Английский с Уилки Коллинзом. Женщина из сна / Wilkie Collins. The Dream Woman

 “Stop!” I cried out. “Wait for me. I want to speak to you before you go away.” She lifted her eyes with a look of careless surprise and a mocking smile on her lips.

“What can you have to say to me?” She stopped, and laughed to herself. “Why not?” she said. “I have got nothing to do, and nowhere to go.” She turned back a step, and nodded to me. “You’re a strange man – I think I’ll humor you – I’ll wait outside.” The door of the surgery closed on her. She was gone.

I am ashamed to own what happened next. The only excuse for me is that I was really and truly a man bewitched. I turned me round to follow her out, without once thinking of my mother. The doctor stopped me.

“Don’t forget the medicine (не забудьте лекарство),” he said. “And if you will take my advice (и если вы примете мой совет = послушайтесь моего совета), don’t trouble yourself about that woman (не утруждайте себя из-за этой женщины). Rouse up the constable (разбудите констебля; to rouse – будить; поднимать; constable – констебль /низший полицейский чин/). It’s his business to look after her – not yours (это его забота присмотреть за ней – не ваша; to look after – следить глазами; присмотреть, позаботиться о /ком-л., чем-л./).”

I held out my hand for the medicine in silence (я молча протянул руку за лекарством; silence – тишина; молчание): I was afraid I should fail in respect (я боялся, что буду невежливым; to fail – потерпеть неудачу; испытывать недостаток /в чем-л./; to fail in smth. – иметь какой-л. недостаток) if I trusted myself to answer him (если позволю себе ответить ему; to trust – доверять, верить; полагаться; бояться позволить /в отриц. или вопр. предложениях/). He must have seen, as I saw (он должен был увидеть, как я), that she wanted the laudanum to poison herself (что ей нужна настойка опия, чтобы отравиться: «отравить себя»). He had, to my mind, taken a very heartless view of the matter (по-моему, он избрал очень бессердечную точку зрения на это дело = отнесся к этому делу очень бессердечно; heart – сердце). I just thanked him when he gave me the medicine – and went out (я просто поблагодарил его, когда он дал мне лекарство, и вышел /на улицу/).

 “Don’t forget the medicine,” he said. “And if you will take my advice, don’t trouble yourself about that woman. Rouse up the constable. It’s his business to look after her – not yours.”

I held out my hand for the medicine in silence: I was afraid I should fail in respect if I trusted myself to answer him. He must have seen, as I saw, that she wanted the laudanum to poison herself. He had, to my mind, taken a very heartless view of the matter. I just thanked him when he gave me the medicine – and went out.