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

"Really I hate women (вообще-то я ненавижу женщин)," she said. "They're so unreliable (они такие ненадежные); they're so malicious (они такие злые)."

regularity ["regju`lxrItI], masculine [`mRskjulIn], unreliable [`AnrI`laIqbl]

It was all very well for her. She had had a square meal and half a bottle of champagne. Besides, she had phenomenal luck. She was winning all their money. The score was put down in a book after each session, and hers mounted up day after day with unfailing regularity. Was there no justice in the world? They began to hate one another. And though they hated her too they could not resist confiding in her. Each of them went to her separately and told her how detestable the others were. Arrow said she was sure it was bad for her to see so much of women so much older than herself. She had a good mind to sacrifice her share of the lease and go to Venice for the rest of the summer. Frank told Lena that with her masculine mind it was too much to expect that she could be satisfied with anyone so frivolous as Arrow and so frankly stupid as Beatrice.

"I must have intellectual conversation," she boomed. "When you have a brain like mine you've got to consort with your intellectual equals."

Beatrice only wanted peace and quiet.

"Really I hate women," she said. "They're so unreliable; they're so malicious."

By the time Lena 's fortnight drew to its close (к тому времени, /как/ двухнедельное /пребывание/ Лины подошло к концу; todraw— тянуть; приближаться, подходить;its— свой /о предметах и животных, иногда о детях/) the three fat women were barely on speaking terms (три толстушки едва разговаривали друг с другом: «были едва в разговорных отношениях»). They kept up appearances before Lena (они соблюдали приличия перед Линой; tokeepupappearances— соблюдать видимость, приличия), but when she was not there made no pretences (но когда ее не было рядом: «там», /они/ не притворялись; pretence— притворство; ложь, обман;tomakeapretence— притворяться). They had got past quarrelling (они /уже/ не ссорились; togetpast— проходить мимо; развиваться сверх /чего-либо/). They ignored one another (они игнорировали друг друга), and when this was not possible treated each other with icy politeness (а когда это было невозможно, обходились друг с другом с ледяной учтивостью).

Lena was going to stay with friends on the Italian Riviera (Лина собиралась пожить у друзей на Итальянской Ривьере; tostaywithsmb. — гостить у кого-либо) and Frank saw her off by the same train as that by which she had arrived (и Фрэнк провожала ее тем же самым поездом, как тот, которым она приехала; toseeoff— провожать /уезжающих/). She was taking away with her a lot of their money (она увозила с собой много их денег).

"I don't know how to thank you (не знаю, как /и/ благодарить тебя)," she said, as she got into the carriage (сказала она, когда вошла в вагон). "I've had a wonderful visit (я славно погостила у вас: «я имела замечательный визит»)."