"'Why, I wonder at that, for you are eligible yourself for one of the vacancies.'
"'And what are they worth?' I asked.
"'Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is slight, and it need not interfere very much with one's other occupations.'
"Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my ears (итак, вы можете легко подумать, что это /объявление/ заставило меня навострить уши), for the business has not been over-good for some years (так как мой бизнес не был слишком прибыльным /уже/ несколько лет), and an extra couple of hundred would have been very handy (и дополнительная пара сотен была бы очень кстати; handy — полезный, доступный).
ears [I@z], business ['bIznIs], handy ['h&ndI]
"'Tell me all about it (расскажите мне все об этом),' said I.
"Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my ears, for the business has not been over-good for some years, and an extra couple of hundred would have been very handy.
"'Tell me all about it,' said I.
"'Well,' said he, showing me the advertisement (сказал он, показывая мне объявление), 'you can see for yourself that the League has a vacancy (вы можете видеть для себя самих = как вы сами можете видеть, Союз имеет вакансию = имеется вакансия), and there is the address where you should apply for particulars (и здесь есть адрес, куда вам следует обращаться за справками/подробностями). As far as I can make out (насколько я понимаю; to make out — разбирать, понимать), the League was founded by an American millionaire (Союз был основан американским миллионером), Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways (который был очень странным в своих привычках = был большим чудаком). He was himself red-headed (он сам был рыжим: «красноголовым»), and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed men (и он имел огромное сочувствие к = сочувствовал всем рыжим); so when he died it was found that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees (поэтому, когда он умер, оказалось: «было обнаружено», что он оставил свое громадное состояние в руках попечителей = душеприказчиков), with instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths (с указаниями употребить проценты /с этого состояния/ для предоставления легких мест; berth — койка; должность) to men whose hair is of that color (людям, чьи волосы того цвета). From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to do (от всех я слышу = все говорят, что это роскошное жалованье, а работать почти не требуется: «и очень мало /нужно/ делать»).'
particulars [p@'tIkjul@z], sympathy ['sImp@TI], enormous [I'nO:m@s], berth [b@:T]
"'Well,' said he, showing me the advertisement, 'you can see for yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the address where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out, the League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways. He was himself red-headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed men; so when he died it was found that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of that color. From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to do.'
"'But,' said I, 'there would be millions of red-headed men who would apply (найдутся миллионы рыжих, которые подадут заявление).'