Илья Франк - Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек

"I only touched down ten minutes ago."

"Fair enough," the man said. "What about views on the American novel?"

"I don't read them," Martins said.

"The well known acid humour," the journalist said. He pointed at a small grey-haired man with two protruding teeth, nibbling a bit of bread. "Happen to know if that's Carey?"

"No. What Carey?"

"J. G. Carey of course."

"I've never heard of him."

"You novelists live out of the world. He's my real assignment," and Martins watched him make across the room for the great Carey, who greeted him with a false headline smile, laying down his crust. Dexter wasn't the man's assignment, but Martins couldn't help feeling a certain pride—nobody had ever before referred to him as a novelist; and that sense of pride and importance carried him over the disappointment when Lime was not there to meet him at the airport. We never get accustomed to being less important to other people than they are to us—Martins felt the little jab of dispensability standing by the bus door, watching the snow come sifting down, so thinly and softly that the great drifts among the ruined buildings had an air of permanence, as though they were not the result of this meagre fall, but lay, forever, above the line of perpetual snow.

There was no Lime to meet him at the Hotel Astoria (не было никакого Лайма, чтобы встретить его в гостинице Астория) where the bus landed him (где автобус высадил его), and no message (и никакой записки; message — сообщение; извещение, письмо )—only a cryptic one for Mr. Dexter (только одна таинственная для мистера Декстера) from someone he had never heard of (от кого-то, о котором он никогда не слышал) called Crabbin (по имени Крэббин). "We expected you on tomorrow's plane (мы ожидали вас на завтрашнем самолете = полагали, что вы прилетите завтра). Please stay where you are (пожалуйста, остановитесь, где вы есть = где вы сейчас находитесь). On the way round (здесь в окрестности; way — путь; нправление; /разг./ район, местность, сторона ). Hotel room booked (гостиничный номер заказан)," but Rollo Martins wasn't the kind of man who stayed around (но Ролло Мартинс не был таким человеком, который оставался в окрестности/неподалеку). If you stayed around in a hotel lounge (если ты остаешься в гостиничном холле) sooner or later (рано или поздно: «скорее или позже») incidents occurred (случаются инциденты/происшествия); one mixed one's drinks (человек смешивает/ты смешиваешь свои напитки; to mix a drink — приготовить напиток ). I can hear Rollo Martins saying to me now (я могу слышать, как Ролло Мартинс говорит мне теперь), "I've done with incidents (я покончил с происшествиями). No more incidents (никаких больше происшествий)," before he plunged head first (перед тем, как он окунулся/нырнул головой вперед) into the most serious incident of all (в самое серьезное происшествие из всех). There was always a conflict in Rollo Martins (в Ролло Мартинсе всегда = постоянно был конфликт)—between the absurd Christian name (между абсурдным личным: «христианским» именем) and the sturdy Dutch (four generations back) surname (и крепкой голландской (четыре поколения назад) фамилией; sturdy — прочный, крепкий ). Rollo looked at every woman that passed (Ролло смотрел на каждую женщину, которая проходила мимо), and Martins renounced them forever (а Мартинс отвергал их навсегда; to renounce — отказываться /от чего-л.; обыкн. путем формального заявления/; отвергать ). I don't know which of them wrote the Westerns (я не знаю, который из них писал вестерны). Martins had been given Lime's address (Мартинс получил адрес Лайма: «Мартинсу был дан…») and he felt no curiosity about the man called Crabbin (и он не испытовал никакого любопытства к человеку по имени Крэббин); it was too obvious that a mistake had been made (было слишком очевидно, что была сделана = произошла ошибка), though he didn't yet connect it with the conversation at Frankfurt (хотя он еще не связал ее с разговором во Франкфурте). Lime had written that he could put Martins up in his own flat (Лайм написал, что он мог поселить Мартинса в своей собственной квартире; to put up — принимать, давать приют /гостям/ ), a large apartment on the edge of Vienna (в большой квартире на краю Вены) that had been requisitioned from a Nazi owner (которая была изъята у нацистского владельца; to requisition — изымать, конфисковать, реквизировать ). Lime could pay for the taxi when he arrived (Лайм мог заплатить за такси, когда он приедет), so Martins drove straight away (так что Мартинс поехал прямо; to drive — ездить, водить машину ) to the building lying in the third (British) zone (к зданию, расположенному в третьей (британской) зоне). He kept the taxi waiting (он попросил таксиста подождать: «держал такси ждущим»; to keep — держать, хранить; удерживать в каком-л. состоянии ) while he mounted to the third floor (в то время как сам поднялся на четвертый: «третий» этаж).

message ['mesIG], lounge ['launG], incident ['InsId(q)nt], serious ['sIqrIqs], address [q'dres], apartment [q'pRtmqnt], requisition ["rekwI'zIS(q)n], Nazi ['nRtsI]

There was no Lime to meet him at the Hotel Astoria where the bus landed him, and no message—only a cryptic one for Mr. Dexter from someone he had never heard of called Crabbin. "We expected you on tomorrow's plane. Please stay where you are. On the way round. Hotel room booked," but Rollo Martins wasn't the kind of man who stayed around. If you stayed around in a hotel lounge sooner or later incidents occurred; one mixed one's drinks. I can hear Rollo Martins saying to me now, "I've done with incidents. No more incidents," before he plunged head first into the most serious incident of all. There was always a conflict in Rollo Martins—between the absurd Christian name and the sturdy Dutch (four generations back) surname. Rollo looked at every woman that passed, and Martins renounced them forever. I don't know which of them wrote the Westerns. Martins had been given Lime's address and he felt no curiosity about the man called Crabbin; it was too obvious that a mistake had been made, though he didn't yet connect it with the conversation at Frankfurt. Lime had written that he could put Martins up in his own flat, a large apartment on the edge of Vienna that had been requisitioned from a Nazi owner. Lime could pay for the taxi when he arrived, so Martins drove straight away to the building lying in the third (British) zone. He kept the taxi waiting while he mounted to the third floor.