Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы / W. S. Maugham: Stories

Twenty years had passed since then (двадцать лет прошло с тех пор). He kept up a busy correspondence with various great ladies (он поддерживал = вел оживленную переписку с разными знатными дамами; to keep up — поддерживать;busy — деятельный; занятый;оживленный) and his letters were amusing and chatty (и его письма были веселыми и непринужденными). He never lost his love for titled persons (он никогда не терял своей страсти/приязни к титулованным особам) and paid careful attention to the announcement in The Times (which reached him six weeks after publication) of their comings and goings (и обращал особое внимание на сообщение = сообщения в «Таймс» (которая доходила до него через шесть недель после публикации) о всех перипетиях их /знатных дам/ жизни; to pay attention to — обращать внимание на). He perused the column which records births, deaths, and marriages, (он внимательно читал = изучал колонку, которая записывала/фиксировала рождения, смерти и свадьбы) and he was always ready with his letter of congratulation or condolence (и всегда был готов отправить письмо поздравления или соболезнования). The illustrated papers told him how people looked (из иллюстрированных газет он знал: «иллюстрированные газеты говорили ему», кто как выглядел: «как выглядели люди») and on his periodical visits to England (и в свои периодические посещения Англии), able to take up the threads as though they had never been broken (умея возобновить связи: «подхватить ниточки» так, словно они никогда не нарушались: «рвались»; to take up — обсуждать, поднимать; подтягивать;закреплять), he knew all about any new person who might have appeared on the social surface (он знал все о любом новом человеке, который появлялся в светских кругах: «на светской поверхности»). His interest in the world of fashion was as vivid as when himself had been a figure in it (его интерес/заинтересованность высшим светом была такой же живой, как и в то время: «тогда», когда он сам был его частью: «фигурой в нем»; fashion— форма, очертания; покрой /об одежде/; мода, стиль). It still seemed to him the only thing that mattered (это по-прежнему казалось ему единственным, что имело значение).

recede [rI`si: d], announcement [q`naunsmqnt], marriage [`mxrIdZ], condolence [kqn`dqulqns], illustrate [`IlqstreIt]

The Duke nodded and passed on. A few hours later Mr. Warburton watched the coast of England recede into the mist, and he left behind everything which to him made life worth living.

Twenty years had passed since then. He kept up a busy correspondence with various great ladies and his letters were amusing and chatty. He never lost his love for titled persons and paid careful attention to the announcement in The Times (which reached him six weeks after publication) of their comings and goings. He perused the column which records births, deaths, and marriages, and he was always ready with his letter of congratulation or condolence. The illustrated papers told him how people looked and on his periodical visits to England, able to take up the threads as though they had never been broken, he knew all about any new person who might have appeared on the social surface. His interest in the world of fashion was as vivid as when himself had been a figure in it. It still seemed to him the only thing that mattered.