Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы / W. S. Maugham: Stories

"What did he mean by saying his wife was a good cook? I happen to know his wife in Geneva."

"That's a long way off for a wife, isn't it?" said Edward. "And it's a long time since he saw her. I guess it's another wife he's talking about."

For some time Bateman was silent. His face was set in grave lines. But looking up he caught the amused look in Edward's eyes, and he flushed darkly.

"Arnold Jackson is a despicable rogue," he said.

"I greatly fear he is," answered Edward, smiling.

"I don't see how any decent man can have anything to do with him (я не понимаю, как порядочный человек может иметь с ним что-то общее; to have smth. to do with smb. — иметь отношение к кому-либо)."

"Perhaps I'm not a decent man (возможно, что я не порядочный человек)."

"Do you see much of him, Edward (ты часто с ним видишься, Эдвард)?"

"Yes, quite a lot (да, довольно часто). He's adopted me as his nephew (он принял меня как своего племянника; to adopt— усыновлять/удочерять; признавать в качестве кого-либо)."

Bateman leaned forward and fixed Edward with his searching eyes (Бейтман подался вперед и стал сверлить Эдварда изучающим/пытливым взглядом; to fix— укреплять, закреплять; неотрывно смотреть, устремить взгляд).

"Do you like him (он тебе нравится)?"

"Very much (очень)."

"But don't you know, doesn't everyone here know (разве ты не знаешь, разве все здесь не знают), that he's a forger and that he's been a convict (что он мошенник, и что он был осужден; forger — подделыватель/документа, подписи/;лицо, совершающее подлог)? He ought to be hounded out of civilized society (его бы следовало с позором выгнать из цивилизованного общества; to hound — травить собаками; выживать/откуда-либо/,изгонять/с позором/; hound — гончая; охотничья собака)."

decent ['di: s(q)nt], forger ['fO: dZq], hound [haund], society [sq'saIqtI]

"I don't see how any decent man can have anything to do with him."

"Perhaps I'm not a decent man."

"Do you see much of him, Edward?"

"Yes, quite a lot. He's adopted me as his nephew."

Bateman leaned forward and fixed Edward with his searching eyes.

"Do you like him?"

"Very much."

"But don't you know, doesn't everyone here know, that he's a forger and that he's been a convict? He ought to be hounded out of civilized society."

Edward watched a ring of smoke (Эдвард наблюдал за кольцом дыма) that floated from his cigar into the still, scented air (которое медленно поплыло от его сигары в спокойном, благоухающем воздухе; to float — плавать, держаться на поверхности; плыть, нестись/по течению, по воздуху/; scented — надушенный; ароматный; scent — /приятный/запах, аромат).