The Enchanted April | Progressive Translation Books for Russian A1-B2 Students

The Enchanted April | Progressive Translation Books for Russian A1-B2 Students

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

Chapter1
ItbeganinaWoman’s
Клуб
Club
inLondononaFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortable
клуб
club
,andamiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,whohadcome
вниз
down
fromHampsteadtoshop
и
and
hadlunchedather
клуб
club
,tookupTheTimesfromthetableinthesmoking-room,
и
and
runningherlistlesseye
вниз
down
theAgonyColumnsawthis:.
To
Тех
Those
whoAppreciateWistariaand
Солнце
Sunshine
.
SmallmediaevalItalianCastleontheshoresoftheMediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforthemonthofApril.
Необходимые
Necessary
servantsremain.
Z,Box1000,TheTimes.
Это
That
wasitsconception;
yet,asinthecaseofmanyanother,theconceiverwasunawareofitatthe
момент
moment
.
SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.Wilkins
что
that
herAprilforthatyearhadthen
и
and
therebeensettledforher
что
that
shedroppedthenewspaper
с
with
agesturethatwasbothirritated
и
and
resigned,andwentovertothewindow
и
and
stareddrearilyoutatthedrippingstreet.
Notforherweremediaevalcastles,
даже
even
thosethatarespeciallydescribedassmall.
NotforhertheshoresinApriloftheMediterranean,
и
and
thewistariaandsunshine.
Такие
Such
delightswereonlyfortherich.
Yetthe
реклама
advertisement
hadbeenaddressedtopersonswhoappreciate
эти
these
things,sothatithadbeen,anyhow,addressedtooto
ей
her
,forshecertainlyappreciated
их
them
;
morethananybodyknew;
больше
more
thanshehadevertold.
Но
But
shewaspoor.
Inthewhole
мире
world
shepossessedofherveryown
только
only
ninetypounds,savedfrom
год
year
toyear,putby
тщательно
carefully
poundbypound,outofherdressallowance.
Shehadscraped
эту
this
sumtogetheratthesuggestionofherhusbandasashield
и
and
refugeagainstarainy
дня
day
.
Herdressallowance,givenherbyherfather,was£100a
год
year
,sothatMrs.Wilkins’s
одежда
clothes
werewhatherhusband,urgingherto
экономии
save
,calledmodestandbecoming,andher
знакомство
acquaintance
toeachother,whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwasseldomforshewas
очень
very
negligible,calledaperfectsight.
Mr.
Wilkins,
в
a
solicitor,encouragedthrift,exceptthat
ветвь
branch
ofitwhichgotintohisfood.
Hedidnotcallthatthrift,hecalleditbadhousekeeping.
Но
But
forthethriftwhich,
как
like
moth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’sclothes
и
and
spoiltthem,hehad
много
much
praise.
“Youneverknow,”hesaid,“whenthere
будет
will
bearainyday,
и
and
youmaybeverygladtofindyouhaveanest-egg.
Действительно
Indeed
webothmay.”
Lookingoutofthe
клуб
club
windowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasaneconomical
клуб
club
,butconvenientforHampstead,
где
where
shelived,andforShoolbred’s,
где
where
sheshopped—Mrs.
Wilkins,havingstood
там
there
sometimeverydrearily,hermind’s
глаз
eye
ontheMediterraneaninApril,
и
and
thewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesoftherich,whileherbodily
глаз
eye
watchedthereallyextremelyhorriblesooty
дождь
rain
fallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellas
и
and
splashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedwhether
возможно
perhaps
thiswasnotthe
дождливый
rainy
dayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooftenencouragedhertopreparefor,
и
and
whethertogetoutofsuchaclimate
и
and
intothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’t
возможно
perhaps
whatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodowithhersavings.
Часть
Part
ofhersavings,of
конечно
course
;
perhapsquiteasmall
часть
part
.
Thecastle,beingmediaeval,might
также
also
bedilapidated,anddilapidationswere
безусловно
surely
cheap.
Shewouldn’tinthe
бы
least
mindafewof
них
them
,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidations
что
which
werealreadythere;
onthecontrary—byreducingthepriceyouhadto
заплатить
pay
theyreallypaidyou.
Но
But
whatnonsensetothinkofit...
Sheturnedawayfromthewindowwiththe
же
same
gestureofmingledirritation
и
and
resignationwithwhichshehadlaiddownTheTimes,
и
and
crossedtheroomtowardsthedoorwiththeintentionofgettinghermackintosh
и
and
umbrellaandfightingherwayinto
один
one
oftheovercrowdedomnibuses
и
and
goingtoShoolbred’sonherway
домой
home
andbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficultwithfish
и
and
likedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,awomansheknewbysightasalsolivinginHampstead
и
and
belongingtotheclub,sittingatthetableinthemiddleoftheroomonwhichthenewspapers
и
and
magazineswerekept,absorbed,inherturn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.
Mrs.
Wilkinshadnever
еще
yet
spokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,whobelongedtooneofthe
различных
various
churchsets,andwhoanalysed,classified,divided
и
and
registeredthepoor;
whereasshe
и
and
Mellersh,whentheydidgoout,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadtherewere
много
many
.
Mellershhadasisterwhohadmarriedoneofthem
и
and
livedupontheHeath,
и
and
becauseofthisallianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoa
круг
circle
whichwashighlyunnaturalto
нее
her
,andshehadlearnedto
бояться
dread
pictures.
Shehadto
сказать
say
thingsaboutthem,andshedidn’tknowwhatto
сказать
say
.
Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
и
and
feelthatitwasnotenough.
Но
But
nobodyminded.
Nobodylistened.
Никто
Nobody
tookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.
Shewasthekindofpersonwhoisnotnoticedatparties.
Her
одежда
clothes
,infestedbythrift,madeher
практически
practically
invisible;
herfacewasnon-arresting;
her
разговор
conversation
wasreluctant;
shewasshy.
И
And
ifone’sclothesand
лицо
face
andconversationareallnegligible,thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whorecognisedherdisabilities,
что
what
,atparties,isthereleftofone?
Кроме того
Also
shewasalwayswithWilkins,
что
that
clean-shaven,fine-lookingman,whogaveaparty,
просто
merely
bycomingtoit,a
большой
great
air.
Wilkinswasveryrespectable.
Hewasknowntobe
высоко
highly
thoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.
Hissister’s
круг
circle
admiredhim.
Hepronouncedadequatelyintelligentjudgmentsonart
и
and
artists.
Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
heneversaidaword
слишком
too
much,nor,onthe
другой
other
hand,didheeversayaword
слишком
too
little.
Heproducedthe
впечатление
impression
ofkeepingcopiesofeverythinghesaid;
и
and
hewassoobviouslyreliablethatit
часто
often
happenedthatpeoplewhomethimatthesepartiesbecamediscontented
с
with
theirownsolicitors,and
после
after
aperiodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselves
и
and
wenttoWilkins.
NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”saidhis
сестра
sister
,withsomethingherselfofthejudicial,thedigested,
и
and
thefinalinher
манере
manner
,“shouldstayathome.”
Но
But
Wilkinscouldnotleavehiswifeat
дома
home
.
Hewasafamilysolicitor,
и
and
allsuchhavewives
и
and
showthem.
Withhisinthe
неделю
week
hewenttoparties,
а
and
withhisonSundayshewentto
церковь
church
.
Beingstillfairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousofoldladies,ofwhomhehadnotyetacquiredinhis
практике
practice
asufficientnumber,hecouldnot
позволить себе
afford
tomisschurch,anditwas
там
there
thatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,
хотя
though
neverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.
Shesawhermarshallingthe
детей
children
ofthepoorintopews.
ShewouldcomeinattheheadoftheprocessionfromtheSunday
Школы
School
exactlyfiveminutesbeforethe
хор
choir
,andgetherboys
и
and
girlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,
и
and
downontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminaryprayer,
и
and
upagainontheir
ноги
feet
justas,totheswellingorgan,thevestry
дверь
door
opened,andthechoir
и
and
clergy,bigwiththelitanies
и
and
commandmentstheywerepresentlytorollout,emerged.
Shehadasad
лицо
face
,yetshewasevidentlyefficient.
The
комбинация
combination
usedtomakeMrs.Wilkinswonder,forshehadbeentoldbyMellersh,ondays
когда
when
shehadonlybeenabletogetplaice,
что
that
ifonewereefficientonewouldn’tbe
подавлен
depressed
,andthatifonedoesone’s
работу
job
wellonebecomesautomaticallybright
и
and
brisk.
AboutMrs.Arbuthnottherewas
ничего
nothing
brightandbrisk,though
много
much
inherwaywiththeSunday
Школы
School
childrenthatwasautomatic;
но
but
whenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthewindow,caughtsightofherintheclubshewasnotbeingautomaticatall,
но
but
waslookingfixedlyatone
часть
portion
ofthefirstpageofTheTimes,holdingthepaperquitestill,hereyesnotmoving.
Shewas
просто
just
staring;
andherface,as
обычно
usual
,wasthefaceofapatient
и
and
disappointedMadonna.
Obeyinganimpulseshewonderedatevenwhileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,theshy
и
and
thereluctant,insteadofproceedingasshehadintendedtothecloakroom
и
and
fromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsearchofMellersh’s
рыбы
fish
,stoppedatthetable
и
and
satdownexactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehadneveryetspokeninher
жизни
life
.
Itwasoneof
тех
those
long,narrowrefectorytables,sothattheywere
довольно
quite
closetoeachother.
Mrs.
Arbuthnot,
однако
however
,didnotlookup.
Shecontinuedtogaze,witheyes
которые
that
seemedtobedreaming,atone
место
spot
onlyofTheTimes.
Mrs.
Wilkinswatchedhera
минуту
minute
,tryingtoscrewupcouragetospeaktoher.
Shewantedto
спросить
ask
herifshehadseentheadvertisement.
Shedidnotknow
почему
why
shewantedtoaskherthis,
но
but
shewantedto.
How
глупо
stupid
nottobeabletospeakto
ней
her
.
Shelookedsokind.
Shelookedsounhappy.
Почему
Why
couldn’ttwounhappypeople
освежить
refresh
eachotherontheirway
через
through
thisdustybusinessof
жизни
life
byalittletalk—real,naturaltalk,aboutwhattheyfelt,whattheywouldhaveliked,whattheystilltriedto
надеяться
hope
?
Andshecouldnothelpthinking
что
that
Mrs.Arbuthnot,too,wasreading
что
that
verysameadvertisement.
Hereyeswereontheverypartofthe
бумаги
paper
.
Wasshe,too,picturingwhatitwouldbelike—the
цвет
colour
,thefragrance,thelight,thesoftlappingofthesea
среди
among
littlehotrocks?
Colour,
аромат
fragrance
,light,sea;
insteadofShaftesbury
Авеню
Avenue
,andthewetomnibuses,andthefish
отдел
department
atShoolbred’s,andtheTubetoHampstead,and
ужин
dinner
,andto-morrowthesameandthedayafterthesameand
всегда
always
thesame...
Внезапно
Suddenly
Mrs.Wilkinsfoundherselfleaning
через
across
thetable.
“Areyoureading
о
about
themediaevalcastleandthewistaria?”
sheheardherselfasking.
Естественно
Naturally
Mrs.Arbuthnotwassurprised;
но
but
shewasnothalfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforasking.
Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnot
еще
yet
toherknowledgeseteyesontheshabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherfiguresitting
напротив
opposite
her,withitssmallfreckledface
и
and
biggreyeyesalmostdisappearing
под
under
asmashed-downwet-weatherhat,
и
and
shegazedathera
мгновение
moment
withoutanswering.
Shewasreadingaboutthemediaevalcastle
и
and
thewistaria,orratherhadreadaboutit
десять
ten
minutesbefore,andsincethenhadbeenlostindreams—oflight,ofcolour,offragrance,ofthesoftlappingofthesea
среди
among
littlehotrocks...
“Whydoyouaskmethat?”
shesaidinhergravevoice,forhertrainingof
и
and
bythepoorhadmadehergrave
и
and
patient.
Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
и
and
lookedexcessivelyshyandfrightened.
“Oh,
только
only
becauseIsawit
тоже
too
,andIthoughtperhaps—Ithoughtsomehow—”
shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,her
ум
mind
beingusedtogetting
людей
people
intolistsanddivisions,fromhabitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,
под
under
whatheading,supposingshehadtoclassify
ее
her
,shecouldmostproperlybeput.
“AndI
знаю
know
youbysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,who,
как
like
alltheshy,onceshewasstartedplungedon,frighteningherselfto
больше
more
andmorespeechbythesheersoundofwhatshehadsaid
последний
last
inherears.
“EverySunday—I
вижу
see
youeverySundayinchurch—”.
“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Andthisseems
такой
such
awonderfulthing—thisadvertisement
о
about
thewistaria—and—”.
Mrs.
Wilkins,whomusthavebeenat
крайней мере
least
thirty,brokeoffandwriggledinherchair
с
with
themovementofanawkward
и
and
embarrassedschoolgirl.
“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentonina
рода
kind
ofburst,“and—itis
такой
such
amiserableday...”
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotwiththeeyesofanimprisoneddog.
“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,
чья
whose
lifewasspentinhelping
и
and
alleviating,“needsadvice.”
Sheaccordinglypreparedherself
терпеливо
patiently
togiveit.
“Ifyouseemeinchurch,”shesaid,
любезно
kindly
andattentively,“IsupposeyouliveinHampsteadtoo?”
“Ohyes,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
И
And
sherepeated,herheadonitslongthin
шее
neck
droopingalittleasiftherecollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”
“Where?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,
когда
when
advicewasneeded,naturally
сначала
first
proceededtocollectthefacts.
Но
But
Mrs.Wilkins,layingher
руку
hand
softlyandcaressinglyonthe
часть
part
ofTheTimeswherethe
реклама
advertisement
was,asthoughthemereprintedwordsofitwereprecious,
только
only
said,“Perhapsthat’swhythisseemssowonderful.”
“No—I
думаю
think
that’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,forgettingfacts
и
and
faintlysighing.
“Thenyouwerereadingit?”
“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamy
снова
again
.
“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot.
Her
лицо
face
,whichhadlitup,fadedinto
терпение
patience
again.
“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’snousewastingone’s
время
time
thinkingofsuchthings.”
“Oh,
но
but
itis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’s
быстрый
quick
,surprisingreply;
surprisingbecauseitwassomuchunliketherestofher—thecharacterless
пальто
coat
andskirt,thecrumpled
шляпа
hat
,theundecidedwispof
волос
hair
stragglingout.
“Andjusttheconsideringofthemis
стоит
worth
whileinitself—sucha
перемена
change
fromHampstead—andsometimesIbelieve—I
действительно
really
dobelieve—ifoneconsiders
тяжело
hard
enoughonegetsthings.”
Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedher
терпеливо
patiently
.
Inwhatcategorywould
она
she
,supposingshehadto,
поместить
put
her?
“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaning
вперед
forward
alittle,“youwilltellmeyour
имя
name
.
Ifwearetobefriends”—shesmiledhergravesmile—“asI
надеюсь
hope
weare,wehad
лучше
better
beginatthebeginning.”
“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Idon’texpect,”sheadded,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotsaidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.
Иногда
Sometimes
it—itdoesn’tseemtoconvey
ничего
anything
tomeeither.
But”—shelookedround
с
with
amovementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”
Shedidnotlikeher
имя
name
.
Itwasamean,small
имя
name
,withakindoffacetioustwist,shethought,
о
about
itsendlikethe
вверх
upward
curveofapugdog’stail.
Thereitwas,however.
Therewasnodoinganything
с
with
it.
Wilkinsshewas
и
and
Wilkinsshewouldremain;
и
and
thoughherhusbandencouragedhertogiveitonalloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshe
только
only
didthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshethoughtMellershmadeWilkins
хуже
worse
,emphasisingitinthewayChatsworthonthegate-postsofavillaemphasisesthevilla.
Когда
When
firsthesuggestedsheshould
добавить
add
Mellershshehadobjectedfortheabovereason,
и
and
afterapause—Mellershwasmuch
слишком
too
prudenttospeakexcept
после
after
apause,duringwhich
предположительно
presumably
hewastakingacarefulmentalcopyofhiscomingobservation—hesaid,muchdispleased,“ButIamnotavilla,”
и
and
lookedatherashelooks
кто
who
hopes,forperhapsthehundredthtime,thathemaynothave
женился
married
afool.
Ofcoursehewasnota
вилла
villa
,Mrs.Wilkinsassuredhim;
shehadneversupposedhewas;
shehadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonly
просто
just
thinking...
ThemoresheexplainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’s
надежда
hope
,familiartohimbythistime,forhehadthenbeenahusbandfor
двух
two
years,thathemightnotbyanychancehavemarriedafool;
и
and
theyhadaprolonged
ссора
quarrel
,ifthatcanbecalleda
ссора
quarrel
whichisconductedwithdignifiedsilenceon
одной
one
sideandearnestapologyonthe
другой
other
,astowhetherornoMrs.WilkinshadintendedtosuggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla.
“Ibelieve,”shehadthought
когда
when
itwasatlastover—ittookalongwhile—“thatanybodywould
ссориться
quarrel
aboutanythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeing
вместе
together
forasingledayfor
двух
two
wholeyears.
Whatwebothneedisaholiday.”
“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,tryingtothrowsomelightonherself,“isa
адвокат
solicitor
.
He—”
Shecastaboutfor
то
something
shecouldsayelucidatoryofMellersh,
и
and
found:
“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot
любезно
kindly
,“thatmustbeagreat
приятно
pleasure
toyou.”
“Why?”
askedMrs.Wilkins.
“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,a
немного
little
takenaback,forconstantintercourse
с
with
thepoorhadaccustomedhertohaveherpronouncementsaccepted
без
without
question,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isa
дар
gift
likeanyother,and
если
if
itisproperlyused—”.
Shetrailedoffintosilence.
Mrs.Wilkins’sgreat
серые
grey
eyeswerefixedonher,
и
and
itseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnot
что
that
perhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoahabitofexposition,
и
and
ofexpositionafterthe
манере
manner
ofnursemaids,throughhavingan
аудитории
audience
thatcouldn’tbutagree,
что
that
wouldbeafraid,ifitwished,to
прерывать
interrupt
,thatdidn’tknow,thatwas,in
самом деле
fact
,athermercy.
ButMrs.Wilkinswasnotlistening;
forjustthen,absurdasitseemed,apicturehadflashedacrossherbrain,
и
and
thereweretwofiguresinitsitting
вместе
together
underagreattrailingwistariathatstretchedacrossthebranchesofatreeshedidn’tknow,
и
and
itwasherselfandMrs.Arbuthnot—shesawthem—shesawthem.
А
And
behindthem,brightinsunshine,wereold
серые
grey
walls—themediaevalcastle—shesawit—theywere
там
there
...
She
поэтому
therefore
staredatMrs.Arbuthnot
и
and
didnothearawordshesaid.
И
And
Mrs.ArbuthnotstaredtooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedbytheexpressiononherface,whichwassweptbytheexcitementofwhatshesaw,
и
and
wasasluminousandtremulous
под
under
itaswaterinsunlight
когда
when
itisruffledbyagustofwind.
At
этот
this
moment,ifshehadbeenataparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedat
с
with
interest.
Theystaredat
друг
each
other;
Mrs.Arbuthnotsurprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkinswiththeeyesofsomeone
кто
who
hashadarevelation.
Of
конечно
course
.
Thatwashowitcouldbedone.
Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’taffordit,
и
and
wouldn’tbeable,even
если
if
shecouldaffordit,to
пойти
go
thereallalone;
butshe
и
and
Mrs.Arbuthnottogether...
Sheleaned
через
across
thetable.
“Whydon’twetryand
получить
get
it?”
shewhispered.
Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecameevenmorewide-eyed.
“Getit?”
sherepeated.
“Yes,”saidMrs.Wilkins,stillasthoughshewereafraidofbeingoverheard.
“Not
просто
just
sithereandsayHowwonderful,andthen
иди
go
hometoHampsteadwithouthavingputoutafinger—go
домой
home
justasusualandseeaboutthe
ужин
dinner
andthefishjustaswe’vebeendoingforyearsandyearsandwill
иди
go
ondoingforyearsandyears.
Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingtotherootsofher
волос
hair
,forthesoundofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwascomingpouringout,
напугал
frightened
her,andyetshecouldn’tstop,“I
вижу
see
noendtoit.
Thereis
нет
no
endtoit.
So
что
that
thereoughttobea
перерыв
break
,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.
Почему
Why
,itwouldreallybebeingunselfishtogoaway
и
and
behappyforalittle,
потому что
because
wewouldcomebackso
много
much
nicer.
Yousee,afterabiteverybodyneedsaholiday.”
“But—howdoyoumean,getit?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Takeit?”