perhaps [pq'hæps] orders ['O:dqz] notice ['nqutIs]
Jane and Michael had gone off to a party, wearing their best clothes and looking, as Ellen the housemaid said when she saw them, “just like a shop window:”
All the afternoon the house was very quiet and still, as though it were thinking its own thoughts, or dreaming perhaps.
Down in the kitchen Mrs Brill was reading the paper with her spectacles perched on her nose. Robertson Ay was sitting in the garden busily doing nothing. Mrs Banks was on the drawing-room sofa with her feet up. And the house stood very quietly around them all, dreaming its own dreams, or thinking perhaps.
Upstairs in the nursery Mary Poppins was airing the clothes by the fire, and the sunlight poured in at the window, flickering on the white walls, dancing over the cots where the babies were lying.
“I say, move over! You’re right in my eyes,” said John in a loud voice.
“Sorry!” said the sunlight. “But I can’t help it. I’ve got to get across this room somehow. Orders is orders. I must move from East to West in a day and my way lies through this Nursery. Sorry! Shut your eyes and you won’t notice me.”
The gold shaft of sunlight lengthened across the room (золотой луч: «золотое копье» света протянулся через комнату; length — длина; to lengthen — удлиняться). It was obviously moving as quickly as it could (он очевидно двигался так быстро, как он мог) in order to oblige John (с целью угодить Джону).
“How soft, how sweet you are (какой ты мягкий, какой приятный/ласковый)! I love you (я люблю тебя),” said Barbara, holding out her hands to its shining warmth (протягивая свои руки к его сияющему теплу).
“Good girl (хорошая девочка),” said the sunlight approvingly (сказал солнечный свет одобрительно; toapprove — одобрять), and moved up over her cheeks (и прошелся вверх по ее щекам) and into her hair (и в ее волосы) with a light, caressing movement (легким, ласкающим движением). “Do you like the feel of me (тебе нравится ощущать меня: «ощущение /от прикосновения/ меня»)?” it said (он сказал), as though it loved being praised (как будто он любил, чтобы его хвалили: «быть похваленным»).
“Dee-licious (прии-ятно)!” said Barbara, with a happy sigh (со счастливым вздохом).
“Chatter (болтовня), chatter, chatter! I never heard such a place for chatter (я никогда не слышал, чтобы где-то столько болтали, как здесь: «такого места для болтовни»). There’s always somebody talking in this room (в этой комнате всегда кто-то разговаривает),” said a shrill voice at the window (сказал пронзительный голос у окна).
John and Barbara looked up (Джон и Барбара взглянула вверх).
It was the Starling (это был скворец) who lived on the top of the chimney (который жил на верхушке трубы).
“I like that (а мне это нравится),” said Mary Poppins, turning round quickly (разворачиваясь быстро). “What about yourself (а как насчет тебя самого)? All day long (весь день) — yes (да), and half the night, too (и половину ночи тоже), on the roofs and telegraph poles (на крышах и телеграфных столбах). Roaring (ревя) and screaming (и вопя) and shouting (крича) — you’d talk the leg off a chair, you would (ты бы болтал, пока ножка у стула не отвалится: «ты бы отболтал ножку прочь от стула», ты бы сделал /так/). Worse than any sparrer (хуже, чем любой воробей), and that’s the truth (и это правда).”
The Starling cocked his head on one side (скворец склонил голову на один бок; cock — петух; to cock — поднимать, загибать кверху /как петух свой хвост/) and looked down at her from his perch on the window frame (и посмотрел вниз на нее со своего места/насеста на оконной раме).
love [lAv] obviously caressing [kq'resIŋ] truth [tru:T]
The gold shaft of sunlight lengthened across the room. It was obviously moving as quickly as it could in order to oblige John.
“How soft, how sweet you are! I love you,” said Barbara, holding out her hands to its shining warmth.
“Good girl,” said the sunlight approvingly, and moved up over her cheeks and into her hair with a light, caressing movement. “Do you like the feel of me?” it said, as though it loved being praised.
“Dee-licious!” said Barbara, with a happy sigh.
“Chatter, chatter, chatter! I never heard such a place for chatter. There’s always somebody talking in this room,” said a shrill voice at the window.
John and Barbara looked up.
It was the Starling who lived on the top of the chimney.
“I like that,” said Mary Poppins, turning round quickly. “What about yourself? All day long — yes, and half the night, too, on the roofs and telegraph poles. Roaring and screaming and shouting — you’d talk the leg off a chair, you would. Worse than any sparrer, and that’s the truth.”
The Starling cocked his head on one side and looked down at her from his perch on the window frame.
“Well (что ж),” he said, “I have my business to attend to (у меня есть дело, к которому надо быть внимательным). Consultations (совещания), discussions (обсуждения), arguments (споры), bargaining (переговоры). And that, of course, necessitates a certain amount of (и это, конечно, влечет за собой определенное количество) — er (э-э) — quiet conversation (спокойных разговоров) — ”
“Quiet (спокойных)!” exclaimed John (воскликнул Джон), laughing heartily (смеясь от всего сердца).
“And I wasn’t talking to you, young man (а я не с тобой говорю, молодой человек),” said the Starling, hopping down on to the window sill (прыгая вниз на подоконник). “And you needn’t talk (и тебе не надо разговаривать) — anyway (в любом случае). I heard you for several hours on end last Saturday week (я слышал тебя несколько часов подряд в субботу на прошлой неделе). Goodness (Боже), I thought you’d never stop (я думал, ты никогда не перестанешь) — you kept me awake all night (ты держал меня бодрствующим всю ночь).”
“That wasn’t talking (это был не разговор),” said John. “I was (я был) — ” He paused (он помедлил). “I mean, I had a pain (я имею в виду, у меня была боль).”
“Humph (гм)!” said the Starling, and hopped on to the railing of Barbara’s cot (и спрыгнул на перило кровати Барбары). He sidled along it (он пошел вдоль него; to sidle — /под/ходить бочком, робко, украдкой) until he came to the head of the cot (пока он не дошел до изголовья кровати). Then he said in a soft, wheedling voice (затем он сказал мягким, вкрадчивым голосом; to wheedle — подольщаться; пресмыкаться; обхаживать; выманивать лестью):
“Well, Barbara B. (что ж, Барбара Б.), anything for the old fellow today, eh (что-нибудь для старого приятеля сегодня, а)?”
Barbara pulled herself into a sitting position (Барбара подтянулась в сидячее положение) by holding on to one of the bars of her cot (держась за одну из перекладин своей кровати).
“There’s the other half of my arrowroot biscuit (остался вторая половина моего аррорутого печенья; arrowroot — аррорут, мука из подземных побегов или корневищ маранты),” she said, and held it out in her round, fat fist (и протянула его в своей округлом, толстом кулачке).
consultations [ֽkOns(q)l'teI∫(q)n] bargaining ['bQ:gInIŋ] necessitates [nI'sesIteIts]
“Well,” he said, “I have my business to attend to. Consultations, discussions, arguments, bargaining. And that, of course, necessitates a certain amount of — er — quiet conversation — ”
“Quiet!” exclaimed John, laughing heartily.
“And I wasn’t talking to you, young man,” said the Starling, hopping down on to the window sill. “And you needn’t talk — anyway. I heard you for several hours on end last Saturday week. Goodness, I thought you’d never stop — you kept me awake all night.”
“That wasn’t talking,” said John. “I was — ” He paused. “I mean, I had a pain.”
“Humph!” said the Starling, and hopped on to the railing of Barbara’s cot. He sidled along it until he came to the head of the cot. Then he said in a soft, wheedling voice:
“Well, Barbara B., anything for the old fellow today, eh?”
Barbara pulled herself into a sitting position by holding on to one of the bars of her cot.
“There’s the other half of my arrowroot biscuit,” she said, and held it out in her round, fat fist.
The Starling swooped down (скворец устремился вниз), plucked it out of her hand (вырвал его из ее руки) and flew back to the windowsill (и полетел обратно на подоконник). He began nibbling it greedily (он начал грызть его жадно; greed — жадность, алчность).
“Thank you (спасибо)!” said Mary Poppins, meaningly (сказала Мэри Поппинс многозначительно; meaning — смысл, значение), but the Starling was too busy eating to notice the rebuke (но Скворец был слишком занят, кушая/кушаньем, чтобы заметить упрек).
“I said (я сказала) ‘Thank you (спасибо)!’ ” said Mary Poppins a little louder (сказала Мэри Поппинс немного громче).
The Starling looked up (скворец поднял глаза).
“Eh (а) — what (что)? Oh, get along, girl, get along (ох, уходи, девушка, уходи; to get along — уходить). I’ve no time for such frills and furbelows (у меня нет времени на такие китайские церемонии; frill — оборка, жабо, брыжиит. п. /полосаматерии, пришитаяскладкамиилисборками/;furbelow — оборка /особ. уженскойодежды/; furbelows — /презр./ безвкуснаяотделка).” And he gobbled up all but the last crumbs of his biscuit (и он жадно съел все до последней крошки своего печенья; togobble = gobbledown, gobbleup — есть жадно, быстро; пожирать).
The room was very quiet (комната была очень тихой).
John, drowsing in the sunlight (Джон, дремавший в солнечном свете), put the toes of his right foot into his mouth (положил пальчики своей правой стопы себе в рот) and ran them along the place (и провел ими по тому месту; to run — бежать; быстродвигать) where his teeth were just beginning to come through (где его зубы только начинали прорезываться: «приходить сквозь»).