Герберт Уэллс - Английский с Гербертом Уэллсом. Дверь в стене. Фантастические повести / Н. G. Wells. The Door in the Wall

irrelevant[ɪ'relevǝnt] , beauty['bju:tɪ] , insatiable[ɪn'seɪʃǝbl]

He paused, checked by that English shyness that so often overcomes us when we would speak of moving or grave or beautiful things. “You were at Saint Athelstan's all through,” he said, and for a moment that seemed to me quite irrelevant. “Well” – and he paused. Then very haltingly at first, but afterwards more easily, he began to tell of the thing that was hidden in his life, the haunting memory of a beauty and a happiness that filled his heart with insatiable longings that made all the interests and spectacle of worldly life seem dull and tedious and vain to him.

Now that I have the clue to it(теперь, когда у меня есть ключ к этой загадке: «к этому») , the thing seems written visibly in his face(все это будто /было/ явно написано у него на лице) . I have a photograph in which that look of detachment has been caught and intensified(у меня есть фотография, на которой был уловлен и усилен этот отстраненный взгляд) . It reminds me of what a woman once said of him(это напоминает мне о том, что сказала о нем одна женщина) – a woman who had loved him greatly(женщина, которая очень любила его) . “Suddenly(внезапно) ,” she said, “the interest goes out of him(всякий интерес /к окружающему/ покидает его) . He forgets you(он забывает о вас) . He doesn't care a rap for you(ему совершенно нет дела до вас; he doesn't care a rap – ему совершенно все равно/наплевать; to care – заботиться, беспокоиться; rap – мелкая обесцененная монета /в Ирландии в XVIII в./ ) – under his very nose(/хотя вы/ прямо у него под носом) …”

photograph['fǝʋtǝɡrɑ:f] , caught[kɔ:t] , greatly['ɡreɪtlɪ]

Now that I have the clue to it, the thing seems written visibly in his face. I have a photograph in which that look of detachment has been caught and intensified. It reminds me of what a woman once said of him – a woman who had loved him greatly. “Suddenly,” she said, “the interest goes out of him. He forgets you. He doesn't care a rap for you – under his very nose…”

Yet the interest was not always out of him(тем не менее интерес не всегда покидал его) , and when he was holding his attention to a thing Wallace could contrive to be an extremely successful man(и когда он задерживал свое внимание на чем-то, Уоллес мог быть чрезвычайно преуспевающим человеком = чрезвычайно преуспеть в этом; to contrive – придумывать; суметь, ухитриться ) . His career, indeed, is set with successes(его карьера поистине усеяна успехами; to set with – усыпать, усеивать ) . He left me behind him long ago(он давно превзошел меня; to leave behind – оставлять позади, опережать; превосходить ) ; he soared up over my head(он воспарил над моей головой; to soar up – взмыть, высоко взлететь ) , and cut a figure in the world that I couldn't cut(и стал /заметной/ фигурой в обществе, какой я не смог стать; to cut a figure – произвести впечатление, стать фигурой ) – anyhow(но не в этом дело) . He was still a year short of forty(ему еще не было и сорока: «было без году сорок») , and they say now(и теперь говорят) that he would have been in office and very probably in the new Cabinet if he had lived(что он мог бы получить хорошую должность и очень вероятно в новом кабинете = вошел бы в новое правительство , если бы он был жив; to be in office – быть у власти, занимать пост, входить в состав правительства, иметь министерский портфель ) . At school he always beat me without effort(в школе он всегда легко: «без усилия» превосходил меня) – as it were by nature(так сказать, естественно; as it were – как будто, так сказать ) . We were at school together at Saint Athelstan's College in West Kensington for almost all our school time(мы вместе учились в Сент-Ателстенском колледже в Западном Кенсингтоне на протяжении почти всего нашего школьного времени = всего времени учебы) . He came into the school as my co-equal(он поступил в школу как ровня мне) , but he left far above me(но закончил /учебу/ значительно обогнав меня: «гораздо выше меня») , in a blaze of scholarships and brilliant performance(в блеске познаний и блестящих результатов; scholarship – образованность, познания, ученость ) . Yet I think I made a fair average running(тем не менее я считаю, что добился довольно неплохих: «средних» успехов; to make good one's running – не отставать; преуспевать; running – бег, бега ) . And it was at school I heard first of the Door in the Wall(и именно в школе я впервые услыхал о Двери в Стене) – that I was to hear of a second time only a month before his death(о которой второй раз мне предстояло услышать всего за месяц до его смерти).

success[sǝk'ses] , soar[sɔ:] , average['ævrɪʤ]

Yet the interest was not always out of him, and when he was holding his attention to a thing Wallace could contrive to be an extremely successful man. His career, indeed, is set with successes. He left me behind him long ago; he soared up over my head, and cut a figure in the world that I couldn't cut – anyhow. He was still a year short of forty, and they say now that he would have been in office and very probably in the new Cabinet if he had lived. At school he always beat me without effort – as it were by nature. We were at school together at Saint Athelstan's College in West Kensington for almost all our school time. He came into the school as my co-equal, but he left far above me, in a blaze of scholarships and brilliant performance. Yet I think I made a fair average running. And it was at school I heard first of the Door in the Wall – that I was to hear of a second time only a month before his death.