"Well, you can imagine (можете представить) how hard it was to settle down to arduous work at 2 pounds a week (как трудно было засесть за тяжелую работу за два фунта в неделю) when I knew that I could earn as much in a day (мог бы заработать столько же за день) by smearing my face with a little paint (вымазав лицо небольшим количеством краски), laying my cap on the ground (положив кепку на землю), and sitting still (и сидя тихо). It was a long fight (долгая борьба) between my pride and the money (между моей гордостью и деньгами), but the dollars won at last (деньги: «доллары» победили в конце концов; to win), and I threw up reporting (забросил репортерство) and sat day after day in the corner (сидел день за днем на углу) which I had first chosen (который я /с самого/ начала выбрал), inspiring pity by my ghastly face (внушая жалость жутким/наводящим ужас лицом) and filling my pockets with coppers (и наполняя карманы медяками). Only one man knew my secret (только один человек знал мою тайну). He was the keeper of a low den (владелец низкопробного: «низкого» притона) in which I used to lodge (в котором я снимал комнату) in Swandam Lane, where I could every morning emerge as a squalid beggar (где я мог каждое утро появляться как грязный нищий) and in the evenings transform myself (по вечерам превращаться) into a well-dressed man about town (в хорошо одетого городского человека: «около города»; about town — известный; светский). This fellow (этот парень), a Lascar, was well paid by me for his rooms (хорошо получал от меня за свои комнаты), so that I knew that my secret was safe in his possession (потому я знал, что моя тайна была в безопасности в его владении = он ничего никому не скажет).
arduous ['A:dju@s], inspiring [In'spaI@rIN], possession [p@'zeSn]
"Well, you can imagine how hard it was to settle down to arduous work at 2 pounds a week when I knew that I could earn as much in a day by smearing my face with a little paint, laying my cap on the ground, and sitting still. It was a long fight between my pride and the money, but the dollars won at last, and I threw up reporting and sat day after day in the corner which I had first chosen, inspiring pity by my ghastly face and filling my pockets with coppers. Only one man knew my secret. He was the keeper of a low den in which I used to lodge in Swandam Lane, where I could every morning emerge as a squalid beggar and in the evenings transform myself into a well-dressed man about town. This fellow, a Lascar, was well paid by me for his rooms, so that I knew that my secret was safe in his possession.
"Well, very soon I found (очень скоро я обнаружил) that I was saving considerable sums of money (что я откладывал значительные суммы денег; to save — спасать, сохранять; экономить). I do not mean (не имею в виду = не думаю) that any beggar in the streets of London could earn (мог заработать) 700 pounds a year — which is less than my average takings (что меньше, чем мои средние сборы) — but I had exceptional advantages (исключительные преимущества) in my power of making up (в моем мастерстве гримирования), and also in a facility of repartee (в способности остроумия), which improved by practice (которое улучшилось практикой) and made me quite a recognized character in the City (сделало меня довольно узнаваемым персонажем в Сити). All day a stream of pennies (весь день поток пенсов), varied by silver (вперемешку с серебром), poured in upon me (лился на меня), and it was a very bad day in which I failed to take 2 pounds (и я считал неудачным тот день, в который я не мог собрать двух фунтов).