Мистер Всезнайка. Рассказы - Уильям Моэм

The party had been very gay. It gave Jean a nasty turn when he found that they were using Riri’s old room for the women to put their wraps in and the men their coats. There was plenty of champagne. Jean drank a great deal to drown the bitter remorse that tormented him. He wanted to deaden the sound in his ears of Riri’s laugh and to shut his eyes to the good-humour of his shining glance. It was three o’clock when they got home. Next day was Sunday, so Jean had no work to go to. They slept late. The rest I can tell in Jean Charvin’s own words.

"I had a headache when I woke (когда я проснулся, у меня болела голова; ache— боль /особ. продолжительная, тупая/;towake). Marie-Louise was not in bed (Марии-Луизы в постели не было). She was sitting at the dressing-table brushing her hair (она сидела у туалетного столика с зеркалом, расчесывая волосы). I’ve always been very keen on physical culture (я всегда очень любил физкультуру; keen— острый; живо интересующийся, страстно увлекающийся), and I was in the habit of doing exercises every morning (и у меня была привычка делать упражнения каждое утро). I didn’t feel very much inclined to do them that morning (в то утро мне не очень хотелось их делать; tofeelinclinedtodosmth. — быть склонным, настроенным, расположенным сделать что-либо), but after all that champagne I thought I’d better (но после всего шампанского, что /я выпил накануне/, я подумал, что мне бы лучше /их сделать/). I got out of bed and took up my Indian clubs (я выбрался из постели и достал /свои/ булавы; club — дубинка; Indian club — спорт. булава).

headache ['hedeIk], physical culture ["fIzIk(q)l'kAltSq], Indian club ["IndIqn'klAb]

"I had a headache when I woke. Marie-Louise was not in bed. She was sitting at the dressing-table brushing her hair. I’ve always been very keen on physical culture, and I was in the habit of doing exercises every morning. I didn’t feel very much inclined to do them that morning, but after all that champagne I thought I’d better. I got out of bed and took up my Indian clubs.

"Our bedroom was fairly large (наша спальня была достаточно большой) and there was plenty of room to swing them between the bed and the dressing-table where Marie-Louise was sitting (и в ней было достаточно места, чтобы жонглировать ими между кроватью и туалетным столиком, где сидела Мария-Луиза; to swing — качать, колебать; вертеть, поворачивать). I did my usual exercises (я сделал свои обычные упражнения). Marie-Louise had started a little while having her hair cut differently, quite short (Мария-Луиза немного изменилась, постригшись по-другому, довольно коротко), and I thought it repulsive (и, как мне казалось, отвратительно). From the back she looked like a boy (со спины она была похожа на мальчика), and the stubble of cropped hair on her neck made me feel rather sick (и щетина коротко стриженных волос на шее меня чрезвычайно раздражала: «вызывала у меня тошноту»; stubble— с.-х. стерня; коротко стриженные волосы). She put down her brushes (она положила щетки /для волос/) and began to powder her face (и начала пудрить лицо). She gave a nasty little laugh (она неприятно рассмеялась).

exercise ['eksqsaIz], repulsive [rI'pAlsIv], stubble ['stAb(q)l], nasty ['nQ: stI]

"Our bedroom was fairly large and there was plenty of room to swing them between the bed and the dressing-table where Marie-Louise was sitting. I did my usual exercises. Marie-Louise had started a little while having her hair cut differently, quite short, and I thought it repulsive. From the back she looked like a boy, and the stubble of cropped hair on her neck made me feel rather sick. She put down her brushes and began to powder her face. She gave a nasty little laugh.

" ‘What are you laughing at (над чем ты смеешься)?’ I asked.

" ‘Madame Renard (/над/ мадам Ренар). That was the same dress she wore at our wedding (на ней было то же самое платье, в котором она была на нашей свадьбе), she’d had it dyed and done over (она его перекрасила и перешила: «переделала»); but it didn’t deceive me (но меня это не обмануло). I’d have known it anywhere (я узнала бы его где угодно).’

"It was such a stupid remark (это было такое глупое замечание), it infuriated me (оно привело меня в бешенство). I was seized with rage (я был охвачен яростью), and with all my might I hit her over the head with my Indian club (и со всей силы я ударил ее по голове булавой). I broke her skull, apparently (вероятно, я проломил ей череп; to break — ломать), and she died two days later in hospital without recovering consciousness (и она умерла два дня спустя в больнице, не приходя в сознание; to recover — получатьобратно; выздоравливать, поправляться)."

He paused for a moment (на мгновение он замолк; topause— делать паузу, останавливаться). I handed him a cigarette and lit another myself (я дал ему сигарету и зажег себе другую; to hand — передавать, вручать).

"I was glad she did (я рад, что она /умерла/). We could never have lived together again (мы бы больше никогда не смогли жить вместе), and it would have been very hard to explain my action (и /мне/ было бы очень сложно объяснить свой поступок; hard — сильно, интенсивно; тяжело, струдом).

"Very (очень)."

dye [daI], deceive [dI'si: v], infuriate [In'fju(q)rIeIt], apparently [q'pxrqntlI]

" ‘What are you laughing at?’ I asked.

" ‘Madame Renard. That was the same dress she wore at our wedding, she’d had it dyed and done over; but it didn’t deceive me. I’d have known it anywhere.’

"It was such a stupid remark, it infuriated me. I was seized with rage, and with all my might I hit her over the head with my Indian club. I broke her skull, apparently, and she died two days later in hospital without recovering consciousness."

He paused for a moment. I handed him a cigarette and lit another myself.

"I was glad she did. We could never have lived together again, and it would have been very hard to explain my action.

"Very."

"I was arrested and tried for murder (меня арестовали и судили за убийство; totry— пытаться, стараться; судить, привлекать к судебной ответственности). Of course I swore it was an accident (под присягой я, конечно же, показал, что это был несчастный случай; toswear— клясться; юр. показывать, давать показания под присягой), I said the club had slipped out of my hand (я сказал, что булава выскользнула у меня из руки), but the medical evidence was against me (но медицинские показания были против меня; evidence— основание, данные; юр. показания /свидетеля или обвиняемого/). The prosecution proved that such an injury as Marie-Louise had suffered (обвинение доказало, что такое повреждение, которое получила Мария-Луиза; prosecution— судебное преследование; обвинение /как сторона в уголовном процессе/;tosuffer— страдать, испытывать; подвергаться /чему-либо/) could only have been caused by a violent and deliberate blow (могло было быть причинено только жестоким и умышленным ударом; tocause— быть причиной, вызывать, причинять). Fortunately for me they could find no motive (к счастью для меня, они не смогли найти ни одного мотива).

accident ['xksId(q)nt], evidence ['evId(q)ns], prosecution ["prOsI'kju: S(q)n], injury ['IndZqrI], deliberate [dI'lIb(q)rIt]

"I was arrested and tried for murder. Of course I swore it was an accident, I said the club had slipped out of my hand, but the medical evidence was against me. The prosecution proved that such an injury as Marie-Louise had suffered could only have been caused by a violent and deliberate blow. Fortunately for me they could find no motive.

"The public prosecutor tried to make out (государственный обвинитель/прокурор пытался доказать) that I had been jealous of the attentions some man had paid her at the party (что я ревниво отнесся к тем знакам внимания, которые какой-то мужчина оказал ей на вечере; to pay attention to smb. — обращатьвниманиенакого-либо; to pay attentions to a lady — ухаживатьзадамой) and that we had quarrelled on that account (и что мы из-за этого поссорились), but the man he mentioned swore that he had done nothing to arouse my suspicions (но тот человек, которого упомянул он /прокурор/, поклялся, что он не сделал ничего такого, что возбудило бы мои подозрения; to arouse — будить, пробуждать; вызывать, возбуждать/чувства/) and others at the party testified that we had left the best of friends (и все остальные /участники вечеринки/ подтвердили, что мы уехали /с вечера/ лучшими друзьями; to testify — даватьпоказания; подтверждатьсвидетельскимпоказанием). They found on the dressing-table an unpaid dressmaker’s bill (на туалетном столике обнаружили неоплаченный счет от портнихи) and the prosecutor suggested that we had quarrelled about that (и прокурор предположил, что мы поспорили из-за него), but I was able to prove that Marie-Louise paid for her clothes out of her own money (но я смог доказать, что Мария-Луиза платила за свои наряды из собственных средств; clothes — одежда, платье), so that the bill could not possibly have been the cause of a dispute (так что этот счет никак не мог быть причиной ссоры; dispute — диспут, дискуссия; спор, пререкания).

prosecutor ['prOsIkju: tq], quarrel ['kwOrql], suspicion [sq'spIS(q)n], unpaid [An'peId], dispute [(')dIs'pju: t]

"The public prosecutor tried to make out that I had been jealous of the attentions some man had paid her at the party and that we had quarrelled on that account, but the man he mentioned swore that he had done nothing to arouse my suspicions and others at the party testified that we had left the best of friends. They found on the dressing-table an unpaid dressmaker’s bill and the prosecutor suggested that we had quarrelled about that, but I was able to prove that Marie-Louise paid for her clothes out of her own money, so that the bill could not possibly have been the cause of a dispute.

"Witnesses came forward and said that I had always been kind to Marie-Louise (выступали свидетели и показали, что я всегда был добр к Марии-Луизе). We were generally looked upon as a devoted couple (нас все считали любящей семейной парой; generally — обычно, широко; повсеместно, вбольшинствеслучаев; to look upon smb. as smb. — считатького-либокем-либо). My character was excellent (репутация у меня была безукоризненной; character — характер, нрав; репутация) and my employer spoke in the highest terms of me (и мой работодатель очень хорошо отозвался обо мне; high — высокий; лучший, высший; term — выражение, слово). I was never in danger of losing my head (я не подвергался риску потерять голову = быть казненным: «обезглавленным»; danger — опасность; риск), and at one moment I thought I had a chance of getting off altogether (а одно время мне казалось, что у меня была возможность вообще избежать наказания; to get off — слезать, вылезать; убежать; спастись, отделаться /от наказания и т. п./). In the end I was sentenced to six years (в конце концов я был приговорен к шести годам).

devoted [dI'vqutId], employer [Im'plOIq], altogether ["O: ltq'geDq]

"Witnesses came forward and said that I had always been kind to Marie-Louise. We were generally looked upon as a devoted couple. My character was excellent and my employer spoke in the highest terms of me. I was never in danger of losing my head, and at one moment I thought I had a chance of getting off altogether. In the end I was sentenced to six years.