I was stroke (я был загребным = сидел у кормы). I did my best (я делал все возможное). I feathered some two feet high (я поднимал весла вверх фута на два; to feather — выносить весло плашмя), and I paused at the end of each stroke to let the blades drip before returning them (и останавливался в конце каждого удара, чтобы позволить воде стечь с лопастей, прежде чем возвращал = вновь опускал их; blade — лезвие, клинок; лопасть; to drip — капать, падать каплями, стекать), and I picked out a smooth bit of water to drop them into again each time (и я выбирал каждый раз гладкое/спокойное место на воде, чтобы опустить туда весла; bit — небольшое количество, кусочек). (Bow said, after a while, that he did not feel himself a sufficiently accomplished oarsman to pull with me (гребец, сидевший на носу, сказал через некоторое время, что не чувствует себя достаточно искусным, чтобы грести со мной; to accomplish — совершать, выполнять; достигать совершенства; oarsman — гребец), but that he would sit still, if I would allow him, and study my stroke (он бы сидел спокойно, если я ему позволю, и изучал бы мой удар = стиль гребли). He said it interested him (он сказал, этот стиль его интересует)). But, notwithstanding all this, and try as I would (но, несмотря на все это, как бы я ни старался), I could not help an occasional flicker of water from going over those dresses (я не мог временами предотвратить попадание брызг на те /их/ платья; to help — помогать; избегать, предотвращать; occasional — редкий, случайный; flicker — мерцание; трепетание, дрожание, рябь).
cushion ['kuS(@)n] glove [glVv] martyr ['mA:[email protected]]
The first thing was that they thought the boat was not clean. We dusted all the seats for them, and then assured them that it was, but they didn't believe us. One of them rubbed the cushion with the forefinger of her glove, and showed the result to the other, and they both sighed, and sat down, with the air of early Christian martyrs trying to make themselves comfortable up against the stake. You are liable to occasionally splash a little when sculling, and it appeared that a drop of water ruined those costumes. The mark never came out, and a stain was left on the dress for ever.
I was stroke. I did my best. I feathered some two feet high, and I paused at the end of each stroke to let the blades drip before returning them, and I picked out a smooth bit of water to drop them into again each time. (Bow said, after a while, that he did not feel himself a sufficiently accomplished oarsman to pull with me, but that he would sit still, if I would allow him, and study my stroke. He said it interested him.) But, notwithstanding all this, and try as I would, I could not help an occasional flicker of water from going over those dresses.
The girls did not complain, but they huddled up close together, and set their lips firm (девушки не жаловались, а прижимались близко = крепче друг к другу и сжимали губы), and every time a drop touched them, they visibly shrank and shuddered (и каждый раз, /когда/ капля касалась их, они заметно сжимались и вздрагивали; to shrink — сжиматься, сморщиваться, съеживаться). It was a noble sight to see them suffering thus in silence (видеть, как они страдают таким образом молча: «в молчании» — было замечательным зрелищем; noble — благородный, знатный; замечательный), but it unnerved me altogether (но это совершенно расстроило меня; to unnerve — ослаблять, лишать силы; лишать присутствия духа, спокойствия, мужества). I am too sensitive (я слишком чувствителен). I got wild and fitful in my rowing (я стал неистовым и порывистым в моей гребле = начал грести яростно), and splashed more and more, the harder I tried not to (чем сильнее я старался не плескать, тем все больше и больше плескал).
I gave it up at last (наконец я сдался; to give up); I said I'd row bow (сказал, буду грести на носу). Bow thought the arrangement would be better too, and we changed places (сидевший на носу гребец тоже думал, что такое расположение будет лучше, и мы поменялись местами). The ladies gave an involuntary sigh of relief when they saw me go (дамы издали невольный вздох облегчения, когда увидели, что я ухожу), and quite brightened up for a moment (и повеселели на минуту; to brighten up — прояснять/ся/; наполняться радостью). Poor girls (бедные девушки)! they had better have put up with me (лучше бы им было примириться со мной). The man they had got now was a jolly (человек, которого они получили теперь, был веселым), light-hearted, thick-headed sort of a chap (беззаботным тупоголовым парнем), with about as much sensitiveness in him as there might be in a Newfoundland puppy (примерно с такой же чувствительностью, как у щенка ньюфаундленда). You might look daggers at him for an hour and he would not notice it (вы могли бы бросать на него гневные взгляды /целый/ час, а он не заметил бы этого; dagger — кинжал), and it would not trouble him if he did (и это не обеспокоило бы его, если бы он и заметил). He set a good, rollicking, dashing stroke (он начал сильно, разухабисто, энергично грести: «установил хороший, разухабистый, энергичный/лихой гребок») that sent the spray playing all over the boat like a fountain (который посылал брызги = от которого брызги разлетались фонтаном: «словно фонтан» по всей лодке; to send; to play — играть; порхать, мелькать, носиться), and made the whole crowd sit up straight in no time (и заставил всю компанию: «толпу» выпрямиться сразу же). When he spread more than pint of water over one of those dresses (когда он выливал больше пинты воды на одно из тех платьев; pint — пинта /0, 57 л/), he would give a pleasant little laugh, and say (он смеялся приятно: «издавал приятный смешок» и говорил; to give a laugh — рассмеяться; pleasant — приятный; радостный; милый, симпатичный; славный):
involuntary [In'[email protected](@)rI] fountain ['fauntIn] laugh [lA:f]
The girls did not complain, but they huddled up close together, and set their lips firm, and every time a drop touched them, they visibly shrank and shuddered. It was a noble sight to see them suffering thus in silence, but it unnerved me altogether. I am too sensitive. I got wild and fitful in my rowing, and splashed more and more, the harder I tried not to.
I gave it up at last; I said I'd row bow. Bow thought the arrangement would be better too, and we changed places. The ladies gave an involuntary sigh of relief when they saw me go, and quite brightened up for a moment. Poor girls! they had better have put up with me. The man they had got now was a jolly, light-hearted, thick-headed sort of a chap, with about as much sensitiveness in him as there might be in a Newfoundland puppy. You might look daggers at him for an hour and he would not notice it, and it would not trouble him if he did. He set a good, rollicking, dashing stroke that sent the spray playing all over the boat like a fountain, and made the whole crowd sit up straight in no time. When he spread more than pint of water over one of those dresses, he would give a pleasant little laugh, and say:
"I beg your pardon, I'm sure (прошу прощения, конечно);" and offer them his handkerchief to wipe it off with (и предлагал им свой носовой платок, чтобы вытереть им воду).
"Oh, it's of no consequence (о, это неважно/нестрашно; consequence — /по/следствие)," the poor girls would murmur in reply (бедные девушки шептали в ответ; to murmur — шептать; бормотать, ворчать), and covertly draw rugs and coats over themselves (и украдкой закрывались накидками и пальто; to draw over — натягивать поверх), and try and protect themselves with their lace parasols (и старались закрыться своими кружевными зонтиками; to protect — защищать, предохранять).
At lunch they had a very bad time of it (за обедом им пришлось очень трудно; to have a bad time — переживать тяжелое время; приходиться туго). People wanted them to sit on the grass, and the grass was dusty (их заставляли сидеть на траве/сажали на траву, а трава была пыльной); and the tree-trunks, against which they were invited to lean (а стволы деревьев, к которым им предлагали прислониться; to invite — приглашать, звать; предлагать), did not appear to have been brushed for weeks (казалось, не чистили неделями; to brush — чистить щеткой); so they spread their handkerchiefs on the ground and sat on those, bolt upright (поэтому они расстелили свои носовые платки на земле и сели на них, /держась/ прямо; bolt upright — прямо; как стрела). Somebody, in walking about with a plate of beef-steak pie (кто-то, проходя рядом с тарелкой мясного пирога), tripped up over a root, and sent the pie flying (споткнулся о корень и уронил пирог; to send flying — сообщить предмету стремительное движение, отшвыривать). None of it went over them, fortunately (к счастью, он не попал на них; to go over — переходить; опрокидываться), but the accident suggested a fresh danger to them, and agitated them (но этот инцидент навел на мысль о новой опасности для них; to suggest — предлагать; наводить на мысль; fresh — свежий, новый); and, whenever anybody moved about, after that (и затем, всякий раз, когда кто-нибудь /из нас/ переходил на другое место), with anything in his hand that could fall and make a mess (с чем-либо в руке, что могло упасть и испортить платье; to make a mess — заварить кашу, напутать, натворить дел; mess — беспорядок, путаница; грязь), they watched that person with growing anxiety until he sat down again (они следили за ним с возрастающим беспокойством, пока он не садился снова).
consequence ['[email protected]] murmur ['[email protected]:[email protected]] accident ['&ksId(@)nt]
"I beg your pardon, I'm sure;" and offer them his handkerchief to wipe it off with.
"Oh, it's of no consequence," the poor girls would murmur in reply, and covertly draw rugs and coats over themselves, and try and protect themselves with their lace parasols.
At lunch they had a very bad time of it. People wanted them to sit on the grass, and the grass was dusty; and the tree-trunks, against which they were invited to lean, did not appear to have been brushed for weeks; so they spread their handkerchiefs on the ground and sat on those, bolt upright. Somebody, in walking about with a plate of beef-steak pie, tripped up over a root, and sent the pie flying. None of it went over them, fortunately, but the accident suggested a fresh danger to them, and agitated them; and, whenever anybody moved about, after that, with anything in his hand that could fall and make a mess, they watched that person with growing anxiety until he sat down again.
"Now then, you girls (а ну-ка, девушки)," said our friend Bow to them, cheerily, after it was all over (сказал им весело наш приятель Гребец на носу, после того как с обедом было покончено), "come along, you've got to wash up (давайте, вы должны вымыть посуду; to come along — идти, сопровождать; come along! — поторапливайтесь!)!"
They didn't understand him at first (они не поняли его сначала). When they grasped the idea, they said they feared they did not know how to wash up (когда они уловили мысль, то сказали, что, боятся, не знают, как мыть посуду = не умеют мыть посуду).
