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

At last the boy came back and asked him if he would dress for dinner (наконец бой вернулся и спросил его, переоденется ли он к обеду). Of course (конечно)! He always dressed for dinner (он всегда одевался к обеду). He rose wearily from his chair and put on his stiff shirt and the high collar (он устало поднялся со своего кресла и надел свою жесткую = крахмальную рубашку и высокий воротничок). He sat down at the prettily decorated table (он сел за красиво украшенный стол), and was waited on as usual by the two boys (и его обслуживали, как обычно, два боя) while two others waved their great fans (в то время как два других махали большими опахалами). Over there in the bungalow, two hundred yards away (/а/ там в бунгало, в двухстах ярдах), Cooper was eating a filthy meal clad only in a sarong and a b aju (Купер ел грязную пищу, /и был/ одет только в саронг и баджу /рубашку до бедра с широкими квадратными рукавами и высоким круглым воротником/). His feet were bare and while he ate he probably read a detective story (его ноги были босы, и во время еды он, вероятно, читал детектив/детективную историю). After dinner Mr. Warburton sat down to write a letter (после обеда мистер Уорбертон сел писать письмо). The Sultan was away, but he wrote, privately and confidentially, to his representative (султан был в отъезде, но он писал, лично и конфиденциально/секретно, его представителю). Cooper did his work very well, he said (Купер делал свою работу очень хорошо, — сказал = написал он), but the fact was that he couldn`t get on with him (но дело было в том, что он не мог поладить/ужиться с ним). They were getting dreadfully on each other`s nerves (они ужасно действовали друг другу на нервы) and he would look upon it as a very great favour if Cooper could be transferred to another post (и он рассмотрит = сочтет это как очень большое одолжение, если бы Купера можно было перевести в другое место: «другой пост»; post — должность; положение; пост).

filthy [`fIlTI], confidentially [kOnfI`denSqlI], transfer ['trxnsfq:]

At last the boy came back and asked him if he would dress for dinner. Of course! He always dressed for dinner. He rose wearily from his chair and put on his stiff shirt and the high collar. He sat down at the prettily decorated table, and was waited on as usual by the two boys while two others waved their great fans. Over there in the bungalow, two hundred yards away, Cooper was eating a filthy meal clad only in a sarong and a baju. His feet were bare and while he ate he probably read a detective story. After dinner Mr. Warburton sat down to write a letter. The Sultan was away, but he wrote, privately and confidentially, to his representative. Cooper did his work very well, he said, but the fact was that he couldn`t get on with him. They were getting dreadfully on each other`s nerves and he would look upon it as a very great favour if Cooper could be transferred to another post.

He dispatched the letter next morning by special messenger (он отправил письмо на следующее утро специальным курьером). The answer came a fortnight later with the month`s mail (ответ пришел через две недели, с ежемесячной почтой). It was a private note and ran as follows (это была личная записка и гласила следующее: «бежала следующим образом»): —

"My dear Warburton (мой дорогой Уорбертон),