“Look, Jane, look!” he cried, and held out his hand. Within it lay Mary Poppins’ compass, with the disc frantically swinging round the arrow as it trembled in Michael’s shaking hand.
“The compass?” said Jane, and looked at him questioningly.
Michael suddenly burst into tears.
“She gave it to me,” he wept. “She said I could have it all for myself now. Oh, oh, there must be something wrong! What is going to happen? She has never given me anything before.”
“Perhaps she was only being nice,” said Jane to soothe him, but in her heart she felt as disturbed as Michael was. She knew very well that Mary Poppins never wasted time in being nice.
And yet, strange to say, during that afternoon Mary Poppins never said a cross word. Indeed, she hardly said a word at all. She seemed to be thinking very deeply, and when they asked questions she answered them in a far-away voice. At last Michael could bear it no longer.
“Oh, do be cross, Mary Poppins (будьте сердитой, Мэри Поппинс)! Do be cross again (станьте сердитой снова)! It is not like you (на вас это не похоже). Oh, I feel so anxious (я так беспокоюсь: «чувствую себя таким беспокоящимся»).” And indeed (и действительно), his heart felt heavy with the thought (его сердце чувствовало себя тяжелым от мысли) that something (что что-то), he did not quite know what (он не знал точно, что), was about to happen at Number Seventeen, Cherry Tree Lane (должно было вот-вот произойти в доме семнадцать по Вишневой улице).
“Trouble trouble and it will trouble you (не зови беду — накличешь: «побеспокой беспокойство/беду, и оно побеспокоит тебя»)!” retorted Mary Poppins crossly (возразила Мэри Поппинс рассерженно), in her usual voice (своим обычным голосом).
And immediately he felt a little better (и немедленно он почувствовал себя немного лучше).
“Perhaps it’s only a feeling (наверное, это только ощущение),” he said to Jane. “Perhaps everything is all right (возможно, все в порядке) and I’m just imagining (и я только придумываю/воображаю себе) — don’t you think so, Jane (ты не думаешь так, Джейн)?”
“Probably (наверное),” said Jane slowly (произнесла Джейн медленно). But she was thinking hard (но она думала усердно) and her heart felt tight in her body (и ее сердце ощущало себя сжатым в ее теле; tight — сжатый, сжавшийся, тесный, плотный).
The wind grew wilder towards evening (ветер стал сильнее к вечеру), and blew in little gusts about the house (и задул небольшими порывами около дома). It went pulling and whistling down the chimneys (он тянул воздух из печных труб и свистел вниз по ним /задувая в них/; to pull — тянуть, иметь тягу), slipping through the cracks under the windows (проскальзывая сквозь трещины под окнами), turning the Nursery carpet up at the corners (загибая ковер в Детской по углам).
Mary Poppins gave them their supper (Мэри Поппинс подала им их ужин) and cleared away the things (и убрала со стола: «убрала вещи»), stacking them neatly and methodically (складывая все аккуратно и методично). Then she tidied up the Nursery (затем она прибрала детскую) and put the kettle on the hob (и поставила чайник на конфорку).
“There (вот)!” she said, glancing round the room (бросив взгляд на комнату) to see that everything was all right (чтобы посмотреть, что все было в порядке). She was silent for a minute (она замолчала на минуту). Then she put one hand lightly on Michael’s head (потом она слегка положила одну руку на голову Майкла) and the other on Jane’s shoulder (а другую — на плечо Джейн).
“Now (теперь),” she said, “I am just going to take the shoes down for Robertson Ay to clean (я просто отнесу туфли вниз Робертсону Эю для чистки). Behave yourselves, please (ведите себя хорошо, пожалуйста), till I come back (пока я не вернусь).” She went out and shut the door quietly behind her (она вышла и закрыла дверь тихо за собой).
immediately [I'mi:djqtlI] gusts [gAsts] methodically[miTOdIk(q)lI]
“Oh, do be cross, Mary Poppins! Do be cross again! It is not like you. Oh, I feel so anxious.” And indeed, his heart felt heavy with the thought that something, he did not quite know what, was about to happen at Number Seventeen, Cherry Tree Lane.
“Trouble trouble and it will trouble you!” retorted Mary Poppins crossly, in her usual voice.
And immediately he felt a little better.
“Perhaps it’s only a feeling,” he said to Jane. “Perhaps everything is all right and I’m just imagining — don’t you think so, Jane?”
“Probably,” said Jane slowly. But she was thinking hard and her heart felt tight in her body.
The wind grew wilder towards evening, and blew in little gusts about the house. It went pulling and whistling down the chimneys, slipping through the cracks under the windows, turning the Nursery carpet up at the corners.
Mary Poppins gave them their supper and cleared away the things, stacking them neatly and methodically. Then she tidied up the Nursery and put the kettle on the hob.
“There!” she said, glancing round the room to see that everything was all right. She was silent for a minute. Then she put one hand lightly on Michael’s head and the other on Jane’s shoulder.
“Now,” she said, “I am just going to take the shoes down for Robertson Ay to clean. Behave yourselves, please, till I come back.” She went out and shut the door quietly behind her.
Suddenly (внезапно), as she went (когда она ушла), they both felt (они оба почувствовали) they must run after her (что они должны бежать за ней), but something seemed to stop them (но что-то, казалось, остановило их). They remained quiet (они оставались молчаливыми), with their elbows on the table waiting for her to come back (со своими локтями на столе, ожидая ее прихода). Each was trying to reassure the other without saying anything (каждый старался поддержать другого, не говоря ничего).
“How silly we are (какие мы глупые),” said Jane presently (сказала Джейн некоторое время спустя). “Everything’s all right (все в порядке).” But she knew (но она знала) she said it more to comfort Michael (что она говорит это скорее, чтобы подбодрить Майкла) than because she thought it was true (нежели потому что сама думает, что это правда).
The Nursery clock ticked loudly from the mantelpiece (часы в детской тикали громко с каминной доски). The fire flickered (огонь мерцал) and crackled (и потрескивал) and slowly died down (и медленно угас; to die down — замирать/увядать; to die — умереть, скончаться). They still sat there at the table, waiting (они все еще сидели здесь за столом, ожидая).
At last Michael said uneasily (наконец Майкл произнес беспокойно): “She’s been gone a very long time, hasn’t she (она уже ушла очень давно, не так ли)?”
The wind whistled and cried about the house (ветер свистел и выл по дому) as if in reply (как будто в ответ). The clock went on ticking its solemn double note (часы продолжали тикать на своей торжественной = серьезной двойной ноте).
Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of the front door (внезапно тишина была нарушена звуком парадной двери) shutting with a loud bang (закрывшейся с громким звуком).
“Michael!” said Jane, starting up (сказала Джейн, вскакивая).
“Jane!” said Michael, with a white, anxious look on his face (сказал Майкл с бледным, беспокойным выражением на лице).
They listened (они слушали). Then they ran quickly to the window and looked out (затем быстро побежали к окну и выглянули).
Down below (внизу), just outside the front door (прямо снаружи парадной двери), stood Mary Poppins (стояла Мэри Поппинс), dressed in her coat and hat (одетая в свои пальто и шляпу), with her carpet bag in one hand and her umbrella in the other (со своей ковровой сумкой = саквояжем в одной руке и своим зонтиком в другой). The wind was blowing wildly about her (ветер дул яростно вокруг нее = обдувал ее), tugging at her skirt (дергая за ее юбку), tilting her hat rakishly to one side (наклоняя/сбивая по-хулигански ее шляпу на один бок; rakish — беспутный; лихой, ухарский; небрежный; rake — повеса, шалопай). But it seemed to Jane and Michael (но Джейн и Майклу казалось) that she did not mind (что ее это не волновало), for she smiled (так как она улыбалась) as though she and the wind understood each other (как будто она и ветер понимали друг друга).
crackled ['kræklt] solemn ['sOlqm] rakish ['reIkI∫]
Suddenly, as she went, they both felt they must run after her, but something seemed to stop them. They remained quiet, with their elbows on the table waiting for her to come back. Each was trying to reassure the other without saying anything.
“How silly we are,” said Jane presently. “Everything’s all right.” But she knew she said it more to comfort Michael than because she thought it was true.
The Nursery clock ticked loudly from the mantelpiece. The fire flickered and crackled and slowly died down. They still sat there at the table, waiting.
At last Michael said uneasily: “She’s been gone a very long time, hasn’t she?”
The wind whistled and cried about the house as if in reply. The clock went on ticking its solemn double note.
Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of the front door shutting with a loud bang.
“Michael!” said Jane, starting up.
“Jane!” said Michael, with a white, anxious look on his face.
They listened. Then they ran quickly to the window and looked out.
Down below, just outside the front door, stood Mary Poppins, dressed in her coat and hat, with her carpet bag in one hand and her umbrella in the other. The wind was blowing wildly about her, tugging at her skirt, tilting her hat rakishly to one side. But it seemed to Jane and Michael that she did not mind, for she smiled as though she and the wind understood each other.
She paused for a moment on the step (она остановилась на мгновенье на пороге) and glanced back towards the front door (и взглянула назад = оглянулась на парадную дверь). Then with a quick movement she opened the umbrella (затем быстрым движением она открыла зонт), though it was not raining (хотя дождь не шел), and thrust it over her head (и развернула его над своей головой;