Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы / W. S. Maugham: Stories

William Somerset Maugham. Stories

The Fall of Edward Barnard (адаптировала Ольга Ламонова)

The Outstation (адаптировала Яна Ануфриева)

German Harry (адаптировала Ольга Ламонова)

Red (адаптировала Ирина Кемайкина)

Bateman Hunter slept badly (Бейтман Хантер спал плохо). For a fortnight on the boat that brought him from Tahiti to San Francisco (целых две недели, /что он провел/ на корабле, который вез его с Таити в Сан-Франциско; to bring — приносить; привозить, доставлять) he had been thinking of the story he had to tell (он все думал о той истории, которую ему предстояло рассказать: «которую он должен был рассказать»), and for three days on the train he had repeated to himself the words in which he meant to tell it (и целых три дня в поезде он повторял про себя те слова, которыми он собирался ее рассказать). But in a few hours now he would be in Chicago, and doubts assailed him (но за несколько часов до приезда в Чикаго его одолели сомнения; to assail — наступать, атаковать; одолевать, мучить).

fortnight ['fO: tnaIt], Tahiti [tq'hi: tI], doubt [daut], assail [q'seIl]

Bateman Hunter slept badly. For a fortnight on the boat that brought him from Tahiti to San Francisco he had been thinking of the story he had to tell, and for three days on the train he had repeated to himself the words in which he meant to tell it. But in a few hours now he would be in Chicago, and doubts assailed him.

His conscience, always very sensitive, was not at ease (совесть его, всегда такая щепетильная, /сейчас/ не была спокойна; ease— свобода, непринужденность). He was uncertain that he had done all that was possible (он не был уверен, что сделал все возможное: «все, что можно было сделать»), it was on his honour to do much more than the possible (для него было вопросом чести делать гораздо больше возможного), and the thought was disturbing that, in a matter which so nearly touched his own interest (и беспокоящая мысль заключалась в том, что в деле, в котором так близко затрагивалась его собственная выгода; to touch— касаться, трогать; затрагивать /вопрос, тему/;interest— интерес; заинтересованность, польза), he had allowed his interest to prevail over his quixotry (он позволил своей заинтересованности восторжествовать над своим донкихотством = благородством).

conscience ['kOnS(q)ns], prevail [prI'veIl], quixotry ['kwIksqtrI]

His conscience, always very sensitive, was not at ease. He was uncertain that he had done all that was possible, it was on his honour to do much more than the possible, and the thought was disturbing that, in a matter which so nearly touched his own interest, he had allowed his interest to prevail over his quixotry.