Francis Fitzgerald - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Selected Tales of the Jazz Age Сollection. Адаптированная книга для чтения на английском языке. Уровень B1

The Sunday New York newspapers presented the case with fascinating pictures which showed the head of Benjamin Button attached to a fish, or to a snake. He became known, among journalists, as the Mystery Man of Maryland. But the true story, as it usually happens, was known only to a few people.

However, every one agreed with General Moncrief that it was «criminal» for a lovely girl who could marry any handsome young man in Baltimore to throw herself into the arms of a man who was surely fifty. Mr. Roger Button published his son's birth certificate in large type in the Baltimore city newspaper but in vain [31] in vain – (идиом.) напрасно . No one believed it. You had only to look at Benjamin and see.

The two people, who were most concerned parties [32] concerned parties – заинтересованные стороны , had no hesitations. So many of the stories about her bridegroom were false that Hildegarde refused stubbornly to believe even the true one. In vain General Moncrief pointed out to her the high risk of deaths among men of fifty – or, at least, among men who looked fifty; in vain he told her of the instability of the wholesale hardware business. Hildegarde had chosen to marry a middle-aged gentleman, and she married…

In one thing, at least, the friends of Hildegarde Moncrief were mistaken. The wholesale hardware business was extremely successful. In the fifteen years between Benjamin Button's marriage in 1880 and his father's retirement in 1895, the family capital was doubled – and this was due largely to the younger member of the firm.

Of course, Baltimore accepted the couple in the end. Even old General Moncrief made peace [33] made peace – (идиом.) примирился with his son-in-law when Benjamin gave him the money to publish his History of the Civil War in twenty volumes, after nine famous publishers had refused to take it.

There were many changes in Benjamin himself during these fifteen years. It seemed to him that the blood flowed with new energy through his body. It began to be a pleasure to get up in the morning, to walk with an active step along the busy, sunny street, to work long hours with his shipments of hammers and his cargoes of nails. In 1890 he produced his famous business revolution which led to a surprising success: he made the suggestion that all nails used in nailing up the boxes in which nails are shipped are the property of the company-receiver of cargo. The suggestion was approved by Chief Justice [34] Chief Justice – (юр., амер.) председатель Верховного суда США , became a law, and saved Roger Button and Company, Wholesale Hardware, more than six hundred nails every year .

In addition, Benjamin discovered that he was becoming more and more attracted by the active side of life. He felt his growing enthusiasm for pleasure – he was the first man in the city of Baltimore who bought and drove an automobile. The citizens about the same age, when they met him on the street, were looking with jealous eyes at the picture he made of health and energy.

«He seems to grow younger every year», they remarked. And old Roger Button, now sixty-five years old, who had failed at first to give a proper welcome to his son, was trying to compensate for his mistake at last by looking at Benjamin with admiration.

And here we come to an unpleasant matter which should be passed over as quickly as possible. There was only one thing that worried Benjamin Button; his wife didn't attract him any longer.

At that time Hildegarde was a woman of thirty-five, with a son, Roscoe, fourteen years old. In the early days of their marriage Benjamin had loved and admired her very much. But, as the years passed, her honey-colored hair became dull brown, the blue enamel of her eyes turned into a cheap dirty dishes – moreover, and, most of all, she had become too set in her ways [35] set in her ways – (идиом.) закоснела в своих взглядах, привычках , too calm, too satisfied, too lifeless in her excitements, and too rational in her taste. As a bride she had «pulled» Benjamin to dances and dinners – now the things changed. She went out socially with him, but without enthusiasm, driven by that habit of inertia which comes to each of us one day and stays with us to the end.

Benjamin's disappointment grew stronger. At the start of the Spanish-American War in 1898 [36] Испано-американская война в 1898 г., в ходе боевых действий которой США захватили принадлежавшие Испании с XVI в. Кубу, Пуэрто-Рико, Филиппины his home had so little charm for him that he decided to join the army. With his business influence he got an officer position as captain, and showed such talents at the work that he was made a major, and finally a lieutenant-colonel just in time to participate in the celebrated attack up San Juan Hill. [37] Битва за холм Сан Хуан к востоку от Сантьяго-де-Куба у юго-восточного побережья Кубы, где произошло решающее кровопролитное сражение, обеспечившее победу американского флота в морском сражении при Сантьяго- де-Куба He was slightly wounded, and received a medal.

Benjamin had loved the active and exciting army life so much that he regretted to give it up, but his business needed attention, so he resigned his officer position and came home. He was met at the station by an orchestra and escorted to his house.

Hildegarde, waving a large silk flag, greeted him on the front steps, and as he kissed her he felt in despair that these three years had taken her beauty and youth. She was a woman of forty now, with a faint line of gray hairs in her head. The sight depressed him.

Up in his room he saw his reflection in the familiar mirror – he went closer and examined his own face with worry, comparing it after a moment with a photograph of himself in uniform taken just before the war.

«Good Lord!» [38] Good Lord! – (идиом.) Боже (мой)! he said aloud. The process was continuing. There was no doubt of it – he looked now like a man of thirty. He was not delighted, he was uneasy – he was growing younger. He had hoped until that moment that when he reached a physical age equal to his age in years, the grotesque phenomenon which had marked his birth would stop. He trembled. His future seemed to him awful, incredible.

When he came downstairs Hildegarde was waiting for him. She seemed irritated, and he wondered if she had at last discovered that there was something wrong with him. He made an effort to break the uneasiness between them when he mentioned the matter at dinner in what he considered a tactful way.

«Well», he remarked, «everybody says I look younger than ever».

Hildegarde looked at him scornfully and grumbled, «Do you think it's anything to boast about?»

«I'm not boasting», he said uncomfortably.

«I think you have enough dignity to stop it», she said after a moment.

«How can I?» he demanded.

«I'm not going to argue with you», she answered angrily. «But there's a right way of doing things and a wrong way. If you've made up your mind [39] you've made up your mind – (идиом.) ты решил to be different from everybody else, I don't suppose I can stop you, but I really don't think it's very tactful».

«But, Hildegarde, I can't help it [40] I can't help it – (идиом.) Я ничего не могу c этим поделать ».