she chose one and gave her name and address, he paid for it on the nail, and

then she said, thank you so much, and walked out while he was waiting for the

change."

"That's what she told you (это то, что она сказал вам)." Evie's sniff was sceptical

(Эви скептически шмыгнула носом: «шмыганье носом Эви было

скептическим»). She gave Julia a puzzled look (она взглянула на Джулию

озабоченно). "What's the idea (в чем дело-то)?"

"Oh, nothing (о, ни в чем). I was only wondering why in point of fact (я просто

размышляла, почему это, фактически) I never have been accosted by a man (ко

мне никогда не приставал никакой мужчина; to accost — заговаривать с кем-

либо, приставать /особ. к проституткам/). It's not as if I had no sex appeal (не

похоже, чтобы у меня не было сексуальной привлекательности)."

But had she (а была ли: «но имела ли»)? She made up her mind to put the matter

to the test (она твердо решила подвергнуть этот вопрос испытанию).

That afternoon, when she had had her sleep (тем же днем, когда она уже

поспала), she got up, made up a little more than usual (она поднялась,

подкрасилась немного больше, чем обычно), and without calling Evie put on a

dress (и, не позвав Эви, надела платье) that was neither plain nor obviously

expensive (которое не было ни слишком простым, ни явно дорогим) and a red

straw hat with a wide brim (и красную соломенную шляпку с широкими

полями).

"I don't want to look like a tart (я не хочу выглядеть как уличная девка)," she

said as she looked at herself in the glass (сказала она, когда /она/ глядела на себя

в зеркале). "On the other hand (с другой стороны) I don't want to look too

respectable (я не хочу выглядеть слишком приличной: «респектабельной»)."

sceptical ['skeptIk(q)l] accost [q'kOst] obviously ['ObvIqslI]

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

723

"That's what she told you." Evie's sniff was sceptical. She gave Julia a puzzled

look. "What's the idea?"

"Oh, nothing. I was only wondering why in point of fact I never have been

accosted by a man. It's not as if I had no sex appeal."

But had she? She made up her mind to put the matter to the test.

That afternoon, when she had had her sleep, she got up, made up a little more than

usual, and without calling Evie put on a dress that was neither plain nor obviously

expensive and a red straw hat with a wide brim.

"I don't want to look like a tart," she said as she looked at herself in the glass. "On

the other hand I don't want to look too respectable."

She tiptoed down the stairs (она спустилась на цыпочках вниз по ступенькам)

so that no one should hear her (так, чтобы никто не услышал ее) and closed the

door softly behind her (и закрыла дверь мягко за собой). She was a trifle nervous

(она немного нервничала), but pleasantly excited (но /была/ приятно

возбуждена); she felt that she was doing something rather shocking (она

чувствовала, что она делала нечто совершенно скандальное: «шокирующее»).

She walked through Connaught Square into the Edgware Road (она шла через

Коннаут-сквер на Эдвард-роуд). It was about five o'clock (было около пяти

часов). There was a dense line of buses, taxis and lorries (там была плотная

вереница из автобусов, такси и грузовиков); bicyclists dangerously threaded

their way through the traffic (велосипедисты опасно прокладывали себе дорогу

сквозь движение транспорта). The pavements were thronged (тротуары были

заполнены людьми). She sauntered slowly north (она неторопливо медленно

прогуливалась в северном направлении: «на север»). At first she walked with

her eyes straight in front of her (сперва она прогуливалась, смотря: «с ее

глазами» строго перед собой), looking neither to the right nor to the left (не

смотря ни направо, ни налево), but soon realized that this was useless (но вскоре

поняла, что это было бесполезно). She must look at people (она должна

смотреть на людей) if she wanted them to look at her (если она хотела, чтобы

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

724

они смотрели на нее).

bicyclist ['baIsIklIst] throng [TrON] neither ['naIDq]

She tiptoed down the stairs so that no one should hear her and closed the door

softly behind her. She was a trifle nervous, but pleasantly excited; she felt that she

was doing something rather shocking. She walked through Connaught Square into

the Edgware Road. It was about five o'clock. There was a dense line of buses, taxis

and lorries; bicyclists dangerously threaded their way through the traffic. The

pavements were thronged. She sauntered slowly north. At first she walked with her

eyes straight in front of her, looking neither to the right nor to the left, but soon

realized that this was useless. She must look at people if she wanted them to look

at her.

Two or three times when she saw half a dozen persons gazing at a shop window

(два или три раза, когда она видела, как с полдюжины людей уставились на

витрины) she paused and gazed too (она останавливалась и тоже пристально

вглядывалась), but none of them took any notice of her (но никто из них не

замечал ее). She strolled on (она прогуливалась дальше). People passed her in

one direction and another (люди проходили мимо нее в одном и другом

направлении). They seemed in a hurry (они, казалось, все спешили; in a hurry

— в спешке, второпях). No one paid any attention to her (никто не обращал на

нее никакого внимания). When she saw a man alone coming towards her (когда

она увидела мужчину, в одиночестве идущего по направлению к ней) she

gave him a bold stare (она нагло уставилась на него; bold — храбрый, дерзкий,

самоуверенный), but he passed on with a blank face (но он прошел дальше с

непроницаемым лицом; blank — чистый, невыразительный). It occurred to her

that her expression was too severe (ей пришло в голову, что выражение ее лица

было слишком суровым), and she let a slight smile hover on her lips (и она

позволила легкой улыбке блуждать: «парить» на /ее/ губах). Two or three men

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

725

thought she was smiling at them (двое или трое мужчин подумали, что она

улыбалась им) and quickly averted their gaze (и быстро отводили свои