Outside the arc-light shone through the bare branches of a tree. Nick walked up

The street beside the car-tracks and turned at the next arc-light down a side-street.

Three houses up the street was Hirsch’s rooming-house. Nick walked up the two

Steps and pushed the bell. A woman came to the door.

“Is Ole Andreson here?”

“Do you want to see him?”

“Yes, if he’s in.”

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

 

 

Nick followed the woman up a flight of stairs and back to the end of a corridor.

She knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s somebody to see you, Mr. Andreson,” the woman said.

“It’s Nick Adams.”

“Come in.”

Nick opened the door and went into the room. Ole Andreson was lying on the bed

With all his clothes on. He had been a heavyweight prize-fighter and he was too

Long for the bed. He lay with his head on two pillows. He did not look at Nick.

 

 

heavy [hevı] weight [weıt]

 

 

“What was it (в чем дело: «что это было»)?” he asked.

“I was up at Henry’s,” Nick said, “and two fellows came in (пришли два парня, типа)

and tied me and the cook, and they said they were going to kill you.”

It sounded silly when he said it (прозвучало, звучало глупо, когда он это сказал). Ole

Andreson said nothing.

“George thought I better come and tell you about it (Джордж подумал, что мне лучше

придти и сказать вам об этом).”

“There isn’t anything I can do about it (я ничего не могу поделать с этим),” Ole

Andreson said.

“I’ll tell you what they were like (как они выглядели: «на что они были похожи»).”

“I don’t want to know (я не хочу знать) what they were like,” Ole Andreson said. He

looked at the wall (на стену). “Thanks for coming to tell me about it (спасибо, что

пришел рассказать мне об этом).”

“That’s all right (не стоит /благодарности/: «это в порядке»).”

Nick looked at the big man lying on the bed.

“Don’t you want me to go and see the police (не хотите, чтобы я сходил и заявил в

полицию)?”

“No,” Ole Andreson said. “That wouldn’t do any good (это бесполезно: «это не

сделало бы ничего хорошего»).”

“Isn’t there something I could do (есть тут что-нибудь, что бы я мог сделать = могу я

чем-нибудь помочь)?”

“No. There ain’t anything to do.”

“Maybe it was just a bluff (может быть, это был просто обман, блеф).”

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

 

 

“No. It ain’t just a bluff.”

Ole Andreson rolled over (перевернулся: «перекатился») toward the wall (к стене), “I

just can’t make up my mind (я просто не могу решиться, собраться с духом) to go out

(выйти). I been in here all day (я был здесь внутри целый день).”

“Couldn’t you get out of town (не могли бы вы уехать из города)?”

“No,” Ole Andreson said. “I’m through with all that running around (я покончил со всей

этой беготней: «беганьем вокруг, повсюду»).”

He looked at the wall.

“There ain’t anything to do now.”

“Couldn’t you fix it up some way (не могли бы вы это уладить как-нибудь; to fix –

укрепить; починить)?”

“No. I got in wrong (я сделал ошибку, влип = теперь уже поздно; wrong – неверный,

неправильный).” He talked in the same flat voice (он говорил тем же плоским =

унылым голосом). “There ain’t anything to do. After a while (через некоторое время)

I’ll make up my mind to go out.”

“I better go back and see George,” Nick said.

“So long,” said Ole Andreson. He did not look toward Nick. “Thanks for coming around

(спасибо, что зашел).”

 

 

“What was it?” he asked.

“I was up at Henry’s,” Nick said, “and two fellows came in and tied me and the

cook, and they said they were going to kill you.”

It sounded silly when he said it. Ole Andreson said nothing.

“George thought I better come and tell you about it.”

“There isn’t anything I can do about it,” Ole Andreson said.

“I’ll tell you what they were like.”

“I don’t want to know what they were like,” Ole Andreson said. He looked at the

wall. “Thanks for coming to tell me about it.”

“That’s all right.”

Nick looked at the big man lying on the bed.

“Don’t you want me to go and see the police?”

“No,” Ole Andreson said. “That wouldn’t do any good.”

“Isn’t there something I could do?”

“No. There ain’t anything to do.”

“Maybe it was just a bluff.”

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

 

 

“No. It ain’t just a bluff.”