The Enchanted April | Gradually Hardening Czech A1 Translation Books

The Enchanted April | Gradually Hardening Czech A1 Translation Books

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Chapter1
ItbeganinaWoman’sClubinLondononaFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,
a
and
amiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,whohadcomedownfromHampsteadtoshop
a
and
hadlunchedatherclub,tookupTheTimesfromthetableinthesmoking-room,
a
and
runningherlistlesseyedowntheAgonyColumnsaw
toto
this:
.
ToThosewhoAppreciateWistaria
a
and
Sunshine.
SmallmediaevalItalianCastleontheshoresoftheMediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforthemonthofApril.
Necessaryservantsremain.
Z,Box1000,TheTimes.
Thatwasitsconception;
přesto
yet
,asinthecaseof
mnoha
many
another,theconceiverwasunawareofitatthe
chvíli
moment
.
SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.WilkinsthatherAprilforthat
rok
year
hadthenandtherebeensettledforherthatshedroppedthenewspaper
s
with
agesturethatwasbothirritated
a
and
resigned,andwentovertothewindow
a
and
stareddrearilyoutatthedripping
ulici
street
.
Notforherweremediaevalcastles,even
ty
those
thatarespeciallydescribedas
malé
small
.
NotforhertheshoresinApriloftheMediterranean,
a
and
thewistariaandsunshine.
Takové
Such
delightswereonlyfortherich.
Yettheadvertisementhadbeenaddressedtopersonswhoappreciate
těchto
these
things,sothatithadbeen,anyhow,addressedtootoher,forshecertainlyappreciatedthem;
více
more
thananybodyknew;
more
než
than
shehadevertold.
Ale
But
shewaspoor.
Inthewhole
světě
world
shepossessedofhervery
vlastní
own
onlyninetypounds,savedfromyeartoyear,
dal
put
bycarefullypoundbypound,outofherdressallowance.
Shehadscraped
tuto
this
sumtogetheratthesuggestionofherhusbandasashield
a
and
refugeagainstarainy
dni
day
.
Herdressallowance,givenherbyher
otec
father
,was£100ayear,sothatMrs.Wilkins’sclotheswerewhather
manžel
husband
,urginghertosave,calledmodest
a
and
becoming,andheracquaintancetoeachother,
když
when
theyspokeofheratall,whichwasseldomforshewas
velmi
very
negligible,calledaperfectsight.
Mr.
Wilkins,asolicitor,encouragedthrift,exceptthatbranchofitwhichgotintohisfood.
Hedidnotcallthatthrift,hecalledit
špatné
bad
housekeeping.
Butforthethrift
která
which
,likemoth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’sclothes
a
and
spoiltthem,hehad
mnoho
much
praise.
“Youneverknow,”hesaid,“whentherewillbearainy
den
day
,andyoumaybe
velmi
very
gladtofindyouhaveanest-egg.
Indeedwe
oba
both
may.”
Lookingoutof
na
the
clubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasaneconomicalclub,
ale
but
convenientforHampstead,whereshelived,
a
and
forShoolbred’s,wheresheshopped—Mrs.
Wilkins,havingstood
tam
there
sometimeverydrearily,hermind’seyeontheMediterraneaninApril,
a
and
thewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesoftherich,
zatímco
while
herbodilyeyewatchedthe
opravdu
really
extremelyhorriblesootyrainfallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellas
a
and
splashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedwhether
možná
perhaps
thiswasnottherainy
den
day
Mellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooftenencouragedhertopreparefor,
a
and
whethertogetoutofsuchaclimate
a
and
intothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’t
možná
perhaps
whatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodo
s
with
hersavings.
Partofhersavings,of
samozřejmě
course
;
perhapsquiteasmall
část
part
.
Thecastle,beingmediaeval,might
také
also
bedilapidated,anddilapidationsweresurelycheap.
Shewouldn’tintheleastminda
několik
few
ofthem,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidations
která
which
werealreadythere;
onthecontrary—byreducingthepriceyouhadtopaythey
opravdu
really
paidyou.
Butwhatnonsenseto
myslet
think
ofit...
Sheturnedawayfromthewindow
s
with
thesamegestureofmingledirritation
a
and
resignationwithwhichshehadlaiddownTheTimes,
a
and
crossedtheroomtowardsthedoor
s
with
theintentionofgettinghermackintosh
a
and
umbrellaandfightingherwayinto
jednoho
one
oftheovercrowdedomnibuses
a
and
goingtoShoolbred’sonherway
domů
home
andbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficult
s
with
fishandlikedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,awomansheknewbysightasalsolivinginHampstead
a
and
belongingtotheclub,sittingatthetableinthemiddleoftheroomonwhichthenewspapers
a
and
magazineswerekept,absorbed,inherturn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.
Mrs.
Wilkinshad
nikdy
never
yetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,whobelongedto
jedné
one
ofthevariouschurchsets,
a
and
whoanalysed,classified,divided
a
and
registeredthepoor;
whereasshe
a
and
Mellersh,whentheydidgo
ven
out
,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadtherewere
mnoho
many
.
Mellershhadasisterwhohadmarried
jednoho
one
ofthemandlivedupontheHeath,
a
and
becauseofthisallianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoacirclewhichwashighlyunnaturaltoher,
a
and
shehadlearnedtodreadpictures.
Shehadto
říct
say
thingsaboutthem,andshedidn’tknowwhatto
říct
say
.
Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
a
and
feelthatitwasnotenough.
Ale
But
nobodyminded.
Nobodylistened.
Nikdo
Nobody
tookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.
Shewasthekindof
osoba
person
whoisnotnoticedatparties.
Herclothes,infestedbythrift,madeherpracticallyinvisible;
her
tvář
face
wasnon-arresting;
herconversationwasreluctant;
shewasshy.
A
And
ifone’sclothesand
tvář
face
andconversationareallnegligible,thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whorecognisedherdisabilities,
co
what
,atparties,isthereleftofone?
Také
Also
shewasalwayswithWilkins,thatclean-shaven,fine-looking
muž
man
,whogaveaparty,merelybycomingto
to
it
,agreatair.
Wilkinswas
velmi
very
respectable.
Hewasknowntobehighlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.
Hissister’scircleadmired
ho
him
.
Hepronouncedadequatelyintelligentjudgmentsonart
a
and
artists.
Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
he
nikdy
never
saidawordtoomuch,nor,ontheotherhand,didheeversaya
slovo
word
toolittle.
Heproducedtheimpressionofkeepingcopiesofeverythinghesaid;
a
and
hewassoobviouslyreliable
že
that
itoftenhappenedthat
lidé
people
whomethimat
těchto
these
partiesbecamediscontentedwiththeirownsolicitors,
a
and
afteraperiodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselves
a
and
wenttoWilkins.
NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”saidhis
sestra
sister
,withsomethingherselfofthejudicial,thedigested,
a
and
thefinalinhermanner,“should
zůstat
stay
athome.”
ButWilkinscouldnot
nechat
leave
hiswifeathome.
Hewasafamilysolicitor,
a
and
allsuchhavewives
a
and
showthem.
Withhisinthe
týdnu
week
hewenttoparties,
a
and
withhisonSundayshewenttochurch.
Beingstillfairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousof
staré
old
ladies,ofwhomhehadnotyetacquiredinhispracticeasufficient
počet
number
,hecouldnotaffordto
chybět
miss
church,anditwas
tam
there
thatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,
i když
though
neverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.
Shesawhermarshallingthe
děti
children
ofthepoorintopews.
Shewouldcomeinatthe
čele
head
oftheprocessionfromtheSunday
Školy
School
exactlyfiveminutesbeforethechoir,
a
and
getherboysandgirlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,
a
and
downontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminaryprayer,
a
and
upagainontheirfeetjustas,totheswellingorgan,thevestry
dveře
door
opened,andthechoir
a
and
clergy,bigwiththelitanies
a
and
commandmentstheywerepresentlytorollout,emerged.
Shehadasad
tvář
face
,yetshewasevidentlyefficient.
ThecombinationusedtomakeMrs.Wilkinswonder,forshehadbeentoldbyMellersh,ondays
kdy
when
shehadonlybeenableto
dostat
get
plaice,thatifonewereefficientonewouldn’tbedepressed,
a
and
thatifonedoesone’s
práci
job
wellonebecomesautomaticallybright
a
and
brisk.
AboutMrs.Arbuthnottherewas
nic
nothing
brightandbrisk,though
hodně
much
inherwaywiththeSunday
Školy
School
childrenthatwasautomatic;
ale
but
whenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthewindow,caughtsightofherintheclubshewasnotbeingautomaticatall,
ale
but
waslookingfixedlyat
jednu
one
portionofthefirstpageofTheTimes,holdingthepaper
docela
quite
still,hereyesnotmoving.
Shewas
jen
just
staring;
andherface,asusual,wasthe
obličej
face
ofapatientanddisappointedMadonna.
Obeyinganimpulseshewonderedatevenwhileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,theshy
a
and
thereluctant,insteadofproceedingasshehadintendedtothecloakroom
a
and
fromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsearchofMellersh’sfish,stoppedatthetable
a
and
satdownexactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehad
nikdy
never
yetspokeninherlife.
Itwas
jeden
one
ofthoselong,narrowrefectorytables,so
že
that
theywerequiteclosetoeachother.
Mrs.
Arbuthnot,however,didnotlook
nahoru
up
.
Shecontinuedtogaze,
s
with
eyesthatseemedtobedreaming,atonespot
jen
only
ofTheTimes.
Mrs.
Wilkinswatchedhera
chvíli
minute
,tryingtoscrewupcouragetospeaktoher.
Shewantedto
zeptat
ask
herifshehadseentheadvertisement.
Shedidnotknow
proč
why
shewantedtoaskherthis,
ale
but
shewantedto.
Howstupidnottobeableto
mluvit
speak
toher.
Shelookedsokind.
Shelookedsounhappy.
Proč
Why
couldn’ttwounhappypeoplerefresheachotherontheir
cestě
way
throughthisdustybusinessoflifebyalittletalk—real,naturaltalk,aboutwhattheyfelt,whattheywouldhaveliked,whatthey
stále
still
triedtohope?
Andshecouldnothelpthinking
že
that
Mrs.Arbuthnot,too,wasreading
že
that
verysameadvertisement.
Hereyeswereonthevery
části
part
ofthepaper.
Wasshe,too,picturingwhatitwouldbelike—thecolour,thefragrance,the
světlo
light
,thesoftlappingoftheseaamonglittlehotrocks?
Colour,fragrance,
světlo
light
,sea;
insteadofShaftesburyAvenue,
a
and
thewetomnibuses,andthefishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,
a
and
theTubetoHampstead,
a
and
dinner,andto-morrowthesame
a
and
thedayafterthesame
a
and
alwaysthesame...
SuddenlyMrs.Wilkinsfoundherselfleaningacrossthetable.
“Areyoureading
o
about
themediaevalcastleandthewistaria?”
sheheardherselfasking.
NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwassurprised;
ale
but
shewasnothalfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforasking.
Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnot
ještě
yet
toherknowledgeseteyesontheshabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherfiguresittingopposite
her
,withitssmallfreckled
tváří
face
andbiggreyeyes
téměř
almost
disappearingunderasmashed-downwet-weatherhat,
a
and
shegazedathera
chvíli
moment
withoutanswering.
Shewasreading
o
about
themediaevalcastleandthewistaria,
nebo
or
ratherhadreadaboutit
před deseti
ten
minutesbefore,andsincethenhadbeenlostindreams—of
světle
light
,ofcolour,offragrance,ofthesoftlappingoftheseaamonglittlehotrocks...
“Whydoyouaskmethat?”
shesaidinhergravevoice,forhertrainingof
a
and
bythepoorhadmadehergrave
a
and
patient.
Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
a
and
lookedexcessivelyshyandfrightened.
“Oh,
jen
only
becauseIsawit
taky
too
,andIthoughtperhaps—Ithoughtsomehow—”
shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,hermindbeingusedtogettingpeopleintolists
a
and
divisions,fromhabitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,
pod
under
whatheading,supposingshehadtoclassifyher,shecouldmostproperlybeput.
“AndIknowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,who,
jako
like
alltheshy,onceshewasstartedplungedon,frighteningherselfto
více
more
andmorespeechbythesheersoundofwhatshehadsaid
naposledy
last
inherears.
“EverySunday—Iseeyou
každou
every
Sundayinchurch—”.
“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Andthisseemssuchawonderfulthing—thisadvertisement
o
about
thewistaria—and—”.
Mrs.
Wilkins,whomusthavebeenat
nejméně
least
thirty,brokeoffandwriggledinherchair
s
with
themovementofanawkward
a
and
embarrassedschoolgirl.
“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentoninakindofburst,“and—itissuchamiserable
den
day
...”
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotwiththeeyesofanimprisoned
psa
dog
.
“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,whose
život
life
wasspentinhelping
a
and
alleviating,“needsadvice.”
Sheaccordinglypreparedherselfpatientlytogiveit.
“Ifyouseemeinchurch,”shesaid,kindly
a
and
attentively,“IsupposeyouliveinHampsteadtoo?”
“Ohyes,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
A
And
sherepeated,herheadonitslongthinneckdroopingalittleasiftherecollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”
“Where?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,
když
when
advicewasneeded,naturally
nejprve
first
proceededtocollectthefacts.
Ale
But
Mrs.Wilkins,layingher
ruku
hand
softlyandcaressinglyonthe
část
part
ofTheTimeswheretheadvertisementwas,asthoughthemereprintedwordsofitwereprecious,
jen
only
said,“Perhapsthat’swhythisseemssowonderful.”
“No—Ithinkthat’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,forgettingfacts
a
and
faintlysighing.
“Thenyouwerereadingit?”
“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamy
opět
again
.
“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot.
Her
tvář
face
,whichhadlitup,fadedintopatience
opět
again
.
“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’snousewastingone’stimethinkingofsuchthings.”
“Oh,
ale
but
itis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’squick,surprisingreply;
surprising
protože
because
itwassomuchunliketherestofher—thecharacterlesscoat
a
and
skirt,thecrumpledhat,theundecidedwispofhairstragglingout.
“And
jen
just
theconsideringofthemisworthwhileinitself—sucha
změna
change
fromHampstead—andsometimesIbelieve—I
opravdu
really
dobelieve—ifoneconsidershard
dost
enough
onegetsthings.”
Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedherpatiently.
Inwhatcategorywouldshe,supposingshehadto,put
ji
her
?
“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaningforwardalittle,“youwilltellmeyour
jméno
name
.
Ifwearetobefriends”—shesmiledhergravesmile—“asI
doufám
hope
weare,wehadbetterbeginatthebeginning.”
“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Idon’texpect,”sheadded,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotsaidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.
Někdy
Sometimes
it—itdoesn’tseemtoconvey
nic
anything
tomeeither.
But”—shelookedround
s
with
amovementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”
Shedidnotlikeher
jméno
name
.
Itwasamean,
malé
small
name,withakindoffacetioustwist,shethought,
o
about
itsendliketheupwardcurveofapugdog’stail.
Tam
There
itwas,however.
Therewasnodoing
nic
anything
withit.
Wilkinsshewas
a
and
Wilkinsshewouldremain;
a
and
thoughherhusbandencouragedhertogiveitonalloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshe
jen
only
didthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshethoughtMellershmadeWilkinsworse,emphasisingitinthewayChatsworthonthegate-postsofavillaemphasisesthevilla.
Když
When
firsthesuggestedsheshouldaddMellershshehadobjectedfortheabovereason,
a
and
afterapause—Mellershwasmuch
příliš
too
prudenttospeakexcept
po
after
apause,duringwhichpresumablyhewastakingacarefulmentalcopyofhiscomingobservation—hesaid,muchdispleased,“ButIamnotavilla,”
a
and
lookedatherashelooks
kdo
who
hopes,forperhapsthehundredthtime,thathemaynothavemarriedafool.
Of
samozřejmě
course
hewasnotavilla,Mrs.Wilkinsassured
ho
him
;
shehadneversupposedhewas;
shehadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonlyjustthinking...
The
víc
more
sheexplainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’s
naděje
hope
,familiartohimbythis
době
time
,forhehadthenbeenahusbandfor
dva
two
years,thathemightnotbyanychancehavemarriedafool;
a
and
theyhadaprolongedquarrel,
pokud
if
thatcanbecalledaquarrelwhichisconducted
s
with
dignifiedsilenceonone
straně
side
andearnestapologyontheother,astowhetherornoMrs.WilkinshadintendedtosuggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla.
“Ibelieve,”shehadthought
když
when
itwasatlastover—ittooka
dlouho
long
while—“thatanybodywouldquarrel
o
about
anythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeingtogetherforasingle
den
day
fortwowholeyears.
Whatwe
oba
both
needisaholiday.”
“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,tryingtothrowsomelightonherself,“isasolicitor.
He—”
Shecastaboutfor
něco
something
shecouldsayelucidatoryofMellersh,
a
and
found:
“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”saidMrs.Arbuthnotkindly,“that
musí
must
beagreatpleasuretoyou.”
“Why?”
askedMrs.Wilkins.
“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,alittletakenaback,forconstantintercourse
s
with
thepoorhadaccustomedhertohaveherpronouncementsaccepted
bez
without
question,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isagift
jako
like
anyother,andifitisproperlyused—”.
Shetrailedoffintosilence.
Mrs.Wilkins’s
velké
great
greyeyeswerefixedon
její
her
,anditseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnot
že
that
perhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoahabitofexposition,
a
and
ofexpositionafterthemannerofnursemaids,throughhavinganaudience
že
that
couldn’tbutagree,thatwouldbeafraid,
pokud
if
itwished,tointerrupt,
že
that
didn’tknow,thatwas,infact,athermercy.
Ale
But
Mrs.Wilkinswasnotlistening;
for
právě
just
then,absurdasitseemed,apicturehadflashedacrossherbrain,
a
and
thereweretwofiguresinitsitting
společně
together
underagreattrailingwistariathatstretchedacrossthebranchesofatreeshedidn’tknow,
a
and
itwasherselfandMrs.Arbuthnot—shesawthem—shesaw
je
them
.
Andbehindthem,brightinsunshine,were
staré
old
greywalls—themediaevalcastle—shesawit—theywere
tam
there
...
ShethereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnot
a
and
didnotheara
slovo
word
shesaid.
AndMrs.ArbuthnotstaredtooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedbytheexpressiononherface,
který
which
wassweptbytheexcitementofwhatshesaw,
a
and
wasasluminousandtremulous
pod
under
itaswaterinsunlight
když
when
itisruffledbyagustofwind.
At
tuto
this
moment,ifshehadbeenataparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedat
s
with
interest.
Theystaredateachother;
Mrs.Arbuthnotsurprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkinswiththeeyesofsomeone
kdo
who
hashadarevelation.
Of
samozřejmě
course
.
Thatwashowitcouldbedone.
Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’tafford
to
it
,andwouldn’tbeable,
i
even
ifshecouldafford
to
it
,togothereall
sama
alone
;
butsheandMrs.Arbuthnottogether...
Sheleanedacrossthetable.
“Whydon’twetryand
získat
get
it?”
shewhispered.
Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecame
ještě
even
morewide-eyed.
“Getit?”
sherepeated.
“Yes,”saidMrs.Wilkins,
stále
still
asthoughshewereafraidofbeingoverheard.
“Not
jen
just
sithereandsayHowwonderful,
a
and
thengohometoHampsteadwithouthavingputoutafinger—go
domů
home
justasusualandseeaboutthe
večeři
dinner
andthefishjustaswe’vebeendoingforyears
a
and
yearsandwillgoondoingforyears
a
and
years.
Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingtotherootsofherhair,forthe
zvuk
sound
ofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwascomingpouringout,frightened
ji
her
,andyetshecouldn’t
přestat
stop
,“Iseenoendtoit.
Thereisno
konec
end
toit.
Sothatthereoughttobeabreak,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.
Why,itwould
opravdu
really
bebeingunselfishtogo
pryč
away
andbehappyforalittle,
protože
because
wewouldcomebackso
mnohem
much
nicer.
Yousee,afterabit
každý
everybody
needsaholiday.”
“But—howdoyoumean,
dostat
get
it?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Takeit?”