Jerome Jerome - Tree Men on the Bummel / Трое на четырех колесах. Книга для чтения на английском языке

We would find it for him eventually; as often as not [58] as often as not – ( разг .) как правило he was sitting on it. And then he would smile, not genially, but with the weariness that comes to a man who feels that fate has cast his lot among a band of hopeless idiots.

“All the time, right in front of your noses – !” He would not finish the sentence; he prided himself on his self-control.

This settled, he would start for the hall, where it was the custom of my Aunt Maria to have the children gathered, ready to say good-bye to him.

My aunt never left the house herself, if only to make a call next door, without taking a tender farewell of every inmate. One never knew, she would say, what might happen.

One of them, of course, was sure to be missing, and the moment this was noticed all the other six, without an instant’s hesitation, would scatter with a whoop to find it. Immediately they were gone it would turn up by itself from somewhere quite near, always with the most reasonable explanation for its absence; and would at once start off after the others to explain to them that it was found. In this way, five minutes at least would be taken up in everybody’s looking for everybody else, which was just sufficient time to allow my uncle to find his umbrella and lose his hat. Then, at last, the group reassembled in the hall, the drawing-room clock would commence to strike nine. It possessed a cold, penetrating chime that always had the effect of confusing my uncle. In his excitement he would kiss some of the children twice over, pass by others, forget whom he had kissed and whom he hadn’t, and have to begin all over again. He used to say he believed they mixed themselves up on purpose, and I am not prepared to maintain that the charge was altogether false. To add to his troubles, one child always had a sticky face; and that child would always be the most affectionate.

If things were going too smoothly, the eldest boy would come out with some tale about all the clocks in the house being five minutes slow, and of his having been late for school the previous day in consequence. This would send my uncle rushing impetuously down to the gate, where he would recollect that he had with him neither his bag nor his umbrella. All the children that my aunt could not stop would charge after him, two of them struggling for the umbrella, the others surging round the bag. And when they returned we would discover on the hall table the most important thing of all that he had forgotten, and wondered what he would say about it when he came home.

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but I prefer her myself in serious pieces – ( зд .) но я предпочитаю изучать серьезную литературу по первоисточникам

taking credit that I do not deserve – ( зд .) принимая комплименты, которых не заслужил

cloyed the brain – ( разг .) способствовало разжижению мозгов

you do – ( разг .) только попробуй

I, for one, will close with the offer – ( разг .) что касается меня, то я – за

I will see to that – ( разг .) уж я об этом позабочусь

is master of six pieces already – ( зд .) выучила уже шесть стихотворений

in style – ( зд .) с удобством, комфортом

Medway Challenge Shield – гонки, регата

in my eye – ( разг .) на примете

who had never lost a life – ( зд .) который еще никого не угробил

Drake – (1540–1596) английский исследователь, адмирал

Spanish Main – Карибское море

greedy and guzzling crew – ( зд .) обжоры и пьяницы

they seem to be taking their time – ( разг .) что-то они не торопятся

a cold cigar – ( разг .) потухшая сигара

why there you are – ( зд .) так что сами понимаете

before turning in for the night – прежде чем отправиться ко сну

He grasped the fact that I was determined. – ( разг .) Теперь до него дошло, что я настроен решительно.

it wants doing – ( зд .) работенка не из легких

by reason of a strained rudder – ( зд .) потому что у них сломался руль

I have it! – ( зд .) Идея!

the Black Forest – Шварцвальд, горный массив на юго-западе Германии

the possibility of improving our minds – ( разг .) возможность расширить кругозор

opened the ball – ( зд .) объяснился

be persuaded by me – ( разг .) не спорь со мной

not a wifely remark – ( разг .) хорошие жены не должны такое говорить

to slacken the strain a bit – ( разг .) слегка отпустить поводья (расслабиться)

don’t be an old goose – ср . русск . не петушись

the motive power – движущая сила

be the explanation what it may – ( устар .) как бы то ни было; какими бы ни были объяснения

it’s doing me good – ( разг .) это идет мне на пользу

for the life of him – ( разг .) нипочем; ни за что; ну никак; хоть убей

the meeting was not a tender one – ( разг .) нельзя сказать, что встреча была теплой (прошла в теплой и дружеской обстановке)