to get up. Wake up." Adam's voice was muffled.
"Don't you ever forget?" "It's time to get up." Charles slipped his legs into his pants and hunched them up over his hips. "You don't have to get up," he said. "You're a rich man. You can lay in bed all
day." "So are you. But we still get up before
daylight." "You don't have to get up," Charles repeated. "But if you're going to farm, you'd better farm." Adam said ruefully, "So we're going to buy more land so we can do more work." "Come off it," said Charles. "Go back to bed if you want to." Adam said, "I bet you couldn't sleep if you stayed in bed. You know what I bet? I bet you get up because you want to, and then you take credit for it-like taking credit for six fingers." Charles went into the kitchen and lighted the lamp. "You can't lay in bed
Они съездили в Вашингтон поглядеть на могилу -солидный каменный обелиск, украшенный сверху железной звездой с отверстием, куда 30 мая
and run a farm," he said, and he knocked the ashes through the grate of the stove and tore some paper over the exposed coals and blew until the flames started. Adam was watching him through the door. "You wouldn't use a match," he said. Charles turned angrily. "You mind your own goddam business. Stop picking at me." "All right," said Adam. "I will. And maybe my business isn't here." "That's up to you. Any time you want to get out, you go right ahead." The quarrel was silly but Adam couldn't stop it. His voice went on without his willing it, making angry and irritating words. "You're damn right I'll go when I want," he said. "This is my place as much as yours." "Then why don't you do some work on it?" "Oh, Lord!" Adam said. "What are we fussing about? Let's not fuss." "I don't want trouble," said Charles. He scooped lukewarm mush into two bowls and spun them on the table. The brothers sat down. Charles buttered a slice of bread, gouged out a knifeful of jam, and spread it over the butter. He dug butter for his second slice and left a slop of jam on the butter roll. "Goddam it, can't you wipe your knife? Look at that butter!" Charles laid his knife and the bread on the table and placed his hands palm down on either side. "You better get off the place," he said. Adam got up. "I'd rather live in a pigsty," he said, and he walked out of the house. |
|
2 |
2 |
It was eight months before Charles saw him again. |
Вновь Карл увидел его лишь через восемь месяцев. |
Charles came in from work and found Adam sloshing water on his hair and face from the kitchen bucket. |
Он вернулся с работы и застал Адама во дворе: нагнувшись над кухонным ведром, Адам шумно плескал воду себе в лицо и на волосы. |
"Hello," said Charles. |
- Здравствуй, - сказал Карл. |
"How are you?" |
- Ну, как ты? |
"Fine," said Adam. |
- Хорошо. |
"Where'd you go?" |
-Где был? |
"Boston." |
- В Бостоне. |
"No place else?" |
- И больше нигде? |
"No. |
- Нигде. |
Just looked at the city." |
Просто гулял, город смотрел. |
The brothers settled back to their old life, but each took precautions against anger. |
Жизнь братьев снова вошла в прежнюю колею, но теперь оба тщательно следили за собой, чтобы не дать волю злобе. |
In a way each protected the other and so saved himself. |
Каждый из них, заботясь о другом, в какой-то мере оберегал и собственный покой. |
Charles, always the early riser, got breakfast ready before he awakened Adam. |
Карл, всегда встававший спозаранку, готовил завтрак и только потом будил Адама. |
And Adam kept the house clean and started a set of books on the farm. |
А Адам поддерживал в доме чистоту и вел на ферме весь учет. |
In this guarded way they lived for two years before their irritation grew beyond control again. |
Взаимная сдержанность помогла братьям прожить в мире два года, но потом копившееся раздражение опять прорвалось наружу. |
On a winter evening Adam looked up from his account book. |
Как-то раз, зимним вечером, Адам оторвался от приходно-расходной книги и поднял глаза на брата. |
"It's nice in California," he said. |
-Где хорошо, так это в Калифорнии, - сказал он. |
"It's nice in the winter. |
Там и зимой хорошо. |
And you can raise anything there." |
И выращивать можно что угодно. |
"Sure you can raise it. |
- Вырастить, конечно, можно. |
But when you got it, what are you going to do with it?" |
Только, когда соберешь урожай, чего с ним делать будешь? |
"How about wheat? |
- Ну, а, к примеру, пшеница? |
They raise a lot of wheat in California." |
В Калифорнии очень даже много пшеницы выращивают. |
"The rust will get to it," said Charles. |
- Всю твою пшеницу ржа поест, - сказал Карл. |
"What makes you so sure? |
- Это почему же? |
Look, Charles, things grow so fast in California they say you have to plant and step back quick or you'll get knocked down." |
Знаешь, Карл, говорят, в Калифорнии все растет так быстро, что, как только посеял, сразу отходи в сторону, а не то с ног собьет. |
Charles said, "Why the hell don't you go there? |
- Тогда какого черта ты туда не едешь? |
I'll buy you out any time you say." |
Только скажи - я твою половину фермы хоть сейчас откуплю. |
Adam was quiet then, but in the morning while he combed his hair and peered in the small mirror he began it again. |
Адам промолчал, но на следующее утро, причесываясь перед маленьким зеркальцем, снова вернулся к этому разговору. |
"They don't have any winter in California," he said. |
- В Калифорнии не бывает зимы, - начал он. |
"It's just like spring all the time." |
- Там круглый год, как весной. |
"I like the winter," said Charles. |
-А я зиму люблю, - сказал Карл. |
Adam came toward the stove. |
Адам подошел к плите. |
"Don't be cross," he said. |
- Не злись. |
"Well, stop picking at me. |
- Тогда не приставай. |
How many eggs?" |
Тебе сколько яиц жарить? |
"Four," said Adam. |
- Четыре. |
Charles placed seven eggs on top of the warming oven and built his fire carefully of small pieces of kindling until it burned fiercely. |
Карл положил семь яиц на край гревшейся плиты и, аккуратно накрыв угли мелкими щепками, развел сильный огонь. |
He put the skillet down next to the flame. |
Потом поставил на огонь сковородку. |