"Don't be literary (не будь литературным = не выражайся книжно)," she pouted, with growing tenderness (она надула губы, с растущей нежностью /в голосе/). "I never did like epigrammatic discussion (мне никогда /не/ нравилась эпиграмматическая дискуссия/обсуждение). Besides (кроме того), I'm not afraid to ask you to forgive me (я не боюсь просить /у/ тебя простить меня)."
"There is nothing to forgive, Theresa (нечего прощать, Тереза). I really should thank you (я действительно должен благодарить тебя). True, at first I suffered (правда, вначале я страдал); and then, with all the graciousness of spring (а потом, со всем милосердием весны), it dawned upon me that I was happy, very happy (во мне пробудилось /ощущение того/, что я был счастлив, очень счастлив;
confession [kqn`fqS(q)n], ruse [ru: z], pout [pQut]
"Why didn't you introduce us?" Messner queried.
"I'll tell him," she replied, with a toss of her head. "Don't think I'm afraid."
"I never knew you to be afraid, very much, of anything."
"And I'm not afraid of confession, either," she said, with softening face and voice.
"In your case, I fear, confession is exploitation by indirection, profit-making by ruse, self-aggrandizement at the expense of God."
"Don't be literary," she pouted, with growing tenderness. "I never did like epigrammatic discussion. Besides, I'm not afraid to ask you to forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive, Theresa. I really should thank you. True, at first I suffered; and then, with all the graciousness of spring, it dawned upon me that I was happy, very happy. It was a most amazing discovery."
"But what if I should return to you (но что, если бы я вернулась к тебе)?" she asked (спросила она).
"I should (я бы)" (he looked at her whimsically (он посмотрел на нее лукаво;
"I am your wife (я твоя жена). You know you have never got a divorce (ты знаешь, ты ведь так и не получил развода)."
"I see (я вижу = понимаю)," he meditated (размышлял он). "I have been careless (я был небрежным/легкомысленным). It will be one of the first things I attend to (это будет одной из первых вещей, /которой/ я уделю внимание/о которой позабочусь)."
She came over to his side (она подошла к нему), resting her hand on his arm (кладя свою руку на его плечо;
Fear began to grow on Messner (страх начал овладевать Месснером). He felt himself wilting under the lightly laid hand (он почувствовал себя слабеющим под легко положенной рукой = под легким прикосновением ее руки). The situation was slipping away from him (ситуация ускользала от него), all his beautiful calmness was going (все его прекрасное спокойствие уходило = исчезало). She looked at him with melting eyes (она смотрела на него нежными глазами;
perturb [pq`tq: b], caress [kq`rqs], calmness [`kQ: mnIs]
"But what if I should return to you?" she asked.
"I should" (he looked at her whimsically), "be greatly perturbed."
"I am your wife. You know you have never got a divorce."
"I see," he meditated. "I have been careless. It will be one of the first things I attend to."
She came over to his side, resting her hand on his arm. "You don't want me, John?" Her voice was soft and caressing, her hand rested like a lure. "If I told you I had made a mistake? If I told you that I was very unhappy? — and I am. And I did make a mistake."