Английский язык с миссис Харрис, или платье от Диора

She pressed on (она поспешила дальше; to press on — спешить; активно продолжать /работу и т. п./), and indeed on the first-floor landing (и действительно, на лестничной площадке второго этажа) came upon a dark handsome woman (натолкнулась на темноволосую красивую женщину) in her early forties (в возрасте чуть больше сорока; forties — пятый десяток /числа от 40 до 49/; early — ранний) who was seated at a desk writing (которая была усажена за стол = сидела за столом и писала). She was clad in a simple black dress (она была одета в простое черное платье) relieved by three rows of pearls at the neck (оживленное/контрастирующее с тремя рядами жемчуга на шее: to relieve — освобождать; оживлять/вносить разнообразие), her coiffure was neat and glossy (ее прическа была аккуратной и лоснящейся = волосы блестели); her features were refined (ее черты лица были изящными), her skin exquisite (ее кожа великолепной; exquisite — изысканный, изящный, тонкий), but closer inspection would have revealed (но более внимательное рассмотрение обнаружило бы) that she looked tired and careworn (что она выглядела уставшей и измученной заботами; care — забота; worn — изношенный; to wear — носить /об одежде/), and that there were dark hollows beneath her eyes (и что под ее глазами были темные круги).

coiffure [kwR'fjuq], exquisite ['ekskwIzIt], beneath [bI'nIT]

She pressed on, and indeed on the first-floor landing came upon a dark handsome woman in her early forties who was seated at a desk writing. She was clad in a simple black dress relieved by three rows of pearls at the neck, her coiffure was neat and glossy; her features were refined, her skin exquisite, but closer inspection would have revealed that she looked tired and careworn, and that there were dark hollows beneath her eyes.

Behind her (позади нее) Mrs. Harris noted a fair-sized room (миссис Харрис заметила большого размера комнату) opening into a second one (ведущую в еще одну /комнату/), gray-carpeted like the stairs (покрытую серым ковром, так же, как лестница), with fine silk hangings at the windows (с прекрасными шелковыми портьерами на окнах), and furnished only with several rows of gray and golden chairs around the perimeter (и меблированную только несколькими рядами серых и золотых стульев по периметру). A few floor-to-ceiling pier mirrors completed the d'ecor (несколько зеркал от пола до потолка в простенках завершали дизайн; pier — пирс; простенок), but of anything to sell (но чего-либо для продажи) or even so much as to look at (или хотя бы того, на что посмотреть), there was not a sign (там не было и признака = следа).

furnished ['fWnISt], several ['sevrql], mirror ['mIrq]

Behind her Mrs. Harris noted a fair-sized room opening into a second one, gray-carpeted like the stairs, with fine silk hangings at the windows, and furnished only with several rows of gray and golden chairs around the perimeter. A few floor-to-ceiling pier mirrors completed the d'ecor, but of anything to sell or even so much as to look at, there was not a sign.

Mme. Colbert, the manageress (у мадам Кольбер, управляющей), had had a bad morning (было плохое утро). Ordinarily a kind and gracious lady (обычно добрая и снисходительная дама), she had let herself into a quarrel with M. Fauvel (она позволила себе /вступить/ в ссору с мсье Фовелем), the young and handsome chief of the auditing department (молодым и красивым главой ревизионно-контрольного отдела), of whom otherwise she was rather fond (который вообще-то ей очень нравился; to be fond of — любить /что-л. или кого-л./), and had sent him upstairs again to his domaine (и послала его наверх обратно в его отдел: «на его территорию»; to send) with his ears reddening (с покрасневшими ушами).

manageress ['mxnIGq'res], gracious ['greISqs], quarrel ['kwOrql]

Mme. Colbert, the manageress, had had a bad morning. Ordinarily a kind and gracious lady, she had let herself into a quarrel with M. Fauvel, the young and handsome chief of the auditing department, of whom otherwise she was rather fond, and had sent him upstairs again to his domaine with his ears reddening.