Alice in Wonderland. Книга для чтения на английском языке

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself |Тебе должно быть стыдно|,” said Alice, “a great |здесь – большая| girl like you,” (she might well say this |тут она вероятно была права|), “to go on crying in this way! Stop this moment, I tell you!” But she went on all the same |все равно продолжила|, shedding |проливая| gallons of tears, until there was a large pool all round her, about four inches deep and reaching half down the hall.

After a time she heard a little pattering |тихий топот| of feet in the distance, and she hastily |спешно| dried her eyes to see what was coming. It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly |превосходно| dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan |веер| in the other: he came trotting along |на бегу| in a great hurry, muttering |бормоча| to himself as he came, “Oh! the Duchess |герцогиня|, the Duchess! Oh! won’t she be savage |здесь – в ярости| if I’ve kept her waiting!” Alice felt so desperate that she was ready to ask help of any one; so, when the Rabbit came near her, she began, in a low, timid |робким| voice, “If you please, sir —” The Rabbit started violently |уставился в гневе|, dropped the white kid gloves and the fan, and skurried away |метнулся| into the darkness as hard as he could go.

Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the hall was very hot, she kept fanning |обдувала| herself all the time she went on talking: “Dear, dear! How queer |странно| everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I’ve been changed |меня подменили| in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” And she began thinking over |обдумывать| all the children she knew that were of the same age as herself, to see if she could have been changed |ее могли бы подменить| for any of them.

“I’m sure I’m not Ada,” she said, “for her hair goes in such long ringlets |кольцами|, and mine doesn’t go in ringlets at all; and I’m sure I can’t be Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, oh! she knows such a very little! Besides, she’s she, and I’m I, and – oh dear, how puzzling it all is! I’ll try if I know all the things I used to know. Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is – oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate! However, the Multiplication Table |таблица умножения| doesn’t signify |ничего еще не означает|: let’s try Geography. London is the capital of Paris, and Paris is the capital of Rome, and Rome – no, that’s all wrong, I’m certain! I must have been changed for Mabel! I’ll try and say ‘How doth |дорожит| the little —’” and she crossed her hands on her lap |коленях| as if she were saying lessons, and began to repeat it, but her voice sounded hoarse |хрипло| and strange, and the words did not come the same as they used to do:

“How doth the little crocodile

Improve his shining tail,

And pour the waters of the Nile

On every golden scale!

“How cheerfully he seems to grin,

How neatly spread his claws,

And welcome little fishes in

With gently smiling jaws!”

“I’m sure those are not the right words,” said poor Alice, and her eyes filled with tears again as she went on, “I must be Mabel after all |все-таки|, and I shall have to go and live in that poky |убогом| little house, and have next to no toys |почти без игрушек. Оборот to have next to no/nothing… – почти не иметь чего-либо| to play with, and oh! ever so many lessons to learn! No, I’ve made up my mind |я решила| about it; if I’m Mabel, I’ll stay down here! It’ll be no use their putting their heads down and saying ‘Come up again, dear!’ I shall only look up and say ‘Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I’ll come up: if not, I’ll stay down here till I’m somebody else’ – but, oh dear!” cried Alice, with a sudden burst of tears |потоком слез|, “I do wish they would put their heads down |заглянули бы сюда|! I am so very tired of being all alone here!”