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 удивлю ее)."

"You are on the right track then (тогда вы на правильном пути). Only you've come by the footpath (только вы прошли мимо тропинки; footpath — пешеходная дорожка; тротуар)." Madge stood up to direct him (Мэдж встала, чтобы указать ему дорогу; to direct — указывать дорогу), pointing up the canyon a quarter of a mile (показывая вверх на каньон). "You see that blasted redwood (вы видите то разрушенное молнией красное дерево; blasted — разрушенный /пораженный молнией, иссушенный ветром и т.п.: подвергшийся действию природных явлений/)? Take the little trail turning off to the right (идите по маленькой тропинке, ответвляющейся направо). It's the short cut to her house (это путь прямиком к ее дому; short cut — кратчайшее расстояние; путь напрямик; to cut — резать; срезать). You can't miss it (вы не можете пройти = не пройдете мимо; to miss — пропустить, пройти мимо)."

"You're not her Klondike brother!" Madge cried, her eyes bright with interest, "about whom we've heard so much?"

"Yes'm, that's me," he answered modestly. "My name's Miller, Skiff Miller. I just thought I'd s'prise her."

"You are on the right track then. Only you've come by the footpath." Madge stood up to direct him, pointing up the canyon a quarter of a mile. "You see that blasted redwood? Take the little trail turning off to the right. It's the short cut to her house. You can't miss it."

"Yes'm, thank you, ma'am (да, мэм, спасибо, мэм)," he said. He made tentative efforts to go (он сделал пробную попытку уйти = он попробовал уйти; to make an effort — сделать усилие, попытаться; tentative — испытательный, опытный, пробный), but seemed awkwardly rooted to the spot (но казался неуклюже прикованным к месту). He was gazing at her with an open admiration of which he was quite unconscious (он уставился на нее с таким искренним восхищением, которого он совершенно не сознавал), and which was drowning, along with him (и которое тонуло вместе с ним), in the rising sea of embarrassment in which he floundered (в поднимающемся море смущения, в котором он барахтался).

"We'd like to hear you tell about the Klondike (мы бы хотели услышать ваши рассказы о Клондайке)," Madge said. "Mayn't we come over some day (может, мы зайдем к вам как-нибудь; to come over — заезжать, заходить) while you are at your sister's (пока вы будете у сестры)? Or, better yet, won't you come over and have dinner with us (или, еще лучше, заходите и поужинаете с нами; to have dinner — обедать, ужинать; dinner — обед /главная трапеза дня; в 7-8 часов вечера/)?"

"Yes'm, thank you, ma'am," he said. He made tentative efforts to go, but seemed awkwardly rooted to the spot. He was gazing at her with an open admiration of which he was quite unconscious, and which was drowning, along with him, in the rising sea of embarrassment in which he floundered.

"We'd like to hear you tell about the Klondike," Madge said. "Mayn't we come over some day while you are at your sister's? Or, better yet, won't you come over and have dinner with us?"

"Yes'm, thank you, ma'am (да, мэм, благодарю, мэм)," he mumbled mechanically (механически пробормотал он). Then he caught himself up and added (потом он очнулся/собрался с мыслями: «подхватил себя» и добавил; to catch up — подхватить): "I ain't stoppin' long (я останавлюсь ненадолго). I got to be pullin' north again (мне снова нужно двигать на север; to pull — уезжать, двигать). I go out on to-night's train (я уезжаю сегодня вечерним поездом). You see, I've got a mail contract with the government (видите ли, у меня контракт с правительством на доставку почты; mail — почта /система доставки корреспонденции/)."

When Madge had said that it was too bad (когда Мэдж сказала, что очень жаль; it is too bad! — вот беда!), he made another futile effort to go (он совершил еще одну бесплодную попытку уйти; futile — бесполезный, напрасный, тщетный). But he could not take his eyes from her face (но он не мог оторвать глаз от ее лица). He forgot his embarrassment in his admiration (он забыл о своем замешательстве от восхищения), and it was her turn to flush and feel uncomfortable (и пришла ее очередь краснеть и чувствовать себя неловко).

"Yes'm, thank you, ma'am," he mumbled mechanically. Then he caught himself up and added: "I ain't stoppin' long. I got to be pullin' north again. I go out on to-night's train. You see, I've got a mail contract with the government."

When Madge had said that it was too bad, he made another futile effort to go. But he could not take his eyes from her face. He forgot his embarrassment in his admiration, and it was her turn to flush and feel uncomfortable.