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surprise [sq'praIz], seriously ['sIqrIqslI], veterinarian ["vet(q)rI'nFqrIqn], ceramic [sI'rxmIk], chamber ['CeImbq], oven ['Avn], renege [rI'nJg]
Strange hit, Halston thought, and was surprised to find that he was taking it seriously as a hit. Maybe the strangest thing about it was that he actually liked the cat, felt a kinship with it. If it had managed to get rid of those three old crocks, more power to it...especially Gage, who had been taking it to Milford for a terminal date with a crew-cut veterinarian who would have been more than happy to bundle it into a ceramic-lined gas chamber the size of a microwave oven. He felt a kinship but no urge to renege on the hit. He would do it the courtesy of killing it quickly and well. He would park off the road beside one of those November-barren fields and take it out of the bag and stroke it and then snap its neck and sever its tail with his pocketknife. And, he thought, the body I'll bury honorably, saving it from the scavengers. I can't save it from the worms, but I can save it from the maggots.
He was thinking these things as the car moved through the night like a dark blue ghost (Хэлстон обдумывал все это, пока машина двигалась в ночи, словно темно-синее привидение) and that was when the cat walked in front of his eyes (и вот когда = ивэтотмомент кот появился перед ним; to walk — ходить; появляться/опривидениях/), up on the dashboard, tail raised arrogantly (стоящий на приборной панели с надменно задранным хвостом), its black-and-white face turned toward him (повернув к нему свою черно-белую морду), its mouth seeming to grin at him (его рот, казалось, был растянут в ухмылке: «его пасть, казалось, ухмылялась ему»).
“Ssssshhhh (брысь) — ” Halston hissed (прошипел Хэлстон). He glanced to his right and caught a glimpse of the double-thickness shopping bag (он взглянул направо и мельком увидел хозяйственную сумку с двойными стенками), a hole chewed — or clawed — in its side (/и/ дыру, прогрызенную или процарапанную в ее стенке; to chew — жевать; side — сторона; стенка). Looked ahead again (/он/ снова посмотрел вперед)…, and the cat lifted a paw and batted playfully at him (и кот поднял лапу и игриво ударил его). The paw skidded across Halston's forehead (лапа скользнула по лбу Хэлстона). He jerked away from it (он отдернулся от нее = удара) and the Plymouth's big tires wailed on the road as it swung erratically from one side of the narrow blacktop to the other (и большие шины “плимута” завизжали, когда она = машина пошла юзом на узкой дороге: «беспорядочно замоталась с одной стороны узкой дороги на другую»; to wail — вопить, выть; to swing — раскачивать/ся/; колебаться; erratical — неравномерный, непостоянный; blacktop — асфальтобетонноепокрытиедороги).
Halston batted at the cat on the dashboard with his fist (Хэлстон кулаком ударил кота на приборной панели). It was blocking his field of vision (он закрывал ему обзор: «его поле зрения»). It spat at him, arching its back, but it didn't move (он = кот зашипел на него, выгибая дугой спину, но не сдвинулся; to spit — плевать; шипеть; arch — арка; дуга). Halston swung again, and instead of shrinking away, it leaped at him (Хэлстон ударил снова, и вместо того, чтобы отскочить, кот прыгнул на него; to swing — битьнаотмашь, сразмаху).
ghost [gqVst], chew [CH], forehead ['fOrId], vision ['vIZ(q)n], arch [RC]
He was thinking these things as the car moved through the night like a dark blue ghost and that was when the cat walked in front of his eyes, up on the dashboard, tail raised arrogantly, its black-and-white face turned toward him, its mouth seeming to grin at him.
“Ssssshhhh —” Halston hissed. He glanced to his right and caught a glimpse of the double-thickness shopping bag, a hole chewed — or clawed — in its side. Looked ahead again.., and the cat lifted a paw and batted playfully at him. The paw skidded across Halston's forehead. He jerked away from it and the Plymouth's big tires wailed on the road as it swung erratically from one side of the narrow blacktop to the other.
Halston batted at the cat on the dashboard with his fist. It was blocking his field of vision. It spat at him, arching its back, but it didn't move. Halston swung again, and instead of shrinking away, it leaped at him.
Gage, he thought (Гейдж, подумал он). Just like Gage (совсем как Гейдж) —
He stamped the brake (он вдавил /педаль/ тормоза /в пол/; to stamp — топать). The cat was on his head (кот был = сидел у него на голове), blocking his vision with its furry belly (закрывая ему обзор своим мохнатым брюхом; fur — мех; furry — меховой), clawing at him (царапая его; claw — коготь), gouging at him (ударяя его когтями; to gouge — выдалбливать; gouge — полукруглое долото или стамеска). Halston held the wheel grimly (Хэлстон продолжал стискивать руль; to hold — держать; wheel — колесо; рулевое колесо; grim — жестокий; непреклонный). He struck the cat once, twice, a third time (он ударил кота один раз, потом еще и еще: «второй, третий раз»; time — время; раз). And suddenly the road was gone (неожиданно дорога закончилась; to go — идти; перестать существовать, исчезать), the Plymouth was ru
He struck it with his closed fists (он снова ударил его = кота сжатыми кулаками; to close — закрывать) and felt only the springy, yielding flexof its muscles (но кулаки лишь скользнули по упругим кошачьим мускулам: «и почувствовал только упругую, пружинистую гибкость его мускулов»; to flex — сгибать).
Then, second impact (затем, второй удар). And darkness (и темнота).
gouge [gaVG], throe [TrqV], climax ['klaImxks], springy ['sprINI], yield [jJld]
Gage, he thought. Just like Gage —
He stamped the brake. The cat was on his head, blocking his vision with its furry belly, clawing at him, gouging at him. Halston held the wheel grimly. He struck the cat once, twice, a third time. And suddenly the road was gone, the Plymouth was ru
He struck it with his closed fists and felt only the springy, yielding flex of its muscles.
Then, second impact. And darkness.
The moon was down (луна села = скрылась за горизонтом). It was an hour before dawn (до рассвета оставался /примерно/ час).
The Plymouth lay in a ravine curdled with groundmist (“плимут” лежал в овраге, окутанном стелющимся по земле туманом; to curdle — сгущать/ся/; ground — земля; mist — туман). Tangled in its grille was a snarled length of barbed wire (в решетке радиатора запутался = застрял спутанный клубок колючей проволоки; length — длина; кусок, отрезок). The hood had come unlatched (капот открылся: «стал незапертым»; to come — приходить; делаться, становится; latch — щеколда, задвижка), and tendrils of steam from the breached radiator drifted out of the opening to mingle with the mist (и струйки пара сочились из пробитого радиатора, чтобы смешаться = смешиваясь с туманом; tendril — завиток; opening — отверстие, дыра).