"He walked down the road and went into one or two liquor shops (он пошел вниз по улице и зашел в один или парочку винных магазинчиков; liquor — спиртной напиток; liquor shop — винный магазин), staying for nearly half-an-hour in the last of them (задержавшись почти на полчаса в последнем из них). When he came out he staggered in his walk (вышел он оттуда, покачиваясь: «когда он вышел, он покачивался при ходьбе»), and was evidently pretty well on (очевидно, изрядно навеселе). There was a hansom just in front of me, and he hailed it (как раз передо мной стоял экипаж, и он его подозвал; to hail — приветствовать; звать, окликать). I followed it so close that the nose of my horse was within a yard of his driver the whole way (я поехал за ним, держась так близко, что всю дорогу нос моей лошади был всего в ярде от кучера его кеба[21]). We rattled across Waterloo Bridge and through miles of streets (мы прогрохотали по мосту Ватерлоо и проехали несколько миль по улицам), until, to my astonishment, we found ourselves back in the Terrace in which he had boarded (когда, к моему удивлению, мы оказались опять на Террес, где он жил; to board — жить и питаться у кого-либо за плату). I could not imagine what his intention was in returning there (я и вообразить не мог, с какой целью он туда вернулся; intention — намерение, цель); but I went on and pulled up my cab a hundred yards or so from the house (я проехал немного дальше и остановил свой кеб примерно в ста ярдах от его дома). He entered it, and his hansom drove away (он вошел внутрь, а экипаж уехал). Give me a glass of water, if you please (дайте мне стакан воды, пожалуйста). My mouth gets dry with the talking (у меня пересыхает во рту, когда я говорю)."

I handed him the glass, and he drank it down (я протянул ему стакан, и он его осушил; to drink down — выпивать до дна).

liquor ['lk], pretty ['prt], mouth [mau]

"He walked down the road and went into one or two liquor shops, staying for nearly half-an-hour in the last of them. When he came out he staggered in his walk, and was evidently pretty well on. There was a hansom just in front of me, and he hailed it. I followed it so close that the nose of my horse was within a yard of his driver the whole way. We rattled across Waterloo Bridge and through miles of streets, until, to my astonishment, we found ourselves back in the Terrace in which he had boarded. I could not imagine what his intention was in returning there; but I went on and pulled up my cab a hundred yards or so from the house. He entered it, and his hansom drove away. Give me a glass of water, if you please. My mouth gets dry with the talking."

I handed him the glass, and he drank it down.