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

You saw for yourself that he makes no secret of the fact that he was in a penitentiary. I do not know that he regrets it or the crimes that led him there. The only complaint he ever made in my hearing was that when he came out his health was impaired. I think he does not know what remorse is. He is completely unmoral. He accepts everything and he accepts himself as well. He's generous and kind."

"He always was," interrupted Bateman, "on other people's money."

"I've found him a very good friend (я увидел, что он очень хороший друг: «я обнаружил, что он очень хороший друг»). Is it unnatural that I should take a man as I find him (это что, противоестественно, что я принимаю человека таким, каким я его нахожу; to take— брать, хватать; воспринимать, реагировать)?"

"The result is that you lose the distinction between right and wrong (а в результате ты утратил различие между добром и злом)."

"No, they remain just as clearly divided in my mind as before (нет, они остаются столь же отчетливо разделенными у меня в голове, как и прежде), but what has become a little confused in me (но что /действительно/ немного смешалось в моей /голове/) is the distinction between the bad man and the good one (так это различие между плохим человеком и хорошим). Is Arnold Jackson a bad man who does good things (кто он — Арнольд Джексон — плохой человек, который совершает добрые поступки) or a good man who does bad things (или хороший человек, совершающий плохие поступки)? It's a difficult question to answer (на этот вопрос сложно ответить). Perhaps we make too much of the difference between one man and another (возможно, мы проводим слишком много различий между хорошим и плохим человеком). Perhaps even the best of us are sinners (может быть, даже самые лучшие из нас — грешники) and the worst of us are saints (и самые худшие из нас — праведники). Who knows (кто знает)?"

unnatural [An'nxtS(q)rql], distinction [dIs'tIN(k)S(q)n], sinner ['sInq], saint [seInt]

"I've found him a very good friend. Is it unnatural that I should take a man as I find him?"

"The result is that you lose the distinction between right and wrong."

"No, they remain just as clearly divided in my mind as before, but what has become a little confused in me is the distinction between the bad man and the good one. Is Arnold Jackson a bad man who does good things or a good man who does bad things? It's a difficult question to answer. Perhaps we make too much of the difference between one man and another. Perhaps even the best of us are sinners and the worst of us are saints. Who knows?"

"You will never persuade me that white is black and that black is white (ты никогда не убедишь меня, что белое — черное, а черное — белое)," said Bateman.

"I'm sure I shan't, Bateman (уверен, что нет, Бейтман)."

Bateman could not understand why the flicker of a smile crossed Edward's lips (Бейтман не мог понять, почему подобие улыбки промелькнуло на устах Эдварда; flicker — мерцание; короткая вспышка, проблеск; to cross — пересекать, переходить) when he thus agreed with him (когда он согласился с ним таким вот образом). Edward was silent for a minute (минуту Эдвард молчал).