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Guests of the Lotus seemed to understand each other very easily. Perhaps it was the result of having discovered this Broadway hotel. Guests felt sure that only especially fine people would enjoy the cool delights of the Lotus. Now, very quickly, a sudden friendship grew between Farrington and Madame Beaumont. They stood and talked for a few moments.
“I have seen too much of the usual summer hotels,” said Madame Beaumont, with a small but sweet smile. “Why go to the mountains or the seashore |морской берег|? We ca
“Even on the ocean,” said Farrington, sadly, “those same people are all around us. What shall we do |Что же нам следует сделать| when they discover the Lotus?”
“I hope they don’t discover the Lotus this week,” said Madame. “I know only one other place I like as well |так же как и это. В большинстве случаев фраза as well в конце предложения значит «заодно» или «также»|. It is the beautiful home of a prince in the mountains in Europe.”
“The best people,” said Farrington, “are seeking for the quiet places, like this one, where they can escape the crowds |сбежать от толпы|.”
“I promise myself three more days of this delightful rest,” said Madame Beaumont. “The next day my ship sails.”
Harold Farrington’s eyes showed that he was sorry |ему было жаль|. “I too must leave then,” he said. “But I am not sailing for Europe.”
“We ca
“Nor shall I,” |Я тоже не забуду. Nor это русское «ни», который используется в предложениях типа «я тоже не» или «я не пью ни кофе, ни чая»: I drink neither coffee nor tea или (без neither): I don’t drink coffee nor tea| said Farrington in a low voice. “And I shall never like the ship that carries you away |увезет вас в дальние края|.”
On their last evening the two sat together at a little table. A waiter brought them something cool |прохладное. Не крутое. Во времена О.Генри такого смысла у слова cool еще не было| to eat.
Madame Beaumont was wearing the same beautiful dress. She seemed thoughtful |задумчивой|.
When she had finished eating, she took out a dollar.
“Mr. Farrington,” she said, with the smile that everyone in the Lotus loved, “I want to tell you something. I’m going to leave early tomorrow morning because I must go back to work. I work selling |продавая| women’s clothes at Casey’s shop. That dollar is all the money I have. I won’t have more until I get paid |мне заплатят| at the end of the week. You’re a real gentleman and you’ve been good to me. I wanted to tell you before I went.
“For a year I’ve been pla
“I wanted to tell you about it, Mr. Farrington, because I – I thought you liked me, and I – I liked you. This week I’ve told you many things that weren’t true. I told you things I’ve read about. They never happened to me. I’ve been living in a story |Эту неделю я жила в выдуманной истории|. It wasn’t real. I wanted you to think I was a great lady.
“This dress I’m wearing – it’s the only pretty dress I own. I haven’t paid for it yet |Я за него на настоящий момент еще не расплатилась|. I’m paying for it a little at a time.
“The price was seventy-five dollars. It was made for me at O’Dowd and Levinsky’s shop. I paid ten dollars first, and now I have to pay a dollar a week until it’s all paid.
“And that’s all I have to say, Mr. Farrington, except that my name is Mamie Siviter, and not Madame Beaumont. Thank you for listening to me. This dollar is the dollar I’m going to pay for my dress tomorrow. And now I’ll go up to my room.”
As Harold Farrington listened, his face had not changed. When she had finished, he took out a small book and began to write in it. Then he pulled out the small page with his writing on it |вытащил листок с какими-то его записями|, and gave it to her. And he took the dollar from her hand.
“I go to work too, tomorrow morning,” he said. “And I decided to begin now. That paper says you’ve paid your dollar for this week. I’ve been working for O’Dowd and Levinsky for three years. Strange, isn’t it? We both had the same idea. I always wanted to stay at a good hotel. I get twenty dollars a week. Like you, I put aside a little money at a time, until I had enough. Listen, Mamie. Will you go to the pleasure park on Coney Island with me on pay day?” |в какой-нибудь из рабочих дней|
The girl who had been Madame Héloise D’Arcy Beaumont smiled.
“I’d love to go, Mr. Farrington. Coney will be all right, although we did live here |хотя мы и жили| with rich people for a week.”
They could hear the night noises of the hot city. Inside the Hotel Lotus it was cool. The waiter stood near, ready to get anything they asked for.
Madame Beaumont started up to her room for the last time.
And he said, “Forget that ‘Harold Farrington,’ will you? McManus is the name—James McManus. Some call me Jimmy.”
“Good night, Jimmy,” said Madame.
The Count |Граф| and the Wedding Guest
Andy Donovan had his di
Miss Conway was small and quiet. She was wearing a plain brown dress. She seemed interested in very little |мало что ее интересовало| except her di
Mr. Donovan had a smile that everyone liked. He smiled at her and then thought no more |и больше не думал| about her.
Two weeks later Andy was sitting outside the house enjoying the cool evening. He heard a movement behind him. He turned his head, and could not turn it back |отвернуться| again.
Coming out of the door was Miss Conway. She was wearing a night-black dress of soft, thin cloth. Her hat was black. She was putting black gloves on her hands. There was no white and no color |Не было ни белого, ни какого-либо другого цвета| anywhere about her. All black. Someone in her family had died. Mr. Donovan was certain |был уверен| about that.
Her rich golden hair lay soft and thick at the back of her neck. Her face was not really pretty, but her large gray eyes made it almost beautiful. She looked up into the sky with an expression of sadness.
All black, readers. Think of her. All black, and that golden hair, and looking sadly far away.