Английский язык с Мюриэль Спарк (рассказы)

"There's nothing wrong with your eyes. Off you go. He pushed me into the front shop. His flat eyes were wide open as he handed me my glasses. He pointed to the door "I'm a busy man," he said.

From upstairs came a long scream. Basil jerked open the door for me, but I did not move. Then Dorothy, upstairs, screamed and screamed and screamed. Basil put his hands to his head, covering his eyes. Dorothy appeared on the bend of the stairs, screaming, doubled-up, with both hands covering her good eye.

I started screaming when I got home, and was given a sedative. By evening everyone knew that Miss Simmonds had put the wrong drops in her eyes.

"Will she go blind in that eye, too (она ослепнет и на этот глаз тоже)?" people said (спрашивали люди).

"The doctor says there's hope (врач говорит, что есть надежда)."

"There will be an inquiry (будет расследование)."

"She was going blind in that eye in any case (она все равно слепла и на этот глаз; inanycase— в любом случае, при любых обстоятельствах)," they said (говорили /люди/).

"Ah, but the pain (о, но боль)…"

"Whose mistake, hers or his (чья ошибка, ее или его)?"

"Joan was there at the time (Джоан была там, в то самое время). Joan heard the screams (Джоан слышала крики). We had to give her a sedative to calm (мы даже дали ей: «мы вынуждены были дать ей» седативное, чтобы успокоить; tocalm— успокаивать, утихомиривать) —

— calm her down (успокоить ее)."

"But who made the mistake (но кто же совершил ошибку)?"

"She usually makes up the eye-drops herself (она обычно сама делает глазные капли). She's got a dispenser's (у нее есть свидетельство —

— dispenser's certificate (свидетельство фармацевта), you know (ну вы знаете)."

"Her name was on the bottle (ее имя было на бутылочке). Joan says (Джоан /так/ говорит),"

hope [hqVp] mistake [mI'steIk] dispenser [dIs'pensq]

"Will she go blind in that eye, too?" people said.

"The doctor says there's hope."

"There will be an inquiry."

"She was going blind in that eye in any case," they said.

"Ah, but the pain…"

"Whose mistake, hers or his?"

"Joan was there at the time. Joan heard the screams. We had to give her a sedative to calm—

— calm her down."

"But who made the mistake?" "She usually makes up the eye-drops herself She's got a dispenser's—

— dispenser's certificate, you know."

"Her name was on the bottle. Joan says."

"Who wrote the name on the bottle (кто написал имя на бутылочке)? That's the question (в этом то и вопрос). They'll find out from the handwriting (они определят: «обнаружат» по почерку). If it was Mr. Simmonds he'll be disqualified (если это был /почерк/ господина Симмондса, его дисквалифицируют; to disqualify — лишатьправа).''

"She always wrote the names on the bottles (она всегда писала имена на бутылочках). She'll be put off the dispensers' roll (ее вычеркнут из списка фармацевтов /т. е. лишат практики/; to put off — отделять, откладывать, отбрасывать), poor thing (бедняжка)."

"They'll lose their licence (их лишат: «они потеряют» патент на врачебную практику)."

"I got eye-drops from them myself only three weeks ago (я получила глазные капли у них сама всего: «только» три недели назад). If I'd have known what I know now (если бы тогда я знала то, что я знала сейчас), I'd never have (я бы никогда не) —"

"The doctor says they can't find the bottle (доктор говорит, что они не могут найти бутылочку), it's got lost (она потерялась)."

disqualify [dIs'kwOlIfaI] licence ['laIs(q)ns] find [faInd]

"Who wrote the name on the bottle? That's the question. They'll find out from the handwriting. If it was Mr. Simmonds he'll be disqualified.''