employer [Im'plOIq], accept [qk'sept], mysterious [mI'stI(q)rIqs], perplexed [pq'plekst], embarrass [Im'bxrqs], trivial ['trIvIql]
Edward's employer was a man who did not like delay and he had told him that if he took the post he offered he must sail that day week from San Francisco. Edward spent his last evening with Isabel. It was after dinner that Mr. Longstaffe, saying he wanted a word with Edward, took him into the smoking-room. Mr. Longstaffe had accepted good-naturedly the arrangement which his daughter had told him of and Edward could not imagine what mysterious communication he had now to make. He was not a little perplexed to see that his host was embarrassed. He faltered. He talked of trivial things. At last he blurted it out.
"I guess you've heard of Arnold Jackson (полагаю, ты слышал об Арнольде Джексоне)," he said, looking at Edward with a frown (сказал он, глядя на Эдварда нахмурившись; frown — сдвинутые брови; хмурый взгляд; насупленность, нахмуренность).
Edward hesitated (Эдвард замялся; to hesitate — колебаться, сомневаться; запинаться, заикаться). His natural truthfulness obliged him to admit a knowledge he would gladly have been able to deny (со свойственной ему правдивостью он был вынужден признать знакомство, которое он с радостью бы отрицал; natural — естественный, природный; врожденный, присущий; knowledge — знание; знакомство).
"Yes, I have. But it's a long time ago (но это было очень давно). I guess I didn't pay very much attention (полагаю, что я был не очень внимателен: «не очень-то обращал внимание»)."
"There are not many people in Chicago who haven't heard of Arnold Jackson (в Чикаго не много людей, которые бы не слышали об Арнольде Джексоне)," said Mr. Longstaffe bitterly (сказал мистер Лонгстаф с горечью), "and if there are they'll have no difficulty in finding someone who'll be glad to tell them (а если /такие/ и есть, то им совершенно нетрудно найти кого-то, кто с радостью им /все/ расскажет). Did you know he was Mrs. Longstaffe's brother (ты знал, что он брат миссис Лонгстаф)?"
"Yes, I knew that (да, я знал об этом)."
hesitate ['hezIteIt], truthfulness ['tru: Tf(q)lnIs], obliged [q'blaIdZd]
"I guess you've heard of Arnold Jackson," he said, looking at Edward with a frown.
Edward hesitated. His natural truthfulness obliged him to admit a knowledge he would gladly have been able to deny.
"Yes, I have. But it's a long time ago. I guess I didn't pay very much attention."
"There are not many people in Chicago who haven't heard of Arnold Jackson," said Mr. Longstaffe bitterly, "and if there are they'll have no difficulty in finding someone who'll be glad to tell them. Did you know he was Mrs. Longstaffe's brother?"
"Yes, I knew that."
"Of course we've had no communication with him for many years (конечно, мы не поддерживали с ним связь долгие годы). He left the country as soon as he was able to (он уехал из страны, как только смог), and I guess the country wasn't sorry to see the last of him (и, полагаю, что страна была рада отделаться от него: «не пожалела, что отделалась от него»; to see the last of smb. — видеть кого-либо в последний раз, отделаться от кого-либо). We understand he lives in Tahiti (насколько мы знаем, он живет на Таити; to understand— понимать; услышать, узнать). My advice to you is to give him a wide berth (мой тебе совет — избегай его; to give a wide berth to smb. — обходить, избегать /кого-либо/;berth— койка /на пароходе и т. п./; якорное место; причал; место у причала), but if you do hear anything about him Mrs. Longstaffe and I would be very glad if you'd let us know (но если ты узнаешь о нем что-нибудь, я и миссис Лонгстаф будем очень рады, если ты сообщишь нам /об этом/; to hear— слышать; услышать, узнать;to let smb.know— дать знать, сообщить кому-либо)."
"Sure (конечно)."
"That was all I wanted to say to you (вот и все, что я хотел тебе сказать). Now I daresay you'd like to join the ladies (а теперь, полагаю, ты захочешь присоединиться к дамам; to join— соединять, связывать; присоединяться, входить в компанию)."
berth [bWT], sure [Suq], daresay [(")deq'seI]
"Of course we've had no communication with him for many years. He left the country as soon as he was able to, and I guess the country wasn't sorry to see the last of him. We understand he lives in Tahiti. My advice to you is to give him a wide berth, but if you do hear anything about him Mrs. Longstaffe and I would be very glad if you'd let us know."
"Sure."
"That was all I wanted to say to you. Now I daresay you'd like to join the ladies."
There are few families that have not among their members one (мало есть семей, которые среди своих домочадцев не имеют одного такого; member — член) whom, if their neighbours permitted, they would willingly forget (которого они бы с готовностью позабыли, если бы им позволили соседи), and they are fortunate when the lapse of a generation or two has invested his vagaries with a romantic glamour (и им повезло, если через одно-два поколения его выходки окутываются романтическим ореолом; fortunate — счастливый, удачливый; lapse — упущение, оплошность; перерыв; to invest — вкладывать, инвестировать; одевать, облачать; окутать, окружить). But when he is actually alive (но когда он жив и здоров), if his peculiarities are not of the kind that can be condoned by the phrase, "he is nobody's enemy but his own," (и если его странности не того сорта, которые можно оправдать фразой: "он сам себе злейший враг": «он ничей враг, кроме как свой собственный»; peculiarity — особенность; странность; to condone — предать забвению; оправдывать/плохие поступки/) a safe one when the culprit has no worse to answer for than alcoholism or wandering affections (/а это/ подходящая фраза, когда виновный обвиняется только в алкоголизме или изменчивых привязанностях: «когда обвиняемый не несет ответственности ни за что более худшее, чем алкоголизм или изменчивые привязанности»), the only possible course is silence (единственно возможная линия поведения — молчание; course — курс, направление; линия поведения). And it was this which the Longstaffes had adopted towards Arnold Jackson (и именно такое /поведение/ и приняли Лонгстафы по отношению к Арнольду Джексону; to adopt — усыновить, удочерить; принимать, усваивать).
neighbour ['neIbq], willingly ['wIlINlI], vagary ['veIgqrI], glamour ['glxmq], peculiarity [pI" kju: lI'xrItI], culprit ['kAlprIt], alcoholism ['xlkqhOlIz(q)m]
There are few families that have not among their members one whom, if their neighbours permitted, they would willingly forget, and they are fortunate when the lapse of a generation or two has invested his vagaries with a romantic glamour. But when he is actually alive, if his peculiarities are not of the kind that can be condoned by the phrase, "he is nobody's enemy but his own," a safe one when the culprit has no worse to answer for than alcoholism or wandering affections, the only possible course is silence. And it was this which the Longstaffes had adopted towards Arnold Jackson.
They never talked of him (они никогда о нем не говорили). They would not even pass through the street in which he had lived (они даже не ходили по той улице, на которой он жил). Too kind to make his wife and children suffer for his misdeeds (/будучи/ слишком добрыми, чтобы заставить его жену и детей страдать за его злодеяния), they had supported them for years (они многие годы поддерживали их), but on the understanding that they should live in Europe (но на том условии, что они будут жить в Европе; understanding — понимание; условие). They did everything they could to blot out all recollection of Arnold Jackson (они делали все возможное, чтобы уничтожить все воспоминания об Арнольде Джексоне; to blot out — закрывать, заслонять; уничтожать, разрушать) and yet were conscious that the story was as fresh in the public mind (и в тоже время они понимали, что в /глазах/ общественности: «в общественном мнении» эта история была все так же свежа) as when first the scandal burst upon a gaping world (/как и в тот момент/, когда скандал впервые разразился перед изумленным миром; to burst — взрываться, разрываться; внезапно вспыхнуть, разразиться; to gape — зевать; глазеть, смотреть в изумлении/на что-либо/).
recollection ["rekq'lekS(q)n], conscious ['kOnSqs], scandal [skxndl]
They never talked of him. They would not even pass through the street in which he had lived. Too kind to make his wife and children suffer for his misdeeds, they had supported them for years, but on the understanding that they should live in Europe. They did everything they could to blot out all recollection of Arnold Jackson and yet were conscious that the story was as fresh in the public mind as when first the scandal burst upon a gaping world.
Arnold Jackson was as black a sheep as any family could suffer from (Арнольд Джексон был такой паршивой овцой, от которой могла бы пострадать любая семья). A wealthy banker (состоятельный банкир), prominent in his church (/занимающий видное место/ в церкви; prominent — выступающий, торчащий; известный, выдающийся), a philanthropist (филантроп), a man respected by all (всеми уважаемый человек), not only for his connections (не только за его связи) (in his veins ran the blue blood of Chicago (в его жилах текла голубая кровь Чикаго)), but also for his upright character (но также за его честность: «честную репутацию»; upright — вертикальный; честный, справедливый), he was arrested one day on a charge of fraud (в один прекрасный день он был арестован по обвинению в мошенничестве); and the dishonesty which the trial brought to light (и обман, который обнаружил суд; dishonesty — нечестность; обман; trial — испытание, проба; судебное разбирательство, суд; to bring — приносить) was not of the sort which could be explained by a sudden temptation (был такого сорта, что не мог быть объяснен внезапным соблазном); it was deliberate and systematic (он был преднамеренным и систематическим). Arnold Jackson was a rogue (Арнольд Джексон оказался жуликом/мошенником). When he was sent to the penitentiary for seven years (когда его отправили в тюрьму на семь лет) there were few who did not think he had escaped lightly (все подумали: «было мало таких, кто не подумал», что он легко отделался; to escape — бежать/из заключения/;избежать/опасности/,отделаться).
wealthy ['welTI], philanthropist [fI'lxnTrqpIst], fraud [frO: d], dishonesty [dIs'OnIstI], rogue [rqVg], penitentiary ["penI'tenS(q)rI]
Arnold Jackson was as black a sheep as any family could suffer from. A wealthy banker, prominent in his church, a philanthropist, a man respected by all, not only for his connections (in his veins ran the blue blood of Chicago), but also for his upright character, he was arrested one day on a charge of fraud; and the dishonesty which the trial brought to light was not of the sort which could be explained by a sudden temptation; it was deliberate and systematic. Arnold Jackson was a rogue. When he was sent to the penitentiary for seven years there were few who did not think he had escaped lightly.
When at the end of this last evening the lovers separated (когда в конце этого последнего вечера влюбленные расстались) it was with many protestations of devotion (/то расставание сопровождалось/ множеством заверений в любви; devotion — преданность, приверженность; глубокая привязанность, любовь). Isabel, all tears, was consoled a little by her certainty of Edward's passionate love (Изабелла, вся в слезах, немного утешилась своей уверенностью в страстной любви Эдварда). It was a strange feeling that she had (она испытывала довольно странное чувство). It made her wretched to part from him (она была несчастной, расставаясь с ним) and yet she was happy because he adored her (и в то же время она была счастлива, потому что он обожал ее).
