Long discussion they had, during the time of winning him, as to whose dog he was. Each claimed him, and each proclaimed loudly any expression of affection made by him. But the man had the better of it at first, chiefly because he was a man. It was patent that Wolf had had no experience with women. He did not understand women. Madge's skirts were something he never quite accepted. The swish of them was enough to set him a-bristle with suspicion, and on a windy day she could not approach him at all.

On the other hand, it was Madge who fed him (с другой стороны, именно Мэдж кормила его; to feed); also it was she who ruled the kitchen (и к тому же именно она руководила кухней), and it was by her favor, and her favor alone (и именно по ее благосклонности и только по ее благосклонности), that he was permitted to come within that sacred precinct (ему позволяли входить в пределы этой священной территории). It was because of these things that she bade fair to overcome the handicap of her garments (как раз из-за этого она, скорее всего, и преодолела недостаток своих одеяний; to bid fair — казаться вероятным). Then it was that Walt put forth special effort (потом особое усилие приложил Уолт; to put forth — напрягать /силы/; прилагать усилия), making it a practice to have Wolf lie at his feet (взяв за привычку разрешать Волку лежать у его ног; to make a practice of smth. — взять что-либо за правило; to have — терпеть, разрешать, позволять, допускать) while he wrote (когда он писал), and, between petting and talking (и между поглаживанием и разговорами = и то поглаживая, то разговаривая /с ним/), losing much time from his work (терял много времени от работы). Walt won in the end (в итоге Уолт победил; to win), and his victory was most probably due to the fact that he was a man (и своей победой он, вероятнее всего, был обязан тому, что был мужчиной), though Madge averred (хотя Мэдж заявила) that they would have had another quarter of a mile of gurgling brook (что они приобрели бы еще четверть мили журчащего ручья), and at least two west winds sighing through their redwoods (и, по меньшей мере, два западных ветра вздыхали бы сквозь их красные деревья), had Walt properly devoted his energies to song-transmutation (если бы Уолт надлежащим образом посвящал свою энергию песенным превращениям) and left Wolf alone to exercise a natural taste and an unbiassed judgment (и оставил Волка в покое, чтобы тот развивал природное чувство вкуса и беспристрастное суждение; bias — наклон; предвзятость).

On the other hand, it was Madge who fed him; also it was she who ruled the kitchen, and it was by her favor, and her favor alone, that he was permitted to come within that sacred precinct. It was because of these things that she bade fair to overcome the handicap of her garments. Then it was that Walt put forth special effort, making it a practice to have Wolf lie at his feet while he wrote, and, between petting and talking, losing much time from his work. Walt won in the end, and his victory was most probably due to the fact that he was a man, though Madge averred that they would have had another quarter of a mile of gurgling brook, and at least two west winds sighing through their redwoods, had Walt properly devoted his energies to song-transmutation and left Wolf alone to exercise a natural taste and an unbiassed judgment.

"It's about time I heard from those triolets (пора уже получить весточку от тех триолетов^[30]; to hear from smb. — получать известие от кого-либо)", Walt said, after a silence of five minutes (после пятиминутного молчания), during which they had swung steadily down the trail (во время которого они ровным шагом спустились по тропе; to swing — идти мерным шагом; steady — равномерный, ровный). "There'll be a check at the post-office, I know (я знаю, на почте будет чек), and we'll transmute it into beautiful buckwheat flour (и мы превратим его в превосходную гречневую муку), a gallon of maple syrup (галлон^[31] кленового сиропа), and a new pair of overshoes for you (и новую пару галош для тебя)."

"And into beautiful milk from Mrs. Johnson's beautiful cow (и в прекрасное молоко от прекрасной коровы миссис Джонсон)," Madge added (добавила Мэдж). "To-morrow's the first of the month, you know (знаешь, завтра первое число месяца)."

Walt scowled unconsciously (Уолт невольно нахмурился; unconsciously — бессознательно); then his face brightened (потом его лицо наполнилось радостью; to brighten — очищать; наполнять радостью, радовать; bright — яркий), and he clapped his hand to his breast pocket (и он хлопнул рукой по нагрудном карману).

"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; never mind — ничего, неважно, не беспокойтесь, не беда). I have here a nice beautiful new cow (у меня тут есть славная прекрасная новая коровка), the best milker in California (лучшая молочная корова в Калифорнии)."

"When did you write it (когда ты написал его^[32])?" she demanded eagerly (горячо спросила она). Then, reproachfully (потом с укором; reproach — упрек, укор), "And you never showed it to me (а ты так и не показал его мне)."

"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; lip — губа; край, выступ), and ran across the path at their feet (и перебегал дорожку у их ног). From the valley arose the mellow song of meadow-larks (из долины раздавалось веселое пение луговых жаворонков; to arise — раздаваться, подниматься), while about them, in and out, through sunshine and shadow, fluttered great yellow butterflies (в то время как вокруг них, то /залетая/ между ними, то /облетая их/ снаружи, порхали огромные желтые бабочки; in and out — то внутрь, то наружу; снаружи и внутри).

"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; to break in on — прерывать). It was a crunching of heavy feet (это был хруст тяжелых шагов), punctuated now and again by the clattering of a displaced stone (перемежавшийся время от времени стуком отброшенного камня). As Walt finished and looked to his wife for approval (когда Уолт закончил и посмотрел на жену для одобрения = в ожидании одобрения), a man came into view around the turn of the trail (за поворотом тропы показался мужчина; to come into view — появляться; view — вид; видимость). He was bare-headed and sweaty (он был с непокрытой головой и потный; bare — голый; непокрытый; sweat — пот). With a handkerchief in one hand he mopped his face (носовым платком в одной руке он вытирал лицо; to mop — мыть; вытирать), while in the other hand he carried a new hat and a wilted starched collar (тогда как в другой руке он нес новую шляпу и поникший накрахмаленный воротничок) which he had removed from his neck (который он снял с шеи; to remove — удалять). He was a well-built man (он = это был хорошо сложенный мужчина), and his muscles seemed on the point of bursting out of the painfully new and ready-made black clothes he wore (и его мускулы, казалось, вот-вот вырвутся из очень новой готовой одежды черного цвета, которая была на нем; to be on the point of doing smth. — собираться сделать что-либо немедленно; painfully — болезненно, мучительно; крайне, очень; ready-made clothes — готовое платье; to wear — носить /об одежде/).