He even seemed offended at our remarks (казалось, он даже обиделся на наши замечания). He said he had picked us out the best boat in all his stock (сказал, что выбрал для нас лучшую лодку из всех; stock — совокупность объектов: род, семья; запас, ассортимент /товаров/; парк /вагонов и т. д./), and he thought we might have been more grateful (и полагает, что мы могли бы быть более признательны/благодарны).

distinguish [ds'tw] fault [f:lt] offended ['fendd]

The boat-builder himself came up then, and assured us, on his word, as a practical man, that the thing really was a boat — was, in fact, the boat, the "double sculling skiff" selected to take us on our trip down the river.

We grumbled a good deal. We thought he might, at least, have had it whitewashed or tarred — had something done to it to distinguish it from a bit of a wreck; but he could not see any fault in it.

He even seemed offended at our remarks. He said he had picked us out the best boat in all his stock, and he thought we might have been more grateful.

He said it, The Pride of the Thames, had been in use, just as it now stood (or rather as it now hung together) (он сказал, «Гордость Темзы» используется, в том самом /виде/, в каком она стоит сейчас /или, скорее, держится на воде/), for the last forty years, to his knowledge (последние сорок лет, насколько ему известно; to hang together — держаться сплоченно, поддерживать друг друга), and nobody had complained of it before, and he did not see why we should be the first to begin (и никто не жаловался на нее раньше, и он не понимает, почему это мы первые начали).

We argued no more (мы больше не спорили).

We fastened the so-called boat together with some pieces of string (мы связали так называемую лодку веревкой), got a bit of wall-paper and pasted over the shabbier places (достали кусок обоев и заклеили самые позорные места; shabby — поношенный; потрепанный, протертый /об одежде, мебели и т. п./; убогий, захудалый), said our prayers, and stepped on board (прочитали молитвы и ступили на борт).

They charged us thirty-five shillings for the loan of the remnant for six days (с нас взяли тридцать пять шиллингов за прокат этого ископаемого в течение шести дней; loan — заем, ссуда; что-либо, данное для временного пользования; remnant — остатки; след, пережитки); and we could have bought the thing out-and-out for four-and-sixpence at any sale of drift-wood round the coast (мы могли бы купить его целиком за четыре /шиллинга/ шесть пенсов на любой распродаже леса на берегу; to buy; out-and-out — несомненно, полностью, совершенно; drift-wood — сплавной лес; лес, прибитый к берегу).

fastened ['f:snd] remnant ['remnnt]

He said it, The Pride of the Thames, had been in use, just as it now stood (or rather as it now hung together), for the last forty years, to his knowledge, and nobody had complained of it before, and he did not see why we should be the first to begin.

We argued no more.

We fastened the so-called boat together with some pieces of string, got a bit of wall-paper and pasted over the shabbier places, said our prayers, and stepped on board.

They charged us thirty-five shillings for the loan of the remnant for six days; and we could have bought the thing out-and-out for four-and-sixpence at any sale of drift-wood round the coast.