Елизавета Хундаева - Tender is the night. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Учим английский, читая мировую классику

«We’ll stay three days and then go home. I’ll wire (телеграфировать) right away (прямо сейчас) for steamer (пароход) tickets.»

At the hotel the girl made the reservation (заказать, сделать бронь) in idiomatic (идиоматический) but rather flat (плоский) French, like something remembered (как нечто выученное). When they were installed (устроить, поместить) on the ground floor (первый, нижний этаж) she walked into the glare (ослепительный свет; сияние) of the French windows and out a few steps onto the stone veranda that run the length (опоясывать) of the hotel. When she walked she carried herself like a ballet – dancer, not slumped down (неуклюже двигаться) on her hips (бедро) but hеld up (держать прямо) in the small of her back. Out there the hot light clipped (обрезать) close her shadow and she retreated (отступить, попятиться назад) – it was too bright (ярко) to see. Fifty yards away the Mediterranean (Средиземное море) yielded (уступать) up its pigments, moment by moment, to the brutal (брутальный, грубый) sunshine; below the balustrade (балюстрада) a faded (блёклый, вылинявший, линялый) Buick (Бьюик) cooked (жариться) on the hotel drive (дорога, подъездная аллея, проезд).

Indeed, of all the region only the beach stirred (шевелиться; двигаться) with activity. Three British nannies (няня) sat knitting (вязать) the slow (неторопливый) pattern (рисунок, узор) of Victorian England, the pattern (образец, модель) of the forties, the sixties, and the eighties, into sweaters (свитер, пуловер) and socks (носки), to the tune (под музыку) of gossip (сплетня) as formalized (стилизованный, формализованный) as incantation (заклинание); closer to (ближе к) the sea a dozen (десяток, дюжина) persons kept house (хозяйничать) under striped (полосатый) umbrellas, while their dozen children pursued (ловить, преследовать) unintimidated (не запуганный; не устрашённый) fish through the shallows (отмель) or lay naked (лежать нагими) and glistening (блестеть) with cocoanut (кокосовый) oil out in the sun.

As Rosemary came onto the beach a boy of twelve ran past her and dashed into (бросаться) the sea with exultant (ликующий, торжествующий) cries. Feeling the impactive (ударный) scrutiny (внимательный осмотр) of strange faces, she took off her bathrobe (купальный халат) and followed. She floated (плыть) face down for a few yards (ярд) and finding it shallow (мелкий) staggered (шататься, покачиваться; идти шатаясь) to her feet and plodded (идти медленно, с трудом) forward, dragging (тащить) slim (стройный) legs like weights (гиря) against (против, преодолевать) the resistance (сопротивление) of the water. When it was about breast high (по грудь), she glanced back (оглянуться назад) toward shore: a bald man in a monocle and a pair of tights (трико), his tufted (с хохолком) chest thrown out, his brash navel (поросший пупок) sucked in (втянутый), was regarding (рассматривать) her attentively. As Rosemary returned the gaze the man dislodged (убрать) the monocle, which went into hiding amid the facetious (забавный, смешной,) whiskers (усы) of his chest, and poured (наливать) himself a glass of something from a bottle in his hand.

Rosemary laid her face on the water and swam a choppy (сбивчивый, неровный) little four-beat (удар) crawl (кроль) out to the raft (паром; наплавной мост). The water reached up for her, pulled her down tenderly (мягко, нежно) out of the heat (жара), seeped (просачиваться; проникать, протекать) in her hair and ran into the corners of her body. She turned round and round in it, embracing (обнимать, обхватывать) it, wallowing (барахтаться; купаться) in it. Reaching the raft she was out of breath (запыхаться), but a tanned (загорелый) woman with very white teeth looked down at her, and Rosemary, suddenly conscious of (вдруг осознав) the raw whiteness (не загоревшая белизна) of her own body, turned on her back and drifted toward shore. The hairy (волосатый) man holding the bottle spoke to her as she came out.

«I say – they have sharks (акула) out behind the raft.» He was of indeterminate (неопределённый) nationality, but spoke English with a slow (медлительный) Oxford drawl (протяжное произношение, медлительность речи). «Yesterday they devoured (проглотить) two British sailors from the flotte (флот) at Golfe Juan.»

«Heavens (боже мой; о боже! Царство Небесное)!» exclaimed Rosemary.

«They come in for the refuse (отказ) from the flotte.»

Glazing his eyes to indicate (чтобы показать) that he had only spoken in order to warn (предупредить) her, he minced off (переступить, пропустить ступень) two steps and poured (наливать) himself another drink.

Not unpleasantly self-conscious (не без смущения), since (поскольку) there had been a slight sway (волна) of attention toward her during this conversation, Rosemary looked for a place to sit. Obviously (очевидно) each family possessed (владеть) the strip (полоса) of sand immediately in front (прямо перед) of its umbrella; besides there was much visiting and talking back and forth – the atmosphere of a community (сообщество, компания) upon which it would be presumptuous (бесцеремонный, дерзкий, нахальный) to intrude (вторгаться, входить без разрешения или приглашения). Farther up, where the beach was strewn (быть покрытым) with pebbles (галька, гравий) and dead sea-weed (морская водоросль), sat a group with flesh (тело) as white as her own. They lay under small hand-parasols (балдахин, тент, зонтик от солнца) instead of beach umbrellas and were obviously less indigenous (аборигенный, местный) to the place. Between the dark people and the light, Rosemary found room (найти место) and spread out (расстелить) her peignoir (пеньюар) on the sand.

Lying so (лёжа так), she first heard their voices and felt their feet skirt (окружать, окаймлять, обрамлять) her body and their shapes pass between the sun and herself. The breath of an inquisitive (любопытный) dog blew (дышать) warm and nervous on her neck; she could feel her skin broiling (жариться на солнце) a little in the heat and hear the small exhausted (изнуренный; обессиленный) wa-waa of the expiring (находящийся при последнем издыхании, умирающий) waves. Presently (вскоре) her ear distinguished (различать) individual (отдельный) voices and she became aware (узнать) that some one referred to (названный) scornfully (презрительно) as «that North guy (тот парень с Севера) ” had kidnapped (похитить) a waiter (официант) from a café in Cannes last night in order to (для того, чтобы) saw (распилить) him in two (пополам). The sponsor (автор, инициатор) of the story was a white-haired (с белыми волосами) woman in full evening dress, obviously (явно, очевидно) a relic of the previous evening, for a tiara (тиара) still clung to her head and a discouraged (лишённый запаха) orchid (орхидея) expired (выдыхаться) from her shoulder. Rosemary, forming a vague antipathy to her and her companions, turned away (отвернуться).