Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Мистер Всезнайка. Рассказы / W. S. Maugham. Mr. Know-All. Stories

She began to eat. She ate gluttonously. The place was beginning to fill up with bathers coming to enjoy a cocktail or two after having done their duty by the sun and the sea. Presently Arrow strolled along with Prince Roccamare. She had on a beautiful silk wrap which she held tightly round her with one hand in order to look as slim as possible and she bore her head high so that he should not see her double chin. She was laughing gaily. She felt like a girl. He had just told her (in Italian) that her eyes made the blue of the Mediterranean look like pea-soup. He left her to go into the men's room to brush his sleek black hair and they arranged to meet in five minutes for a drink. Arrow walked on to the woman's room to put a little more rouge on her cheeks and a little more red on her lips. On her way she caught sight of Frank and Beatrice. She stopped. She could hardly believe her eyes.

"My God!" she cried. "You beasts. You hogs." She seized a chair. "Waiter."

Her appointment went clean out of her head. In the twinkling of an eye the waiter was at her side.

"Bring me what these ladies are having," she ordered.

Frank lifted her great heavy head from her plate (Фрэнк подняла свою большую тяжелую голову от тарелки).

"Bring me some pвtйdefoiegras," she boomed (принесите мне немного печеночного паштета, пробасила она).

"Frank!" cried Beatrice (Фрэнк! — крикнула Беатрис).

"Shut up (заткнись)!"

"All right (хорошо). I'll have some too (я тоже буду немного)."

The coffee was brought and the hot rolls (был принесен кофе и горячие булочки) and cream and the pвtйdefoiegras (сливки и печеночный паштет) and they set to (и они принялись /за дело/). They spread the cream on the pвtй and they ate it (они намазывали сливки на паштет и ели его). They devoured great spoonfuls of jam (они поглощали огромные полные ложки /с/ джемом; to devour — жадноесть, пожирать). They crunched the delicious crisp bread voluptuously (они сладострастно грызли вкусный хрустящий хлеб; to crunch — грызтьсхрустом; скрипеть, хрустеть/подколесами, ногамиит.п./). What was love to Arrow then (что теперь была любовь для Эрроу; then— тогда, в то время)? Let the Prince keep his palace in Rome and his castle in the Apennines (пусть /себе/ этот принц имеет свой дворец в Риме и свой замок на Апеннинах; tokeep— держать; иметь, содержать). They did not speak (они не разговаривали). What they were about was much too serious (/то/, что они /сейчас/ делали было гораздо важнее; tobeabout— делать, осуществлять;serious— серьезный; важный). They ate with solemn, ecstatic fervour (они ели с торжественным, восторженным пылом; ecstatic— экстатический, в экстазе).

"I haven't eaten potatoes for twenty-five years (я не ела картошку /уже/ двадцать пять лет; for— для; в течение)," said Frank in a far-off brooding tone (сказала Фрэнк задумчиво: «отдаленным задумчивым тоном»).

"Waiter," cried Beatrice, "bring fried potatoes for three (официант, крикнула Беатрис, принесите жареный картофель для троих)."

"Trиsbien,Madame (/фр./ очень хорошо, мадам)."

The potatoes were brought (картофель был принесен). Not all the perfumes of Arabia smelt so sweet (не все ароматы Аравии пахли так сладко /перифразаизтрагедииШекспира «Макбет»/). They ate them with their fingers (они ели его пальцами).

devour [dI`vauq], voluptuous [vq`lAptjuqs], fervour [`fWvq]

Frank lifted her great heavy head from her plate.

"Bring me some pвtй de foie gras," she boomed.