Научная литература
booksshare.net -> Добавить материал -> Лингвистика -> Камянова Т. -> "Практический курс английского языка" -> 185

Практический курс английского языка - Камянова Т.

Камянова Т. Практический курс английского языка — М.: Дом Славянской Книги, 2005. — 384 c.
ISBN 5-85550-177-9
Скачать (прямая ссылка): praktichkurseng2005.djvu
Предыдущая << 1 .. 179 180 181 182 183 184 < 185 > 186 187 188 189 190 191 .. 285 >> Следующая

I stayed on a little with the riddle of the Ages, feeling it quite simple compared with this riddle of the moment. Then I followed him down. Would the material matters draw him back? Will he change his mind? After all, these four people had to live - could they afford to go on and lose their realities? Helen Radolin had no money, I knew; Weymouth had his job and a few hundreds saved; Jessie Weymouth had a retired Colonel for a father; Radolin his banking shares.
A night of walls had its effect. Radolin took his wife back to Heliopolis next day. I didn't see them off. The Weymouths remained at Mena House; in three days they were due to leave too.
I well remember thinking: «There, you see, it's coming to its end. This was a desert mirage and will pass like one. People are not struck by lightening!* My attitude towards the event itself was becoming more and more pessimistic. Still I was curious of what the future was preparing for my friend.
In a tramcar on the way to Heliopolis I felt a sort of bitter disappointment - Helen Radolin was a Roman Catholic, Frank Weymouth an English gentleman. These two facts were such an obstacle to what I wanted to stop. But we all would like to have a great love for the romantic, wouldn't we? Well! The Radolins were gone. They had started that morning for Constantinople. In the Oriental hall where all this had begun, I sat having my Turkish coffee, thinking of my friend Weymouth, so tired and inert, his little wife's flirting manners, a nice fellow Radolin; Helen Radolin, silent, with tears in her ice-green eyes as if she had been crying. And suddenly one of them materialized - Weymouth was standing as if lost, where the lobby opened into the hall. From his face it was clear to me that he knew they were gone. He pretended not to see me, and before I could join him he went out. I am sorry now that I didn't follow him.
251
TEXT
That evening I was just beginning to undress when Jessie Weymouth knocked at my door.
«Have you seen Frank?»
I told her where I had seen him in the afternoon.
«That woman!» she cried. «He has not come back.»
I made her sure that the Radolins had gone away home. She stared at me, and burst out crying. She cried and cried, and I didn't try to stop her. She was not only unhappy, but she was also angry.
«So long as she can be angry,» I thought, «she'll overcome it. One is not angry under a deathbiow».
What was she to do? I tried to persuade her that Frank would turn up in time for them to start tomorrow evening. He was probably trying to work the thing out of his system. It was not his fault, I said, he was not going to betray her. She must look on it as a fever, a kind of illness. She laughed widely and went out.
Weymouth didn't turn up, but the morning brought me a letter enclosing a check for 300 pounds, a note to his wife, and an envelope addressed to the director of his Public School.
The letter to me ran as follows:
«ОШ man, I admit that I behave like an idiot, but it's either this or the sweet waters of the river; and there is less scandal this way. I have made up some story for my chief. Will you do me e favour, post it. The cheque is for all money I've got except some fifty pounds. Take care of it for my_ wife; she'll get another five hundred out of selling our house. She will go to her father, no doubt, and forget me, I hope. I don't think I'll ever come back to England. The future is quite dark, but where she is I must be. Poste restante Constantinople will find me, so far as I know at present. Good bye and be happy.
Sincerely yours, F.W.»
A week later I, too, started for Constantinople, partly because I had promised Mrs.Weymouth, partly because I couldn't help thinking of my friend being on the top of his passion, without a job and almost without money. I could hardly imagine his life under such circumstances, and I came to the conclusion that I had to go and help him.
The Radolins lived in an old house on the far shore almost opposite the Rumeli Hissar. I called on them, and found Helene Radoline alone. She spoke to me quite freely:
«I love him, he has won my heart. But it is madness, і have tried to send him away; but he will not go. You see, I am a Catholic; my religion means much to me. I must not go away with him. Take him back to England with you; I cannot bear to see him ruin his life like this for те.» I was looking at her with the wonder whether it was a matter of religion or a matter of finance.
«Ahl» she said. «You don't understand; you think I am afraid of poverty with him. No! I am afraid of losing my soul and his.»
The way she said that was extraordinary impressive. I asked her if she iaw him.
«Yes, he comes to me. I have to let him. I cannot bear the look on his face when I say «No.» He is an honest man.» And she gave me his address.
Weymouth had a garret in a little Greek hotel, chosen for its cheapness. He didn't seem surprised to see me. But he looked very dull, his eyes deep on his face.
«I wouldn't like to go into details,» he said, «but if she didn't love me, I could bear it. But she does. Well! So long as I can see her, I shall stand it; and she'll come - she'll come to me at last. It will be fair.»
Предыдущая << 1 .. 179 180 181 182 183 184 < 185 > 186 187 188 189 190 191 .. 285 >> Следующая

Реклама

c1c0fc952cf0704ad12d6af2ad3bf47e03017fed

Есть, чем поделиться? Отправьте
материал
нам
Авторские права © 2009 BooksShare.
Все права защищены.
Rambler's Top100

c1c0fc952cf0704ad12d6af2ad3bf47e03017fed