Уильям Коллинз: Лучшие романы Уилки Коллинза / The Best of Wilkie Collins

Yorkshire– a large historic county in the north-central part of England

the Garden of Eden– in the Old Testament, paradise where the first man and woman lived

Adam– in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the first man cre-ated by God on the sixth day of creation

claret– Bordeaux wine; the city of Bordeaux was known for its wine even in the Roman times

jugglers– persons who perform tricks to amuse people

Reformatory– an institution for reforming young crimi-nals

quicksand– liquid sand combined with pools of water at the mouth of large rivers or along the beach

cambric– cotton (originally linen) cloth first made in France, used for bands, cuffs, ruffs

Hampstead– originally a village, now an inner borough (in-corporated town or district) of London north of Westminster and the City of London

plaguy– dangerous, annoying

freaks– a freak is somebody or something unusual or ab-normal

Christendom– the Christian world; cultural and religious community of Christian countries.

boudoir– a woman’s dressing room or a private sitting room

Satan– in Christianity and Judaism, the prince of evil forces, the enemy of God

misalliance– unequal or unsuitable marriage

a good Samaritan– in the Bible, the man who, with love and patience, helped every suffering person

philanthropist– a person who helps those in need or in trou-ble

ditto= the same thing (the word is used to avoid repetition)

griffins– mythological creatures with bodies of lions and heads of eagles

cupids– Cupid is a Roman god of love portrayed as a winged child with arrows and a bow

cravat– folded linen or lace worn as a necktie

salaams– low bows

cheroot– a thin cigar with both ends open

gig– a light two-wheeled carriage with one horse

magistrate– an official, acting as judge in lower courts

embargo– a decision that forbids trade, import, export, com-merce, etc.; also means a ban on smth.

sal-volatile– solution of smelling salts used as a medicine when a person is unconscious

pony-chaise– a low carriage with two or four wheels pulled by a pony

holus-bolus– with one hit; at one gulp; at once; in a body, in bulk

sovereign– a British gold coin with face value of one pound; the coin is out of use now.

Solomon– the greatest king of Israel (10th century BC), son of David; Solomon was famous for his wisdom, military expan-sion and the construction of the temple in Jerusalem.

memorandum– a written plan for future

hieroglyphics– an ancient system of writing, in which pic-tures and symbols are used for words and sounds

gibberish– unintelligible, meaningless sounds

conservatory– a glass building for growing plants in cold climate

dog-rose– Latin Rosa Canina, a sort of sweetbrier

Heaven– the place where God and the saints live

the metropolis– London

the House of Commons– the elected legislative body and, formally, the lower house of the British Parliament; its origin goes back to the 13th century.

Lambeth– an inner borough of London to the south of the River Thames; the first settlement dates back to pre-Roman times.

intagli– pl. from intaglio – figure or ornament cut deep into the surface of stone

tankard– a large mug for drinking beer

ale– a kind of beer

Brittany– a region of France, a peninsula washed by the At-lantic Ocean, the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel

Protestant– a member of any of the Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century at the time of the Reformation

Patmos– an island, the smallest of the twelve Greek Islands, the place of the exile of St. John the Divine

NOTE. ADDED BY FRANKLIN BLAKE. – Miss Clack may make her mind quite easy on this point. Nothing will be added, altered or removed, in her manuscript, or in any of the other manuscripts which pass through my hands. Whatever opinions any of the writers may express, whatever peculiarities of treatment may mark, and perhaps in a literary sense, disfigure the narratives which I am now collecting, not a line will be tampered with anywhere, from first to last. As genuine documents they are sent to me – and as genuine documents I shall preserve them, endorsed by the attestations of witnesses who can speak to the facts. It only remains to be added that “the person chiefly concerned” in Miss Clack’s narrative, is happy enough at the present moment, not only to brave the smartest exercise of Miss Clack’s pen, but even to recognise its unquestionable value as an instrument for the exhibition of Miss Clack’s character.

Lombard Street– a street in the City of London, a financial and banking centre

Kilburn– an area in Brent, an outer borough of London, to the northwest of the metropolis

Northumberland Street– a street in central London

(the) Strand– one of the main streets in central London with theatres, expensive shops and hotels

Tottenham Court Road– a street in central London

Mammon– the god of greed

Montagu Square– a square in central London