He hankered for compliments and beamed with delight when he had managed

To extract one. They were food and drink to him. Julia laughed bitterly when

She remembered that it was she who had accustomed him to them. For years

She had told him how beautiful he was and now he could not live without

Flattery. It was the only chink in his armour. An actress out of a job had only

To tell him to his face that he was too handsome to be true for him to think

That she might do for a part he had in mind. 

For years, so far as Julia knew (долгие годы, насколько Джулии было известно:

«Джулия знала»), Michael had not bothered with women (Майкл не сильно

беспокоился о женщинах), but when he reached the middle forties (но когда ему

исполнилось сорок пять: «он достиг середины сорокалетнего возраста»;

forties — зд. возраст от сорока до сорока девяти лет) he began to have little

flirtations (он начал заводить: «иметь» небольшие романчики). Julia suspected

that nothing much came of them (Джулия подозревала, что из них не выходило

ничего особенного; to come of — выходить, получаться). He was prudent (он

был осторожный), and all he wanted was admiration (и все, что он хотел

/получить/, так это восхищение). She had heard (она знала: «слышала») that

when women became pressing (что когда женщины становились

настойчивыми) he used her as a pretext to get rid of them (он использовал ее как

предлог, чтобы избавиться от них). Either he couldn't risk doing anything to hurt

her (/он говорил, что/ либо он не мог рисковать и сделать что-то такое, что

причинит ей боль), or she was jealous or suspicious (или то, что она была

ревнивой и подозрительной) and it seemed better (и, казалось, что будет

лучше) that the friendship should cease (чтобы их дружба прекратилась).

"God knows what they see in him (одному Богу известно, что они видят в

нем)," Julia exclaimed to the empty room (Джулия воскликнула, /обращаясь/ к

пустой комнате).

bother ['bODq] flirtation [flq:'teIS(q)n] pretext ['pri:tekst] 

240

For years, so far as Julia knew, Michael had not bothered with women, but

When he reached the middle forties he began to have little flirtations. Julia

Suspected that nothing much came of them. He was prudent, and all he

Wanted was admiration. She had heard that when women became pressing he

Used her as a pretext to get rid of them. Either he couldn't risk doing anything

To hurt her, or she was jealous or suspicious and it seemed better that the

Friendship should cease.

"God knows what they see in him," Julia exclaimed to the empty room.

She took up half a dozen of his photographs at random (она подняла полдюжины

его фотографий наугад; at random — без разбора, наобум, наудачу) and looked

at them carefully one by one (и рассмотрела их внимательно одну за одной).

She shrugged her shoulders (она пожала плечами).

"Well, I suppose I can't blame them (ну, /я/ полагаю, я не могу винить их). I fell

in love with him too (я влюбилась в него тоже). Of course he was better-looking

in those days (конечно, он выглядел лучше тогда: «в те дни»)."

It made Julia a little sad to think how much she had loved him                         (Джулия

загрустила, подумав, как сильно она любила его; to make smb. sad —

опечалиться, нагнать тоску). Because her love had died     (из-за того, что ее

любовь умерла) she felt that life had cheated her (она чувствовала, что жизнь

обманула ее; to cheat — мошенничать, обманывать, изменять). She sighed

(она вздохнула).

"And my back's aching (и спина у меня болит)," she said.

shrug [SrAg] cheat [tSi:t] ache [eIk]

She took up half a dozen of his photographs at random and looked at them