Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр

to get rid of a certain number of tricks that were out of date and she had to

acquire a more conversational style. But she won every prize that was open to

her, and when she was finished with the school her good French got her

almost immediately a small part in London as a French maid. It looked for a

while as though her knowledge of French would specialize her in parts

needing a foreign accent, for after this she was engaged to play an Austrian

waitress.

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франкаwww.franklang.ru

63

It was two years later (два года спустя: «это было двумя годами позже, когда»)

that Jimmie Langton discovered her (Джимми Лэнгтон открыл ее). She was on

tour (она была на гастролях) in a melodrama that had been successful in London

(в мелодраме, которая была достаточно успешной в Лондоне); in the part of an

Italian adventuress (в роли итальянской авантюристки: «искательницы

приключений»; adventure — приключение, смелое предприятие, авантюра),

whose machinations were eventually exposed (чьи интриги: «махинации» в

конечном итоге разоблачались), she was trying somewhat inadequately (она

пыталась немного непохоже: «неадекватно») to represent a woman of forty

(изобразить женщину лет сорока). Since the heroine (в то время как главное

действующее лицо), a blonde person of mature years (играла блондинистая

особа зрелых лет; mature — зрелый, спелый, выдержанный), was playing a

young girl (и играла роль молодой девушки), the performance lacked

verisimilitude (/так что в целом/ спектаклю не хватало жизненности;

verisimilitude —вероятность,правдоподобие,достоверность). Jimmie was

taking a short holiday (у Джимми был короткий отпуск; to take a holiday —

быть в отпуске, взять выходной), which he spent in going every night to the

theatre (который он проводил, посещая каждый вечер театр) in one town after

another (в одном городе за другим). At the end of the piece he went round to see

Julia (в конце концов он отправился, чтобы посмотреть на Джулию). He was

well enough known in the theatrical world (он был достаточно хорошо известен

в театральном мире) for her to be flattered by the compliments he paid her

(чтобы она была польщена комплиментами, которыми он наградил ее; to

flatter —льстить,чрезвычайнохвалить; to pay compliments —сделать,

сказатькомплимент), and when he asked her to lunch with him next day (и

когда он пригласил ее на ланч с ним на следующий день) she accepted (она

согласилась: «приняла /приглашение/»).

melodrama ['melqdrQ:mq] adventuress [qd'ventS(q)rIs]

machination ["mxkI'neIS(q)n] verisimilitude ["verIsI'mIlItju:d]

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франкаwww.franklang.ru

64

It was two years later that Jimmie Langton discovered her. She was on tour in

a melodrama that had been successful in London; in the part of an Italian

adventuress, whose machinations were eventually exposed, she was trying

somewhat inadequately to represent a woman of forty. Since the heroine, a

blonde person of mature years, was playing a young girl, the performance

lacked verisimilitude. Jimmie was taking a short holiday, which he spent in

going every night to the theatre in one town after another. At the end of the

piece he went round to see Julia. He was well enough known in the theatrical

world for her to be flattered by the compliments he paid her, and when he

asked her to lunch with him next day she accepted.

They had no sooner sat down to table (как только они сели за стол: «они не

намного раньше сели за стол») than he went straight to the point (он перешел