Английский для смелых. Истории о духах и привидениях

 ‘I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers,’ said the old man. ‘What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey’s paw or something, Morris?’

‘Nothing,’ said the soldier hastily. ‘Leastways nothing worth hearing.’

‘Monkey’s paw?’ said Mrs White curiously.

‘Well, it’s just a bit of what you might call magic, perhaps,’ said the sergeant-major offhandedly.

His three listeners leaned forward eagerly. The visitor absent-mindedly put his empty glass to his lips and then set it down again. His host filled it for him.

‘To look at,’ said the sergeant-major, fumbling in his pocket, ‘it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy.’

He took something out of his pocket and proffered it (он что-то достал из кармана и предложил /им/). Mrs White drew back with a grimace (миссис Уайт отпрянула с гримасой), but her son, taking it, examined it curiously

(но ее сын, взяв это, с любопытством осмотрел).

‘And what is there special about it (и что в ней такого особенного)?’ inquired Mr White as he took it from his son, and having examined it, placed it upon the table (осведомился мистер Уайт, после того как, взяв ее у сына и осмотрев, положил на стол).

‘It had a spell put on it by an old fakir (на нее наложено заклинание старым факиром),’ said the sergeant-major, ‘a very holy man (святейшим человеком)

. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives (он хотел показать, что судьба правит жизнями людей), and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow (и что те, кто вмешиваются в нее, делают это себе на беду; sorrow – горе, печаль, скорбь). He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it (он наложил заклинание на нее, так что три разных человека могут с ее помощью осуществить по три желания каждый).’

 He took something out of his pocket and proffered it. Mrs White drew back with a grimace, but her son, taking it, examined it curiously.

‘And what is there special about it?’ inquired Mr White as he took it from his son, and having examined it, placed it upon the table.

‘It had a spell put on it by an old fakir,’ said the sergeant-major, ‘a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.’

His manner was so impressive that his hearers were conscious that their light laughter jarred somewhat (вид у него при этом был настолько серьезный, что его слушатели осознали, что их смех был несколько неуместен; manner – манера, поведение; impressive – впечатляющий, выразительный, производящий глубокое впечатление; conscious – сознающий; to jar – создавать диссонанс; дисгармонировать).