Рассказ неизвестного человека (An Anonymous Story)

Probably at home he was dressed and undressed like a baby.	Вероятно, дома его раздевали и одевали, как ребенка.
He had finished at the College of Jurisprudence, and had at first served in the Department of Justice, then he was transferred to the Senate; he left that, and through patronage had received a post in the Department of Crown Estates, and had soon afterwards given that up.	Он кончил в училище правоведения и служил сначала по судебному ведомству, потом перевели его в сенат, отсюда он ушел и по протекции получил место в министерстве государственных имуществ и скоро опять ушел.
In my time he was serving in Orlov's department; he was his head-clerk, but he said that he should soon exchange into the Department of Justice again.	В мое время он служил в отделении Орлова, был у него столоначальником, но поговаривал, что скоро перейдет опять в судебное ведомство.
He took his duties and his shifting about from one post to another with exceptional levity, and when people talked before him seriously of grades in the service, decorations, salaries, he smiled good-naturedly and repeated Prutkov's aphorism:	К службе и к своим перекочевкам с места на место он относился с редким легкомыслием, и когда при нем серьезно говорили о чинах, орденах, окладах, то он добродушно улыбался и повторял афоризм Пруткова:
"It's only in the Government service you learn the truth."	"Только на государственной службе познаешь истину!"
He had a little wife with a wrinkled face, who was very jealous of him, and five weedy-looking children. He was unfaithful to his wife, he was only fond of his children when he saw them, and on the whole was rather indifferent to his family, and made fun of them.	У него была маленькая жена со сморщенным лицом, очень ревнивая, и пятеро тощеньких детей; жене он изменял, детей любил, только когда видел их, а в общем относился к семье довольно равнодушно и подшучивал над ней.
He and his family existed on credit, borrowing wherever they could at every opportunity, even from his superiors in the office and porters in people's houses.	Жил он с семьей в долг, занимая где и у кого попало, при всяком удобном случае, не пропуская даже своих начальников и швейцаров.
His was a flabby nature; he was so lazy that he did not care what became of himself, and drifted along heedless where or why he was going.	Это была натура рыхлая, ленивая до полного равнодушия к себе и плывшая по течению неизвестно куда и зачем.
He went where he was taken.	Куда его вели, туда и шел.
If he was taken to some low haunt, he went; if wine was set before him, he drank--if it were not put before him, he abstained; if wives were abused in his presence, he abused his wife, declaring she had ruined his life--when wives were praised, he praised his and said quite sincerely:	Вели его в какой-нибудь притон -- он шел, ставили перед ним вино -- пил, не ставили -- не пил; бранили при нем жен -- и он бранил свою, уверяя, что она испортила ему жизнь, а когда хвалили, то он тоже хвалил и искренно говорил:
"I am very fond of her, poor thing!"	"Я ее, бедную, очень люблю".
He had no fur coat and always wore a rug which smelt of the nursery.	Шубы у него не было и носил он всегда плед, от которого пахло детской.
When at supper he rolled balls of bread and drank a great deal of red wine, absorbed in thought, strange to say, I used to feel almost certain that there was something in him of which perhaps he had a vague sense, though in the bustle and vulgarity of his daily life he had not time to understand and appreciate it.	Когда за ужином, о чем-то задумавшись, он катал шарики из хлеба и пил много красного вина, то, странное дело, я бывал почти уверен, что в нем сидит что-то, что он, вероятно, сам чувствует в себе смутно, но за суетой и пошлостями не успевает понять и оценить.
He played a little on the piano.	Он немножко играл на рояле.