huge [hjHG], cautious [`kLSqs], elaborate [I`lxb(q)rIt]
“I did not feel safe there, however; people were going to and fro, and I prowled restlessly about until I came upon a huge section in an upper floor containing multitudes of bedsteads, and over these I clambered, and found a resting-place at last among a huge pile of folded flock mattresses. The place was already lit up and agreeably warm, and I decided to remain where I was, keeping a cautious eye on the two or three sets of shopmen and customers who were meandering through the place, until closing time came.
“Then I should be able, I thought, to rob the place for food and clothing, and disguised, prowl through it and examine its resources, perhaps sleep on some of the bedding. That seemed an acceptable plan. My idea was to procure clothing to make myself a muffled but acceptable figure, to get money, and then to recover my books and parcels where they awaited me, take a lodging somewhere and elaborate plans for the complete realisation of the advantages my invisibility gave me (as I still imagined) over my fellow-men.
“Closing time arrived quickly enough (время закрытия наступило довольно скоро). It could not have been more than an hour after I took up my position on the mattresses (прошло не больше часа с тех пор, как я занял позицию на матрасах) before I noticed the blinds of the windows being drawn (когда я заметил, что шторы на окнах опускают), and customers being marched doorward (а покупателей направляют к дверям). And then a number of brisk young men began with remarkable alacrity to tidy up the goods that remained disturbed (затем множество проворных молодых людей принялись с огромной расторопностью убирать товары, лежавшие: «которые оставались» в беспорядке; to disturb — волновать; приводитьвбеспорядок). I left my lair as the crowds diminished (я покинул свое логово, когда толпа поредела; lair — берлога, логовище; to diminish — убывать, уменьшаться), and prowled cautiously out into the less desolate parts of the shop (и осторожно прокрался в более безлюдные части магазина).
“I was really surprised to observe how rapidly the young men and women whipped away the goods (я с удивлением наблюдал, как быстро юноши и девушки убирали товары) displayed for sale during the day (которые в течение дня были выставлены на продажу). All the boxes of goods (все ящики), the hanging fabrics (развешанные ткани), the festoons of lace (гирлянды кружев), the boxes of sweets in the grocery section (коробки со сладостями в бакалейном отделении), the displays of this and that (всевозможные предметы, выставленные напоказ), were being whipped down (все это убиралось), folded up (сворачивалось), slapped into tidy receptacles (укладывалось в аккуратные коробки; receptacle — хранилище, вместилище; тара), and everything that could not be taken down and put away (а все, что нельзя было снять и убрать) had sheets of some coarse stuff like sacking flung over them (прикрывалось чехлами из какой-то грубой ткани вроде мешковины; sheet — лист; простыня, полотно; to fling over — набрасыватьповерх). Finally all the chairs were turned up on to the counters, leaving the floor clear (наконец все стулья подняли и поставили на прилавки, на полу не осталось ничего: «оставляя пол чистым»).
drawn [drLn], alacrity [q`lxkrItI], receptacle [rI`septqkl], counter [`kauntq]
“Closing time arrived quickly enough. It could not have been more than an hour after I took up my position on the mattresses before I noticed the blinds of the windows being drawn, and customers being marched doorward. And then a number of brisk young men began with remarkable alacrity to tidy up the goods that remained disturbed. I left my lair as the crowds diminished, and prowled cautiously out into the less desolate parts of the shop.
“I was really surprised to observe how rapidly the young men and women whipped away the goods displayed for sale during the day. All the boxes of goods, the hanging fabrics, the festoons of lace, the boxes of sweets in the grocery section, the displays of this and that, were being whipped down, folded up, slapped into tidy receptacles, and everything that could not be taken down and put away had sheets of some coarse stuff like sacking flung over them. Finally all the chairs were turned up on to the counters, leaving the floor clear.
“Directly each of these young people had done (окончив свое дело, каждый из них; directly — прямо, тотчас; непосредственно), he or she made promptly for the door with such an expression of animation (он или она, быстро направлялся к двери с выражением такого воодушевления /на лице/) as I have rarely observed in a shop assistant before (какое я редко видел на лице у приказчика раньше; to observe — наблюдать, замечать). Then came a lot of youngsters scattering sawdust and carrying pails and brooms (потом появилось множество подростков, разбрасывавших опилки, несших ведра и метлы; to broom — мести, подметать). I had to dodge to get out of the way (мне приходилось увертываться, чтобы уйти у них с дороги), and as it was, my ankle got stung with the sawdust (при этом моя лодыжка болела от опилок = опилкипопадалинаногуипричинялиболь; to sting — жалить, жечь; причинять/испытыватьоструюболь). For some time, wandering through the swathed and darkened departments (некоторое время, разгуливая по темным убранным отделам; to swathe — бинтовать, закутывать; окутывать; укладыватьрядамискошеннуютравуилихлеб), I could hear the brooms at work (я слышал, как мели метлы; at work — вдействии, заработой). And at last a good hour or more after the shop had been closed (наконец, через час с лишним после закрытия магазина), came a noise of locking doors (раздался шум запираемых дверей). Silence came upon the place (в магазине наступила тишина), and I found myself wandering through the vast and intricate shops, galleries, show-rooms of the place, alone (и вот я бродил один в огромных запутанных лавках… = влабиринтелавок, коридоров, выставочныхзалов). It was very still (было очень тихо); in one place I remember passing near one of the Tottenham Court Road entrances (помню, как я проходил мимо одного из входов с Тоттнем-Корт-роуд) and listening to the tapping of boot-heels of the passers-by (и услышал звук шагов прохожих; boot-heel: boot — ботинок; heel — пятка, каблук).
youngster [`jANstq], sawdust [`sLdAst], entrance [`entrqns]
“Directly each of these young people had done, he or she made promptly for the door with such an expression of animation as I have rarely observed in a shop assistant before. Then came a lot of youngsters scattering sawdust and carrying pails and brooms. I had to dodge to get out of the way, and as it was, my ankle got stung with the sawdust. For some time, wandering through the swathed and darkened departments, I could hear the brooms at work. And at last a good hour or more after the shop had been closed, came a noise of locking doors. Silence came upon the place, and I found myself wandering through the vast and intricate shops, galleries, show-rooms of the place, alone. It was very still; in one place I remember passing near one of the Tottenham Court Road entrances and listening to the tapping of boot-heels of the passers-by.
“My first visit was to the place where I had seen stockings and gloves for sale (сначала я посетил место, где видел продававшиеся чулки и перчатки; visit — посещение, визит). It was dark, and I had the devil of a hunt after matches (было темно, и мне пришлось изрядно повозиться в поисках спичек; to hunt after — разыскивать, искать), which I found at last in the drawer of the little cash desk (которые я нашел наконец в ящике маленькой кассы;cash — деньги). Then I had to get a candle (затем нужно было достать свечу). I had to tear down wrappings and ransack a number of boxes and drawers (мне пришлось разрывать упаковку, оберточную бумагу и обшаривать множество коробок и ящиков), but at last I managed to turn out what I sought (но в конце концов я сумел найти то, что искал; to turn out — выворачивать/карманы/; to seek); the box label called them lambswool pants, and lambswool vests (/свечи лежали/ в коробке с ярлыком: «Шерстяные панталоны и фуфайки»; lambswool: lamb — ягненок, овечьяшкура; wool — шерсть; vest — жилет; нательнаяфуфайка; майка, нижняярубашка). Then socks, a thick comforter (затем /я взял/ носки, толстый шерстяной шарф), and then I went to the clothing place and got trousers (после этого я отправился в отдел платья и взял брюки), a lounge jacket, an overcoat and a slouch hat (/полу/приталенный пиджак, пальто и широкополую шляпу) — a clerical sort of hat with the brim turned down (вроде той, что носят пасторы, с опущенными полями; clerical — духовный, церковный). I began to feel a human being again (я снова стал ощущать себя человеком), and my next thought was food (следующей моей мыслью была еда = потом я подумал о еде).
