Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки

Biggs's boy, as I have said, came round the corner. He was evidently in a great hurry when he first dawned upon the vision, but, on catching sight of Harris and me, and Montmorency, and the things, he eased up and stared. Harris and I frowned at him. This might have wounded a more sensitive nature, but Biggs's boys are not, as a rule, touchy. He came to a dead stop, a yard from our step, and, leaning up against the railings, and selecting a straw to chew, fixed us with his eye. He evidently meant to see this thing out.

In another moment, the grocer's boy passed on the opposite side of the street. Biggs's boy hailed him:

"Hi! ground floor o' 42's a-moving."

The grocer's boy came across, and took up a position on the other side of the step. Then the young gentleman from the boot-shop stopped, and joined Biggs's boy; while the empty-can superintendent from "The Blue Posts" took up an independent position on the curb.

"They ain't a-going to starve, are they (они не собираются умереть с голоду, а)?" said the gentleman from the boot-shop.

"Ah! you'd want to take a thing or two with you (ты бы /тоже/ захотел взять с собой кое-что: «вещь или две»)," retorted "The Blue Posts (возразил «Голубой столб»)," "if you was a-going to cross the Atlantic in a small boat (если бы собрался пересечь Атлантический /океан/ на маленькой лодке)."

"They ain't a-going to cross the Atlantic (они не собираются пересекать/переплывать Атлантический /океан/)," struck in Biggs's boy (вмешался Биггсов мальчишка; to strike in); "they're a-going to find Stanley (они собираются найти Стэнли; Stanley — Стэнли, Генри Мортон /1841-1904/, знаменитый исследователь Африки)."

By this time, quite a small crowd had collected (к этому времени небольшая толпа собралась), and people were asking each other what was the matter (и люди спрашивали друг друга, в чем дело/что случилось). One party (the young and giddy portion of the crowd) held that it was a wedding (одни /юная и легкомысленная часть толпы/ полагали, что это свадьба; party — сторона /в споре, переговорах/; группа, компания; to hold — держать, удерживать; придерживаться /мнения/ взгляда/, полагать), and pointed out Harris as the bridegroom (и указывали на Гарриса как на жениха; bridegroom: bride — невеста; groom — конюх, грум; to groom — чистить лошадь; холить, приводить в надлежащий вид); while the elder and more thoughtful among the populace inclined to the idea that it was a funeral (в то время как старшие и более вдумчивые = серьезные /люди/ в толпе склонялись к мысли, что это похороны; populace — простой народ; массы, толпа; чернь), and that I was probably the corpse's brother (и что я, вероятно, брат покойника; corpse — труп).

crowd [kraud] populace [ˈpɔpjulǝs] funeral [ˈfju:n(ǝ)rǝl]

"They ain't a-going to starve, are they?" said the gentleman from the boot-shop.

"Ah! you'd want to take a thing or two with you," retorted "The Blue Posts," "if you was a-going to cross the Atlantic in a small boat."

"They ain't a-going to cross the Atlantic," struck in Biggs's boy; "they're a-going to find Stanley."

By this time, quite a small crowd had collected, and people were asking each other what was the matter. One party (the young and giddy portion of the crowd) held that it was a wedding, and pointed out Harris as the bridegroom; while the elder and more thoughtful among the populace inclined to the idea that it was a funeral, and that I was probably the corpse's brother.