'It's about time I heard from those triolets', Walt said, after a silence of five minutes, during which they had swung steadily down the trail. 'There'll be a check at the post-office, I know, and we'll transmute it into beautiful buckwheat flour, a gallon of maple syrup, and a new pair of overshoes for you.'
'And into beautiful milk from Mrs. Johnson's beautiful cow,' Madge added. 'To-morrow's the first of the month, you know.'
Walt scowled unconsciously; then his face brightened, and he clapped his hand to his breast pocket.
'Never mind (не беда;
'When did you write it (когда ты написал его[32])?' she demanded eagerly (горячо спросила она). Then, reproachfully (потом с укором;
'I saved it to read to you on the way to the post-office (я сберег его, чтобы прочесть тебе по дороге на почту), in a spot remarkably like this one (в месте, удивительно похожем на это),' he answered (ответил он), indicating, with a wave of his hand (указывая взмахом руки), a dry log on which to sit (на сухое бревно, на котором можно посидеть).
A tiny stream flowed out of a dense fern-brake (крошечный ручеек вытекал из густой папоротниковой чащи), slipped down a mossy-lipped stone (проскальзывал вниз по камню со мшистыми краями;
'Never mind. I have here a nice beautiful new cow, the best milker in California.'
'When did you write it?' she demanded eagerly. Then, reproachfully, 'And you never showed it to me.'
'I saved it to read to you on the way to the post-office, in a spot remarkably like this one,' he answered, indicating, with a wave of his hand, a dry log on which to sit.
A tiny stream flowed out of a dense fern-brake, slipped down a mossy-lipped stone, and ran across the path at their feet. From the valley arose the mellow song of meadow-larks, while about them, in and out, through sunshine and shadow, fluttered great yellow butterflies.
Up from below came another sound (вверх снизу донесся другой звук) that broke in upon Walt reading softly from his manuscript (который прервал Уолта, читавшего тихо свою рукопись;
Up from below came another sound that broke in upon Walt reading softly from his manuscript. It was a crunching of heavy feet, punctuated now and again by the clattering of a displaced stone. As Walt finished and looked to his wife for approval, a man came into view around the turn of the trail. He was bare-headed and sweaty. With a handkerchief in one hand he mopped his face, while in the other hand he carried a new hat and a wilted starched collar which he had removed from his neck. He was a well-built man, and his muscles seemed on the point of bursting out of the painfully new and ready- made black clothes he wore.
'Warm day (теплый денек),' Walt greeted him (поприветствовал его Уолт). Walt believed in country democracy (Уолт верил в деревенскую демократию), and never missed an opportunity to practise it (и никогда не упускал возможности поупражняться в ней).
The man paused and nodded (мужчина остановился и кивнул).
'I guess I ain't used much to the warm (мне кажется, я не очень привыкший к теплу),' he vouchsafed half apologetically (снизошел он наполовину извиняющимся тоном). 'I'm more accustomed to zero weather (я более привычен к нулевой погоде = нулевой температуре).'
'You don't find any of that in this country (вы не найдете ее в этих краях),' Walt laughed (засмеялся Уолт).
'Should say not (я бы сказал, что нет = я бы так и сказал),' the man answered (ответил мужчина). 'An' I ain't here a-lookin' for it neither (да я ее здесь и не ищу). I'm tryin' to find my sister (я пытаюсь найти свою сестру). Mebbe you know where she lives (может, вы знаете, где она живет). Her name's Johnson (ее фамилия Джонсон), Mrs. William Johnson (миссис Уильям Джонсон[33]).'
'Warm day,' Walt greeted him. Walt believed in country democracy, and never missed an opportunity to practise it.
The man paused and nodded.
'I guess I ain't used much to the warm,' he vouchsafed half apologetically. 'I'm more accustomed to zero weather.'
'You don't find any of that in this country,' Walt laughed.
'Should say not,' the man answered. 'An' I ain't here a-lookin' for it neither. I'm tryin' to find my sister. Mebbe you know where she lives. Her name's Johnson, Mrs. William Johnson.'
'You're not her Klondike brother (уж не ее ли вы брат с Клондайка)!' Madge cried (воскликнула Мэдж), her eyes bright with interest (/со/ сверкающими от интереса глазами), 'about whom we've heard so much (о котором мы столько слыхали)?'
'Yes'm, that's me (да, мэм, это я),' he answered modestly (скромно ответил он). 'My name's Miller, Skiff Miller (моя фамилия Миллер, Скиф Миллер). I just thought I'd s'prise her (я как раз думал, что
