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

We saw them off, and I drove Mrs. Tower back to her house.

"How long do you give it?" she said. "Six months?"

"Let’s hope for the best," I smiled.

"Don’t be so absurd. There can be no best. You don’t think he’s marrying her for anything but her money, do you? Of course it can’t last. My only hope is that she won’t have to go through as much suffering as she deserves."

I laughed. The charitable words were spoken in such a tone as to leave me in small doubt of Mrs. Tower’s meaning.

"Well (ну), if it doesn’t last (если он /брак/ распадется: «не продлится») you’ll have the consolation of saying ‘I told you so’ (вы утешитесь, говоря ‘ну, а я что говорила’; consolation — утешение, облегчение)," I said (сказал я).

"I promise you I’ll never do that (я обещаю, что никогда так не скажу)."

"Then you’ll have the satisfaction of congratulating yourself (тогда вы найдете удовлетворение, поздравив себя) on your self-control in not saying ‘I told you so’ (с самоконтролем /что вы/ не произнесли ‘я же говорила’)."

"She’s old and dowdy and dull (она старая, неэлегантная и скучная; dowdy — непривлекательно, неброско, безвкусно одетая женщина или девушка; некрасивый, немодный, неэлегантный)."

"Are you sure she’s dull (вы уверены, что она скучная; dull — незаточенный, тупой; тупой, глупый; скучный, надоедливый)?" I said. "It’s true she doesn’t say very much (это правда, она не много говорит), but when she says anything it’s very much to the point (но когда говорит что-нибудь, то очень кстати; tothepoint— кстати, уместно;point— точка; пункт; отметка)."

"I’ve never heard her make a joke in my life (я никогда в своей жизни не слышала, чтобы она шутила)."

consolation [kOnsq'leISn], dowdy ['daudI], joke [Gquk]

"Well, if it doesn’t last you’ll have the consolation of saying ‘I told you so,’" I said.

"I promise you I’ll never do that."

"Then you’ll have the satisfaction of congratulating yourself on your self-control in not saying ‘I told you so.’"

"She’s old and dowdy and dull."

"Are you sure she’s dull?" I said. "It’s true she doesn’t say very much, but when she says anything it’s very much to the point."

"I’ve never heard her make a joke in my life."