If either one of them was ill or had pressing business elsewhere (если одна из них была больна или имела срочные дела где-либо в другом месте; to press — жать, нажимать; торопить), the other would manage to pinch enough time from her clients (другая умудрялась выкроить достаточно времени от /обслуживания/ своих клиентов: to pinch — щипать; урезать/брать понемногу) to make the rounds of the other's customers sufficiently to keep them quiet and satisfied (чтобы сделать обход клиентов другой достаточно, чтобы сохранить их спокойными и довольными = обеспечить их покой и удовлетворенность). Were Mrs. Harris to be bedded with some malaise (если бы /случилось/ миссис Харрис лежать в постели с каким-либо недугом; malaise — недомогание), as rarely happened (как изредка случалось), she would telephone her clients to advise them of this catastrophe (она звонила своим клиентам, /чтобы/ сообщить им об этой беде: to advise — советовать; сообщать) and add (и добавляла): "But don't you worry mу friend Mrs. Butterfield will look in on you and I'll be around again tomorrow (но не переживайте — моя подруга, миссис Баттерфилд, зайдет к вам, а я появлюсь снова завтра = а завтра я снова появлюсь)," and vice versa (и наоборот).
either ['aI'Dq], enough [I'nAf], worry ['wArI], malaise [mq'leIz]
If either one of them was ill or had pressing business elsewhere, the other would manage to pinch enough time from her clients to make the rounds of the other's customers sufficiently to keep them quiet and satisfied. Were Mrs. Harris to be bedded with some malaise, as rarely happened, she would telephone her clients to advise them of this catastrophe and add: "But don't you worry my friend Mrs. Butterfield will look in on you and I'll be around again tomorrow," and vice versa.
Although they were different as night and day in character (хотя они были разными как день и ночь по характеру), they were firm (они были надежными), loving and loyal friends (любящими и верными друзьями), and considered covering one another a part of their duty in life (и считали взаимовыручку частью своего долга в жизни: to cover — накрывать; защищать/ оберегать; выручать). A friend was a friend and that was that (друг был другом, и в этом было дело). Mrs. Harris' basement flat was at No. 5 Willis Gardens (квартира миссис Харрис на цокольном этаже была № 5 по Уиллис-Гарденз), Mrs. Butterfield lived in No. 7 (миссис Баттерфилд жила в /квартире/ № 7), and rare was the day that they did not meet or visit one another (и редко выдавался такой день, /чтобы/ они не встретились или не навестили друг друга) to exchange news or confidences (чтобы обменяться новостями или секретами; confidence — вера, доверие; конфиденциальное сообщение, секретная информация).
although [Ll'Dqu], exchange [Iks'CeInG], confidence ['kOnfIdqns]
Although they were different as night and day in character, they were firm, loving and loyal friends, and considered covering one another a part of their duty in life. A friend was a friend and that was that. Mrs. Harris' basement flat was at No. 5 Willis Gardens, Mrs. Butterfield lived in No. 7, and rare was the day that they did not meet or visit one another to exchange news or confidences.
The taxicab crossed a big river (такси пересекло большую реку), the one Mrs. Harris had seen from the air (ту, которую миссис Харрис видела с воздуха), now gray instead of blue (теперь серую, а не голубую; instead of — вместо). On the bridge the driver got himself into a violent altercation with another chauffeur (на мосту водитель ввязался в ссору/перебранку с другим шофером: to get in — входить; вносить; вводить). They shouted and screamed at one another (они кричали и вопили = сильно кричали друг на друга) Mrs. Harris did not understand the words but guessed at the language and the import and smiled happily to herself (миссис Харрис не понимала слова, но попыталась отгадать язык и смысл и весело улыбнулась сама себе; import — импорт; значение, смысл). This time her thoughts returned to Miss Pamela Penrose (на этот раз ее мысли вернулись к Памеле Пенроуз) and the fuss she had kicked up when informed of Mrs. Harris' intention to take a day off (и шуму, который она подняла, когда узнала о намерении миссис Харрис взять выходной; to kick — пинать, лягаться; to kick up — поднимать /скандал, шум/). Mrs. Harris had made it a special point with Mrs. Butterfield (миссис Харрис дала особое указание миссис Баттерфилд) to see that the aspiring actress was not neglected (проследить, чтобы честолюбивая актриса не осталась безнадзорной = чтобы о ней позаботились; to aspire — стремиться, домогаться, устремляться; to neglect — пренебрегать; не заботиться).
altercation ["Lltq'keISqn], chauffeur ['Squfq], neglected [nI'glektId]
The taxicab crossed a big river, the one Mrs. Harris had seen from the air, now gray instead of blue. On the bridge the driver got himself into a violent altercation with another chauffeur. They shouted and screamed at one another. Mrs. Harris did not understand the words but guessed at the language and the import and smiled happily to herself. This time her thoughts returned to Miss Pamela Penrose and the fuss she had kicked up when informed of Mrs. Harris' intention to take a day off. Mrs. Harris had made it a special point with Mrs. Butterfield to see that the aspiring actress was not neglected.
Curiously, for all her shrewdness and judgment of character (странно, несмотря на всю прозорливость и рассудительность характера; shrewd — проницательный, прозорливый; рассудительный), Mrs. Harris' favorite of all her clients was Miss Penrose (любимицей миссис Харрис из всех ее клиентов была мисс Пенроуз).
The girl (девушка) — whose real name, as Mrs. Harris had gleaned from superficially inspecting letters (чье настоящее имя, как миссис Харрис выяснила из беглого осмотра писем; to glean — подбирать колосья /после жатвы/; тщательно подбирать, собирать /факты, сведения; по мелочам, обрывкам/) that occasionally came so addressed (которые порой приходили адресованные таким образом), was Enid Snite (было Энида Снайт) — lived untidily in a one-story walk-up mews flat (жила неопрятно в квартире в одноэтажном, выходящем на улицу доме — / бывших/ конюшнях, переделанных под жилые помещения), the headquarters for her precarious existence (штаб-квартира для ее шаткого/ненадежного существования).
curiously ['kjuqrIqslI], shrewdness ['SrHdnIs], occasionally [q'keIZnqlI]
Curiously, for all her shrewdness and judgment of character, Mrs. Harris' favorite of all her clients was Miss Penrose.
The girl — whose real name, as Mrs. Harris had gleaned from superficially inspecting letters that occasionally came so addressed, was Enid Snite — lived untidily in a one-story walk-up mews flat, the headquarters for her precarious existence.
She was a small, smooth blonde (она была невысокой, привлекательной блондинкой: smooth — гладкий; приятный/привлекательный) with a tight mouth and curiously static eyes (со сжатыми губами: «ртом» и удивительно неподвижными: «статичными» глазами) that seem fixed greedily upon but one thing — herself (которые, кажется, были алчно прикованы лишь к одному — к ней самой). She had an exquisite figure and clever tiny feet (у нее была изящная фигура и проворные миниатюрные ножки: clever — умный; проворный) that never once had tripped upon the corpses she had climbed over on her way up the ladder of success (которые ни разу не споткнулись о трупы, по которым она поднималась/карабкалась на своем пути к успеху: «по лестнице успеха»). There was nothing she would not do to further (не было ничего, /что/ она бы не сделала, /чтобы/ продвинуться дальше) what she was pleased to call her career (/по/ тому, что ей нравилось называть своей карьерой), which up to that time had included a year or two in the chorus line (которая к тому времени включала год или два /работы/ в хоре), some bit parts in a few pictures (какие-то эпизодические роли в нескольких фильмах) and several appearances on television (и несколько появлений на телевидении). She was mean (она была недоброжелательной), hard (черствой), selfish and ruthless (эгоистичной и беспощадной), and, of course, her manners were abominable as well (и, конечно, ее манеры были также отвратительны).
curiously ['kjuqrIqslI], exquisite ['ekskwIzIt], abominable [q'bOmInqbl]
She was a small, smooth blonde with a tight mouth and curiously static eyes that seem fixed greedily upon but one thing — herself. She had an exquisite figure and clever tiny feet that never once had tripped upon the corpses she had climbed over on her way up the ladder of success. There was nothing she would not do to further what she was pleased to call her career, which up to that time had included a year or two in the chorus line, some bit parts in a few pictures and several appearances on television. She was mean, hard, selfish and ruthless, and, of course, her manners were abominable as well.
One would have thought (можно было подумать; to think) that Mrs. Harris would have penetrated the false front of this little beast and abandoned her (что миссис Харрис проникнет за обманчивую внешность этой маленькой бестии и оставит/покинет ее), for it was so that when something about a client displeased Mrs. Harris (потому что так бывало, когда что-либо в клиенте вызывало недовольство миссис Харрис) she simply dropped the key through the mailbox and did not return (она просто бросала ключ в почтовый ящик и не возвращалась). Like so many of her sisters who did not char for charring's sake alone (как многие ее сестры, которые не занимались поденной работой/уборкой только ради уборки), even though it was her living (даже если это было ее средством к существованию; living — средства к существованию), she also brought a certain warmth to it (она также вносила некоторую сердечность в нее; to bring — приносить). She had to like either the person or the person's home where she worked (ей должен был нравиться либо сам человек, либо дом человека, где она работала).
penetrate ['penItreIt], through [TrH], certain [sWtn]
One would have thought that Mrs. Harris would have penetrated the false front of this little beast and abandoned her, for it was so that when something about a client displeased Mrs. Harris she simply dropped the key through the mailbox and did not return. Like so many of her sisters who did not char for charring's sake alone, even though it was her living, she also brought a certain warmth to it. She had to like either the person or the person's home where she worked.
But it was just the fact (в действительности: «это было просто фактом») that Mrs. Harris had pierced the front of Miss Snite to a certain extent that made her stick to her (миссис Харрис проникла за внешний вид мисс Снайт в некоторой степени, что привязало ее к ней), for she understood the fierce (потому что она поняла неистовое), wild (необузданное), hungry craving of the girl to be something, to be somebody (страстное желание девушки быть чем-то, быть кем-то; hungry — голодный), to lift herself out of the ruck of everyday struggle (подняться из толчеи ежедневной борьбы; ruck — куча, груда; кипа; толпа, толчея) and acquire some of the good things of life for herself (и достичь некоторых благ для себя).
pierce [pIqs], fierce [fIqs], acquire [qk'waIq]
But it was just the fact that Mrs. Harris had pierced the front of Miss Snite to a certain extent that made her stick to her, for she understood the fierce, wild, hungry craving of the girl to be something, to be somebody, to lift herself out of the ruck of everyday struggle and acquire some of the good things of life for herself.
