Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Мистер Всезнайка. Рассказы / W. S. Maugham. Mr. Know-All. Stories

The spectacles of course were dreadful. No one could look really well in gold-rimmed spectacles. Gilbert tried some with tortoise-shell rims. He shook his head.

"They’d look all right on a girl," he said. "You’re too old to wear spectacles, Jane." Suddenly he had an inspiration. "By George, I’ve got it. You must wear an eyeglass."

"Oh, Gilbert, I couldn’t."

She looked at him, and his excitement, the excitement of the artist, made her smile. He was so sweet to her she wanted to do what she could to please him.

"I’ll try," she said.

When they went to an optician and, suited with the right size, she placed an eyeglass jauntily in her eye Gilbert clapped his hands. There and then, before the astonished shopman, he kissed her on both cheeks.

"You look wonderful," he cried.

So they went down to Italy (так они спустились = доехали до Италии; to go down — спускаться) and spent happy months studying Renaissance and Baroque architecture (и провели счастливые месяцы, изучая архитектуру /эпох/ ренессанса и барокко). Jane not only grew accustomed to her changed appearance (Джейн не только привыкла к своему новому внешнему виду: «своей изменившейся внешности»; to grow — расти; становиться; to accustom — приучать, делатьпривычным; custom — обычай, традиция; привычка) but found she liked it (но /и/ обнаружила, что он ей /даже/ нравится). At first she was a little shy (сначала она немного стеснялась: «была немного стеснительной») when she went into the dining-room of a hotel (когда входила в столовую какого-нибудь отеля) and people turned round to stare at her (где люди оборачивались на нее: «поворачивались, чтобы поглазеть»; to stare — смотретьпристально, глазеть) — no one had ever raised an eyelid to look at her before (никто прежде и бровью не повел: «не поднял веко», чтобы посмотреть на нее; ever — когда-либо) — but presently she found that the sensation was not disagreeable (но вскоре она обнаружила, что это ощущение было даже приятным: «не было неприятным»; to find — находить; убеждаться; agreeable — приятный). Ladies came up to her and asked her where she got her dress (дамы подходили к ней и спрашивали, где она заказывала: «получила» свое платье; tocomeup— подниматься; подходить к).

"Do you like it (вам нравится)?" she answered demurely (отвечала = спрашивала она скромно). "My husband designed it for me (это мой муж придумал: «спроектировал» для меня)."

"I should like to copy it if you don’t mind (мне бы хотелось взять его за образец: «скопировать его», если вы не возражаете; tocopy— копировать; брать за образец)."

baroque [bq'rquk], architecture ['RkItekCq], stare [steq]

So they went down to Italy and spent happy months studying Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Jane not only grew accustomed to her changed appearance but found she liked it. At first she was a little shy when she went into the dining-room of a hotel and people turned round to stare at her — no one had ever raised an eyelid to look at her before — but presently she found that the sensation was not disagreeable. Ladies came up to her and asked her where she got her dress.

"Do you like it?" she answered demurely. "My husband designed it for me."

"I should like to copy it if you don’t mind."