7 shorts stories more by O. Henry. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Harold Farrington’s eyes showed that he was sorry |ему было жаль|. “I too must leave then,” he said. “But I am not sailing for Europe.”

“We cannot stay here forever, though it is so delightful,” said Madame Beaumont. “I like it better |Здесь мне нравится больше| than my usual life, which is too full of people. I shall |у shall в английском два значения: 1) будущего времени (как в этом предложении), 2) «следует». В современном английском shall как указатель будущего времени давно уже вытеснен will, однако смысл «cледует» до сих пор актуален: Shall I open the window? – а не следует ли мне открыть окно?| never forget my week in the Hotel Lotus.”

“Nor shall I,” |Я тоже не забуду. Nor это русское «ни», который используется в предложениях типа «я тоже не» или «я не пью ни кофе, ни чая»: I drink neither coffee nor tea или (без neither): I don’t drink coffee nor tea| said Farrington in a low voice. “And I shall never like the ship that carries you away |увезет вас в дальние края|.”

On their last evening the two sat together at a little table. A waiter brought them something cool |прохладное. Не крутое. Во времена О.Генри такого смысла у слова cool еще не было| to eat.

Madame Beaumont was wearing the same beautiful dress. She seemed thoughtful |задумчивой|.

When she had finished eating, she took out a dollar.

“Mr. Farrington,” she said, with the smile that everyone in the Lotus loved, “I want to tell you something. I’m going to leave early tomorrow morning because I must go back to work. I work selling |продавая| women’s clothes at Casey’s shop. That dollar is all the money I have. I won’t have more until I get paid |мне заплатят| at the end of the week. You’re a real gentleman and you’ve been good to me. I wanted to tell you before I went.

“For a year I’ve been planning to come here. Each week I put aside |откладывала| a little of my pay, so that I would have enough money. I wanted to live one week like a rich lady. I wanted to get up in the morning when I wished. I wanted to be served by waiters. I wanted to have the best of everything. Now I’ve done it, and I’ve been happier than I ever was before. And now I’m going back to work.

“I wanted to tell you about it, Mr. Farrington, because I – I thought you liked me, and I – I liked you. This week I’ve told you many things that weren’t true. I told you things I’ve read about. They never happened to me. I’ve been living in a story |Эту неделю я жила в выдуманной истории|. It wasn’t real. I wanted you to think I was a great lady.

“This dress I’m wearing – it’s the only pretty dress I own. I haven’t paid for it yet |Я за него на настоящий момент еще не расплатилась|. I’m paying for it a little at a time.

“The price was seventy-five dollars. It was made for me at O’Dowd and Levinsky’s shop. I paid ten dollars first, and now I have to pay a dollar a week until it’s all paid.

“And that’s all I have to say, Mr. Farrington, except that my name is Mamie Siviter, and not Madame Beaumont. Thank you for listening to me. This dollar is the dollar I’m going to pay for my dress tomorrow. And now I’ll go up to my room.”

As Harold Farrington listened, his face had not changed. When she had finished, he took out a small book and began to write in it. Then he pulled out the small page with his writing on it |вытащил листок с какими-то его записями|, and gave it to her. And he took the dollar from her hand.

“I go to work too, tomorrow morning,” he said. “And I decided to begin now. That paper says you’ve paid your dollar for this week. I’ve been working for O’Dowd and Levinsky for three years. Strange, isn’t it? We both had the same idea. I always wanted to stay at a good hotel. I get twenty dollars a week. Like you, I put aside a little money at a time, until I had enough. Listen, Mamie. Will you go to the pleasure park on Coney Island with me on pay day?” |в какой-нибудь из рабочих дней|

The girl who had been Madame H'eloise D’Arcy Beaumont smiled.