Chapter 10
At dinner – which happened to be excellent– Valmont repeated the story he had already told to the baron during their journey through the forest. He spoke of his capture, his life among the pirates, and of his love of painting.
“It, actually, saved my life,” he said. “I would have walked the plank (36) like many other captives, but, luckily for me, the pirate captain liked the portrait I had made of him, and he spared me. Afterwards, I made portraits of the other pirates, and they soon got used to my presence on the ship. Eventually, I began participating in the raids, and had my share of the loot. I learned to swing a sword and fire a pistol like a real swashbuckler. I opened a bank account at one of the English banks in India, and, once I thought that I had saved up enough, I made off with the money.”
capture пленение, взятие в плен; actually фактически, по сути; captive пленник; spare щадить, пощадить; get used to sth (got; got) привыкнуть к чему-либо; eventually в итоге, в конечном счете; participate принимать участие; share доля; loot добыча, награбленное добро; swing a sword орудовать саблей; fire a pistol стрелять из пистолета; swashbuckler рубака, герой авантюрных романов; bank account банковский счет; save up скопить; enough достаточно; make off with sth удрать, прихватив в собой что-либо
When the long dinner was over, and coffee was served, it was already dark. The baron, who had done justice to all twelve courses, was now fiercely battling his own drowsiness. After he had given a few loud snores and nearly fallen off his chair, the baroness told the butler to take her husband up to his bedroom.
“Would you care to join me (37) for a walk through the park – of course, if you’re not too tired?” the baroness asked of her guest.
“I would be glad to keep you company,” Valmont answered.
be over закончиться; do justice to sth отдать должное; course блюдо (как часть трапезы); fiercely неистово, яростно; battle сражаться; drowsiness сонливость; not at all нисколько, ничуть; keep sb company составить компанию кому-либо
“I have noticed how little you ate at dinner,” said the baroness as they walked along the dimly lit garden path.
“I usually eat very little. Gluttony does not figure on the list of my sins.”
“Have you sinned much?”
“Perhaps not as much as noble ladies and gentlemen at the Court of His Majesty Mouse XXV (read: Mouse the Twenty-Fifth), but then, I’ve had fewer opportunities.
“You’re not being serious, are you?”
“I’m dead serious.”
notice заметить; dimly lit тускло освещенный; gluttony обжорство, чревоугодие; figure фигурировать; list список; sin грех, порок; грешить; noble благородный; court королевский двор; but then но с другой стороны; opportunity возможность; dead serious серьезней не бывает
“Have you killed? You don’t need to answer this question if you don’t want to.”
“Oh, I don’t mind telling you. Yes, I have killed. But only in battle, and only when I knew that my own life was in danger. I beg your pardon, but why are you asking such things? Do you want to hire me as an assassin?”
“What a strange thing to say!”
“How so? Or don’t they hire killers to dispose of a rival anymore?”
“You don’t need to hire a killer to do away with a rival. There are so many other ways to get rid of an enemy.”
“Like breaking your rival’s heart by stealing from her someone she loves? Or, perhaps, by driving her to suicide?”
I don’t mind я не прочь; battle сражение, бой; I beg your pardon. Прошу прощения (фраза вежливости); hire нанять; as в качестве; assassin наемный убийца; How so? В каком смысле? Почему?; dispose of sb избавиться от кого-либо, убить; rival соперник, соперница; do away with sb убрать с дороги, устранить, убить; get rid of sb избавиться от кого-либо; enemy враг; break sb’s heart разбить сердце кому-либо; steal (stole; stolen) красть, украсть, здесь: увести, отбить (жениха, возлюбленного); suicide самоубийство ◊ drive sb to suicide довести до самоубийства
At these last words, the baroness grew pale. But Valmont didn’t seem to notice.
“You think this is less painful?” he continued. “If you ask me, it is better to die by the hand of a killer than go through the ordeal of being betrayed by someone you loved.”
“You speak as if you have gone through such an ordeal,” the baroness said in a trembling voice.
“Perhaps – perhaps not,” said Valmont.
For some time, neither of them spoke. Finally, the baroness offered, “It is getting quite cold. It’s best we return into the house.”
pale бледный; grow pale (grew; grown) побледнеть; less painful менее болезненно, не так больно; continue продолжать; ordeal суровое испытание, мука; betray предать, предавать; voice голос