"The marvellous thing is that it's painless," he said. "That's how you know when it starts."
"Is it really?"
"Absolutely. I'm awfully sorry about the odor though. That must bother you."
"Don't! Please don't."
"Look at them," he said. "Now is it sight or is it scent that brings them like that?"
The cot the man lay on was in the wide shade of a mimosa tree and as he looked out past the shade onto the glare of the plain there were three of the big birds squatted obscenely, while in the sky a dozen more sailed, making quick-moving shadows as they passed.
"They've been there since the day the truck broke down (они здесь с /того самого/ дня, /как/ сломался грузовик;
"I wish you wouldn't (не надо: «я хочу, /чтобы/ ты не / говорил так/»)," she said.
"I'm only talking (/да/ я только =
"You know it doesn't bother me (ты знаешь, что ты мне не надоедаешь: «что это меня не раздражает»)," she said. "It's that I've gotten so very nervous not being able to do anything (просто я очень нервничаю, потому что чувствую свою беспомощность: «это то =
"Or until the plane doesn't come (или не ждать самолета: «или пока он /так и/ не прилетит»)."
talk [tLk], wouldn't [wVdnt], easier ['JzIq]
"They've been there since the day the truck broke down," he said. "Today's the first time any have lit on the ground. I watched the way they sailed very carefully at first in case I ever wanted to use them in a story. That's funny now."
"I wish you wouldn't," she said.
"I'm only talking," he said. "It's much easier if I talk. But I don't want to bother you."
"You know it doesn't bother me," she said. "It's that I've gotten so very nervous not being able to do anything. I think we might make it as we can until the plane comes."
"Or until the plane doesn't come."
"Please tell me what I can do (пожалуйста, скажи, что мне сделать: «что я могу сделать»). There must be something I can do (должно быть что-то, что я могу сделать = неужели я ничем не могу помочь)."
"You can take the leg off (можешь отрубить /мне/ ногу;
"Please don't talk that way (пожалуйста, не говори так). Couldn't I read to you (хочешь, я тебе почитаю: «не могла бы я =
"Read what (что)?"
"Anything in the book bag that we haven't read (что-нибудь из сумки с книгами, что мы еще не читали)."
"I can't listen to it (я не могу слушать)," he said. "Talking is the easiest (разговаривать легче всего). We quarrel and that makes the time pass (мы ссоримся, а так время идет быстрее: «и это заставляет время проходить»)."
"I don't quarrel (я не ссорюсь). I never want to quarrel (я никогда не хочу ссориться). Let's not quarrel any more (давай больше не будем ссориться). No matter how nervous we get (даже если нервы совсем сдадут: «какими бы нервными/издерганными мы ни стали»;
though [DqV], doubt [daVt], quarrel ['kwOr(q)l]