Jerome Jerome - Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки

involuntary [ɪnˈvɔlǝnt(ǝ)rɪ] fountain [ˈfauntɪn] laugh [lɑ:f]

The girls did not complain, but they huddled up close together, and set their lips firm, and every time a drop touched them, they visibly shrank and shuddered. It was a noble sight to see them suffering thus in silence, but it unnerved me altogether. I am too sensitive. I got wild and fitful in my rowing, and splashed more and more, the harder I tried not to.

I gave it up at last; I said I'd row bow. Bow thought the arrangement would be better too, and we changed places. The ladies gave an involuntary sigh of relief when they saw me go, and quite brightened up for a moment. Poor girls! they had better have put up with me. The man they had got now was a jolly, light-hearted, thick-headed sort of a chap, with about as much sensitiveness in him as there might be in a Newfoundland puppy. You might look daggers at him for an hour and he would not notice it, and it would not trouble him if he did. He set a good, rollicking, dashing stroke that sent the spray playing all over the boat like a fountain, and made the whole crowd sit up straight in no time. When he spread more than pint of water over one of those dresses, he would give a pleasant little laugh, and say:

"I beg your pardon, I'm sure (прошу прощения, конечно) ;" and offer them his handkerchief to wipe it off with (и предлагал им свой носовой платок, чтобы вытереть им воду) .

"Oh, it's of no consequence (о, это неважно/нестрашно; consequence — /по/следствие) ," the poor girls would murmur in reply (бедные девушки шептали в ответ; to murmur — шептать; бормотать, ворчать) , and covertly draw rugs and coats over themselves (и украдкой закрывались накидками и пальто; to draw over — натягивать поверх) , and try and protect themselves with their lace parasols (и старались закрыться своими кружевными зонтиками; to protect — защищать, предохранять) .

At lunch they had a very bad time of it (за обедом им пришлось очень трудно; to have a bad time — переживать тяжелое время; приходиться туго) . People wanted them to sit on the grass, and the grass was dusty (их заставляли сидеть на траве/сажали на траву, а трава была пыльной) ; and the tree-trunks, against which they were invited to lean (а стволы деревьев, к которым им предлагали прислониться; to invite — приглашать, звать; предлагать) , did not appear to have been brushed for weeks (казалось, не чистили неделями; to brush — чистить щеткой) ; so they spread their handkerchiefs on the ground and sat on those, bolt upright (поэтому они расстелили свои носовые платки на земле и сели на них, /держась/ прямо; bolt upright — прямо; как стрела) . Somebody, in walking about with a plate of beef-steak pie (кто-то, проходя рядом с тарелкой мясного пирога) , tripped up over a root, and sent the pie flying (споткнулся о корень и уронил пирог; to send flying — сообщить предмету стремительное движение, отшвыривать) . None of it went over them, fortunately (к счастью, он не попал на них; to go over — переходить; опрокидываться) , but the accident suggested a fresh danger to them, and agitated them (но этот инцидент навел на мысль о новой опасности для них; to suggest — предлагать; наводить на мысль; fresh — свежий, новый) ; and, whenever anybody moved about, after that (и затем, всякий раз, когда кто-нибудь /из нас/ переходил на другое место) , with anything in his hand that could fall and make a mess (с чем-либо в руке, что могло упасть и испортить платье; to make a mess — заварить кашу, напутать, натворить дел; mess — беспорядок, путаница; грязь) , they watched that person with growing anxiety until he sat down again (они следили за ним с возрастающим беспокойством, пока он не садился снова) .

consequence [ˈkɔnsɪkwǝns] murmur [ˈmǝ:mǝ] accident [ˈæksɪd(ǝ)nt]

"I beg your pardon, I'm sure;" and offer them his handkerchief to wipe it off with.

"Oh, it's of no consequence," the poor girls would murmur in reply, and covertly draw rugs and coats over themselves, and try and protect themselves with their lace parasols.

At lunch they had a very bad time of it. People wanted them to sit on the grass, and the grass was dusty; and the tree-trunks, against which they were invited to lean, did not appear to have been brushed for weeks; so they spread their handkerchiefs on the ground and sat on those, bolt upright. Somebody, in walking about with a plate of beef-steak pie, tripped up over a root, and sent the pie flying. None of it went over them, fortunately, but the accident suggested a fresh danger to them, and agitated them; and, whenever anybody moved about, after that, with anything in his hand that could fall and make a mess, they watched that person with growing anxiety until he sat down again.

"Now then, you girls (а ну-ка, девушки) ," said our friend Bow to them, cheerily, after it was all over (сказал им весело наш приятель Гребец на носу, после того как с обедом было покончено) , "come along, you've got to wash up (давайте, вы должны вымыть посуду; to come along — идти, сопровождать; come along! — поторапливайтесь!) !"

They didn't understand him at first (они не поняли его сначала) . When they grasped the idea, they said they feared they did not know how to wash up (когда они уловили мысль, то сказали, что, боятся, не знают, как мыть посуду = не умеют мыть посуду) .

"Oh, I'll soon show you (о, охотно покажу вам; soon — скоро, вскоре; с готовностью) ," he cried; "it's rare fun (это необыкновенно забавно) ! You lie down on your — I mean you lean over the bank (ложитесь на… я имею в виду, наклонитесь над берегом) , you know, and slouch the things about in the water (и болтайте вещи = полощите посуду в воде; to slouch about — слоняться, болтаться без дела) ."

The elder sister said that she was afraid that they hadn't got on dresses suited to the work (старшая сестра сказала, она боится, что они не надели платья, подходящие для работы = их платья не подходят для этой работы) .

"Now then, you girls," said our friend Bow to them, cheerily, after it was all over, "come along, you've got to wash up!"

They didn't understand him at first. When they grasped the idea, they said they feared they did not know how to wash up.

"Oh, I'll soon show you," he cried; "it's rare fun! You lie down on your — I mean you lean over the bank, you know, and slouch the things about in the water."

The elder sister said that she was afraid that they hadn't got on dresses suited to the work.

"Oh, they'll be all right (о, они будут в порядке) ," said he light-heartedly (сказал он беспечно) ; "tuck `em up (подоткните их; to tuck up — подбирать /подол/, засучивать /рукава/) ."

And he made them do it, too (и он заставил их сделать это) . He told them that that sort of thing was half the fun of a picnic (он сказал им, что вещи подобного рода составляют половину веселья пикника) . They said it was very interesting (они сказали, это очень интересно) .

Now I come to think it over (теперь я размышляю над тем) , was that young man as dense-headed as we thought (был ли тот молодой человек таким тупоголовым, как мы думали; dense — плотный, густой; тупой, глупый) ? or was he — no, impossible (или он был… нет, невозможно) ! there was such a simple, child-like expression about him (у него был такой простой, наивный вид; child-like — детский, простой, наивный; expression — выражение /лица, глаз/) !

Harris wanted to get out at Hampton Church, to go and see Mrs. Thomas's tomb (Гаррис хотел выйти у Хэмптонской церкви, сходить посмотреть могилу миссис Томас) .

"Who is Mrs. Thomas (кто такая миссис Томас) ?" I asked.

heartedly [ˈhɑ:tɪdlɪ] dense [dens]

"Oh, they'll be all right," said he light-heartedly; "tuck `em up."

And he made them do it, too. He told them that that sort of thing was half the fun of a picnic. They said it was very interesting.

Now I come to think it over, was that young man as dense-headed as we thought? or was he — no, impossible! there was such a simple, child-like expression about him!

Harris wanted to get out at Hampton Church, to go and see Mrs. Thomas's tomb.

"Who is Mrs. Thomas?" I asked.

"How should I know (откуда мне знать) ?" replied Harris. "She's a lady that's got a funny tomb, and I want to see it (она дама, у которой занятная могила, и я хочу увидеть ее; funny — забавный, смешной; необычный) ."

I objected (я возражал) . I don't know whether it is that I am built wrong (не знаю, может, я устроен неправильно; to build — строить) , but I never did seem to hanker after tombstones myself (но я сам никогда не жаждал /увидеть/ надгробные плиты) . I know that the proper thing to do, when you get to a village or town (я знаю, что надлежащая вещь = что необходимо, когда добираешься до какой-нибудь деревни или города) , is to rush off to the churchyard, and enjoy the graves (мчаться на церковное кладбище и наслаждаться /видом/ могил) ; but it is a recreation that I always deny myself (но это развлечение, от которого я всегда отказываюсь; to deny — отрицать, отказываться) . I take no interest in creeping round dim and chilly churches behind wheezy old men, and reading epitaphs (мне не интересно таскаться по темным и холодным церквям за астматическими стариками и читать эпитафии; to take interest in — интересоваться чем-либо; to creep — ползать; медленно двигаться) . Not even the sight of a bit of cracked brass let into a stone (даже вид потрескавшейся мемориальной доски, вделанной в камень; brass — латунь; /медная/ мемориальная доска) affords me what I call real happiness (не доставляет мне /того/, что я называю истинным счастьем) .