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

Mr. Warburton watched the development of the situation with acrid humour. Cooper`s clerk was unable to persuade Malay, Dyak or Chinese to enter the house of such a master. Abas, the boy who remained faithful to him, knew how to cook only native food, and Cooper, a coarse feeder, found his gorge rise against the everlasting rice. There was no water-carrier, and in that great heat he needed several baths a day. He cursed Abas, but Abas opposed him with sullen resistance and would not do more than he chose. It was galling to know that the lad stayed with him only because the Resident insisted. This went on for a fortnight and then, one morning, he found in his house the very servants whom he had previously dismissed. He fell into a violent rage, but he had learnt a little sense, and this time, without a word, he let them stay. He swallowed his humiliation, but the impatient contempt he had felt for Mr. Warburton`s idiosyncrasies changed into a sullen hatred: the Resident with this malicious stroke had made him the laughing-stock of all the natives.

The two men now held no communication with one another (эти двое мужчин теперь не поддерживали никакой связи друг с другом). They broke the time-honoured custom of sharing, notwithstanding personal dislike, a drink at six o`clock with any white man who happened to be at the station (они сломали/нарушили освященную временем традицию совместного выпивания, несмотря на личную неприязнь, в шесть часов стаканчика с любым белым, оказавшимся на станции; sharing — деление, разделение; разделение, совместное использование). Each lived in his own house as though the other did not exist (каждый жил в своем собственном доме так, как будто другого не существует). Now that Cooper had fallen into the work (теперь, когда Купер вошел в работу = в суть дела), it was necessary for them to have little to do with one another in the office (им было необходимо иметь мало дела друг с другом в канцелярии = они старались иметь друг с другом как можно меньше дела, встречаться как можно реже). Mr. Warburton used his orderly to send any message he had to give his assistant (мистер Уорбертон использовал своего курьера, чтобы послать любое сообщение, предназначенное помощнику: «которое нужно было отдать помощнику»), and his instructions he sent by formal letter (и свои распоряжения он посылал формальным = официальным письмом). They saw one another constantly, that was inevitable (они виделись постоянно, это было неизбежно), but did not exchange half a dozen words in a week (но за неделю не обменивались и полдюжиной слов). The fact that they could not avoid catching sight of one another got on their nerves (факт, что они не могли избежать того, чтобы уловить взгляд = увидеть друг друга, действовал им на нервы; to catch sight of— увидеть, заметить). They brooded over their antagonism (они размышляли над своим антагонизмом), and Mr. Warburton, taking his daily walk (и мистер Уорбертон во время ежедневной прогулки = ежедневно прогуливаясь; to take a walk — прогуляться), could think of nothing but how much he detested his assistant (не мог думать ни о чем, кроме того, как сильно он ненавидит своего помощника).

notwithstanding [nOtwIT`stxndIN], inevitable [In`evItqbl], antagonism [xn`txgqnIzm]