Герберт Уэллс - The Invisible Man

" Now ," said the Voice, as a third stone curved upward and hung in the air above the tramp, "am I imagination?"

Mr. Marvel, by way of reply, struggled to his feet, and was immediately rolled over again. He lay quiet for a moment.

"If you struggle any more," said the Voice, "I shall throw the flint at your head."

"It's a fair do," [17] 9.17 It's a fair do. ( разг. ) — Это просто мошенничество. said Mr. Thomas Marvel, sitting up, taking his wounded toe in hand, and fixing his eye on the third missile. "I don't understand it. Stones flinging themselves. Stones talking. Put yourself down. Rot away. I'm done." [18] 9.18 I'm done. — зд. Сдаюсь.

The third flint fell.

"It's very simple," said the Voice. "I'm an invisible man."

"Tell us something I don't know," [19] 9.19 Tell us something I don't know ( разг. ) — Не морочьте мне голову. said Mr. Marvel, gasping with pain. "Where you've hid—how you do it—I don't know. I'm beat."

"That's all," said the Voice. "I'm invisible. That's what I want you to understand."

"Any one could see that. There is no need for you to be so confounded impatient, mister. Now , then. Give us a notion. How are you hid?"

"I'm invisible. That's the great point. And what I want you to understand is this—"

"But whereabouts?" interrupted Mr. Marvel.

"Here—six yards in front of you."

"Oh, come ! I ain't blind. You'll be telling me next you're just thin air. I'm not one of your ignorant tramps—"

"Yes. I am—thin air. You're looking through me."

"What! Ain't there any stuff to you? Vox et — [20] 9.20 Vox et… ( лат. ) — начало цитаты Vox et praeterea nihil — голос и больше ничего. Повидимому, латинский перевод из Плутарха. what is it?—jabber. Is it that?"

"I am just a human being—solid, needing food and drink, needing covering, too… But I'm invisible. You see? Invisible. Simple idea. Invisible."

"What, real like?"

"Yes, real."

"Let's have a hand of you," said Marvel, "if you are real. It won't be so darn out-of-the-way like, then— [21] 9.21 It won't be so darn out-of-the-way like, then… — Тогда это не будет так чертовски странно. Сочетание out-of-the-way здесь адъективируется (уподобляется прилагательному) благодаря добавлению к нему like. Darn — одно из эвфемизмов слова damn (или damned) «проклятие» («проклятый»), которое само уже превратилось в ругательство. Другую такую замену см. там же: I'm dashed.

" Lord !" he said, "how you made me jump!—gripping me like that!"

He felt the hand that had closed round his wrist with his disengaged fingers, and his touch went timorously up the arm, patted a muscular chest, and explored a bearded face. Marvel's face was astonishment.

"I'm dashed!" he said. "If this don't beat cock-fighting! Most remarkable!—And there I can see a rabbit clean through you arf [22] 9.22 arf — искажённое half a mile away! Not a bit of you visible—except—"

He scrutinised the apparently empty space keenly. "You 'aven't been eatin' bread and cheese?" he asked, holding the invisible arm.

"You are quite right. It's not assimilated into the system."

"Ah!" said Mr. Marvel. "Sort of ghostly, though."

"Of course, all this isn't half so wonderful as you think."

"It's quite wonderful enough for my modest wants," said Mr. Thomas Marvel. "Howjer 23 9.23 howjer — искажённое how do you manage it? How the dooce is it done?" [24] 9.24 How the dooce (искажённое deuce) is it done? ( вульг. ) — Как это делается, чёрт возьми?

"It's too long a story. And besides—"

"I tell you, the whole business fair [25] 9.25 Значение fairly (а в просторечии fair) как наречия степени колеблется от «более или менее» до «совершенно» (при глаголе). beats me," said Mr. Marvel.

"What I want to say at present is this: I need help. I have come to that. I came upon you suddenly. I was wandering, mad with rage, naked, impotent, I could have murdered… And I saw you—"

" Lord !" said Mr. Marvel.

"I came up behind you—hesitated—went on."

Mr. Marvel's expression was eloquent.

"Then stopped. 'Here,' I said 'is an outcast like myself. This is the man for me.' So I turned back and came to you. You. And—"

" Lord !" said Mr. Marvel. "But I'm all in a dizzy. [26] 9.26 I'm all in a dizzy ( простореч. ) — у меня голова идёт кругом May I ask: How is it?—and what you may be requiring in the way of help? Invisible!"

"I want you to help me get clothes and shelter, and then with other things. I've left them long enough. If you won't—well! . .. But you will — must ."

"Look here," said Mr. Marvel. "I'm too flabbergasted. Don't knock me about any more. And leave me go. I must get steady a bit. And you've pretty near broken my toe. It's all so unreasonable. Empty downs, empty sky. Nothing visible for miles except the bosom of Nature. And then comes a voice. A voice out of heaven! And stones. And a fist. Lord!"

"Pull yourself together," said the Voice, "for you have to do the job I've chosen for you."

Mr. Marvel blew out his cheeks, and his eyes were round.

"I've chosen you," said the Voice. "You are the only man, except some of those fools down there, who knows there is such a thing as an Invisible Man. You have to be my helper. Help me—and I will do great things for you. An Invisible Man is a man of power." He stopped for a moment to sneeze violently.

"But if you betray me," he said, "if you fail to do as I direct you—"

He paused and tapped Mr. Marvel's shoulder smartly. Mr. Marvel gave a yelp of terror at the touch. "I don't want to betray you," said Mr. Marvel, edging away from the direction of the fingers. "Don't you go a-thinking that, whatever you do. All I want to do is to help you—just tell me what I got to do. (Lord!) Whatever you want done, that I'm most willing to do."

After the first gusty panic had spent itself, Iping became argumentative. Scepticism suddenly reared its head—rather nervous scepticism, not at all assured of its back, [1] 0.1 not at all assured of its back — неуверенный в поддержке but scepticism nevertheless. It is so much easier not to believe in an Invisible Man, and those who had actually seen him dissolve into air or felt the strength of his arm could be counted on the fingers of two hands. And of these witnesses, Mr. Wadgers was presently missing, having retired impregnably behind the bolts and bars of his own house, and Jaffers was lying stunned in the parlour of the "Coach and Horses." Great and strange ideas transcending experience [2] 10.2 transcending experience — выходящие за рамки жизненного опыта often have less effect upon men and women than smaller, more tangible considerations. Iping was gay with bunting, and everybody was in gala dress. Whit Monday had been looked forward to for a month or more. By the afternoon even those who believed in the Unseen were beginning to resume their little amusements in a tentative fashion, on the supposition that he had quite gone away, and with the sceptics he was already a jest. But people—sceptics and believers alike—were remarkably sociable all that day.