Tender is the night. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Учим английский, читая мировую классику. Елизавета Хундаева
she had watched beside (поблизости) a couple (пара).
VI
Feeling good from the rosy wine (вино) at lunch, Nicole Diver folded (сложить, склалывать) her arms high enough for the artificial (искусственный) camellia (камелия) on her shoulder to touch (касаться) her cheek (щека), and went out into her lovely (милый, прелестный) grassless garden. The garden was bounded (отграничить) on one side by the house, from which it flowed (брать начало, струиться) and into which it ran, on two sides by the old village, and on the last by the cliff (утёс) falling (ниспадать) by ledges (выступ, край) to the sea.
Along the walls on the village side all was dusty (в пыли), the wriggling (извиваться; изгибаться) vines (виноградная лоза), the lemon and eucalyptus (эвкалипт) trees, the casual (обычный) wheel-barrow (тачка; ручная тележка), left only a moment since, but already grown into (врастать) the path (тропа, дорожка), atrophied (чахлый) and faintly (слегка) rotten (прогнивший). Nicole was invariably (постоянно) somewhat (немного, слегка) surprised that by turning in (сворачивать) the other direction past a bed of peonies (пеон) she walked into an area (участок) so green and cool (прохладный) that the leaves and petals (лепесток) were curled (скручиваться, свёртываться) with tender (мягкий, лёгкий) damp (сырость, влажность).
Knotted (завязанный, стянутый узлом) at her throat she wore a lilac (сиреневый; лиловый) scarf that even in the achromatic (ахроматический, бесцветный) sunshine cast (отбрасывать) its color up to her face and down around her moving feet in a lilac (сиреневый; лиловый) shadow. Her face was hard (твёрдый), almost stern (суровый), save for (кроме) the soft gleam (отблеск) of piteous (жалобный, достойный сожаления) doubt (сомнение) that looked from her green eyes. Her once (однажды) fair (белокурый, светлый) hair had darkened (потемнеть), but she was lovelier (прелестнее) now at twenty-four than she had been at eighteen, when her hair was brighter (ярче, светлее) than she.
Following a walk marked (отмечать, характеризовать) by an intangible (неосязаемый, неуловимый; непостижимый) mist (туман) of bloom (цвет, цветение) that followed the white border (обрамлять, окаймлять) stones she came to a space overlooking (выходить на) the sea where there were lanterns (фонарь) asleep in the fig trees and a big table and wicker (сплетённый из ивовых прутьев) chairs and a great market umbrella from Sienna, all gathered about an enormous pine, the biggest tree in the garden (при этом самое большое дерево было в саду). She paused (остановиться) there a moment, looking absently (отсутствующе) at a growth of nasturtiums (настурция) and iris tangled (запутываться) at its foot (корень, подножие), as though (как будто) sprung spring from (всходить, выпрыгнуть) a careless (беззаботный) handful (пригоршня) of seeds (семена), listening to the plaints (жалоба, плач, стенание) and accusations (обвинение) of some nursery (детская, детские ясли; детский сад) squabble (пререкания, спор, мелкая ссора) in the house. When this died away (затихать, замирать) on the summer air, she walked on (идти дальше), between kaleidoscopic (калейдоскопический) peonies (пеон) massed (собираться в кучу, скапливаться) in pink (розовый) clouds, black and brown tulips (тюльпан) and fragile (хрупкий) mauve-stemmed (с розовато-лиловым стеблем) roses, transparent like sugar flowers in a confectioner’s (кондитерский магазин) window – until, as if the scherzo [’skeətsəu] (скерцо) of color could reach no further intensity (густота, интенсивность), it broke off (прерваться) suddenly in mid-air, and moist (влажный) steps (шаг, след (ноги), отпечаток) went down to a level five feet below.
Here there was a well (скважина, колодец) with the boarding (обшивка досками; доски) around it dank (влажный; сырой; мокрый) and slippery (скольский) even on the brightest days. She went up the stairs on the other side and into the vegetable garden; she walked rather quickly; she liked to be active, though at times (временами) she gave an impression (производить впечатление) of repose (отдых, покой, тишина) that was at once static and evocative (восстанавливающий в памяти, вызывающий воспоминания). This was because she knew few words and believed in none, and in the world she was rather silent, contributing just her share of urbane (вежливый; с изысканными манерами) humor with a precision (точность) that approached (приближаться) meagerness (скудность). But at the moment when strangers (незнакомец) tended to (иметь склонность) grow uncomfortable (чувствовать себя неловко) in the presence of (в присутствии) this economy she would seize (схватить, ухватиться, завладеть) the topic and rush off (нестись) with it, feverishly (лихорадочно) surprised with herself – then bring it back and relinquish (бросать, оставлять, отказываться) it abruptly (резко), almost timidly (стыдливо), like an obedient (покорный) retriever (охотничья (поисковая) собака), having been adequate and something more.
As she stood in the fuzzy [’fʌzɪ] (неясный, туманный, смазанный) green light of the vegetable garden, Dick crossed the path ahead of (впереди неё) her going to his work house. Nicole waited silently till he had passed (пройти мимо); then she went on through (через, сквозь) lines of prospective (будущий) salads to a little menagerie (зверинец) where pigeons and rabbits and a parrot made a medley (мешанина, «попурри») of insolent (дерзкий, наглый, нахальный) noises at her. Descending to another ledge (выступ, уступ; край) she reached a low, curved (изогнутый, кривой) wall and looked down seven hundred feet to the Mediterranean Sea.
She stood in the ancient (древний, античный) hill (холм) village