The Blue Castle | Gradually Hardening Ukrainian A1 Books

The Blue Castle | Gradually Hardening Ukrainian A1 Books

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CHAPTERI
Ifithadnotrainedonacertain
Травня
May
morningValancyStirling’swhole
життя
life
wouldhavebeenentirelydifferent.
Shewouldhavegone,with
на
the
restofherclan,toAuntWellington’sengagementpicnic
а
and
Dr.TrentwouldhavegonetoMontreal.
Але
But
itdidrainandyoushallhearwhathappenedtoherbecauseof
це
it
.
Valancywakenedearly,inthelifeless,hopelesshourjustprecedingdawn.
Shehadnotslept
дуже
very
well.
Onedoesnot
спати
sleep
well,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonthemorrow,
і
and
unmarried,inacommunity
і
and
connectionwheretheunmarriedaresimply
ті
those
whohavefailedtogetaman.
Deerwood
і
and
theStirlingshadlongsincerelegatedValancytohopeless
старого
old
maidenhood.
ButValancyherselfhad
ніколи не
never
quiterelinquishedacertainpitiful,shamed,little
надії
hope
thatRomancewouldcomeherwayyet—never,untilthiswet,horrible
ранку
morning
,whenshewakenedtothefact
що
that
shewastwenty-nineandunsoughtbyanyman.
Ay,
там
there
laythesting.
Valancydidnotmindsomuchbeingan
старий
old
maid.
Afterall,shethought,beinganoldmaidcouldn’tpossiblybeasdreadfulasbeingmarriedtoanUncleWellington
або
or
anUncleBenjamin,or
навіть
even
anUncleHerbert.
What
боляче
hurt
herwasthatshehad
ніколи не
never
hadachancetobeanythingbutanoldmaid.
Не
No
manhadeverdesired
неї
her
.
Thetearscameintohereyesasshelay
там
there
aloneinthefaintlygreyingdarkness.
Shedarednotletherselfcryashardasshewantedto,for
двох
two
reasons.
Shewasafraid
що
that
cryingmightbringon
ще один
another
attackofthatpain
навколо
around
theheart.
Shehadhadaspellofit
після
after
shehadgotintobed—ratherworse
ніж
than
anyshehadhad
ще
yet
.
Andshewasafraidher
мати
mother
wouldnoticeherredeyesatbreakfast
і
and
keepatherwithminute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregardingthecausethereof.
“Suppose,”thoughtValancywithaghastlygrin,“Iansweredwiththeplaintruth,‘Iamcrying
тому
because
Icannotgetmarried.’
Як
How
horrifiedMotherwouldbe—thoughsheisashamed
кожен
every
dayofherlifeofheroldmaiddaughter.”
Але
But
ofcourseappearancesshouldbekeptup.
“Itisnot,”Valancycouldhearhermother’sprim,dictatorialvoiceasserting,“itisnotmaidenlyto
думати
think
aboutmen.”
Thethoughtofhermother’sexpressionmadeValancylaugh—forshehadasenseofhumournobodyinherclansuspected.
For
які
that
matter,therewereagood
багато
many
thingsaboutValancythat
ніхто не
nobody
suspected.
Butherlaughterwas
дуже
very
superficialandpresentlyshelay
там
there
,ahuddled,futilelittlefigure,listeningtotherainpouringdownoutside
і
and
watching,withasickdistaste,thechill,merciless
світло
light
creepingintoherugly,sordidroom.
Sheknewtheuglinessofthatroombyheart—knewit
і
and
hatedit.
Theyellow-paintedfloor,
з
with
onehideous,“hooked”rugbythe
ліжка
bed
,withagrotesque,“hooked”dogonit,
завжди
always
grinningatherwhensheawoke;
thefaded,dark-redpaper;
theceilingdiscolouredby
старі
old
leaksandcrossedbycracks;
thenarrow,pinched
маленький
little
washstand;
thebrown-paperlambrequin
з
with
purplerosesonit;
thespotted
старий
old
looking-glasswiththecrackacrossit,proppedupontheinadequatedressing-table;
thejarofancientpotpourrimadebyher
матір'ю
mother
inhermythicalhoneymoon;
theshell-coveredbox,
з
with
oneburstcorner,whichCousinStickleshadmadeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;
thebeadedpincushion
з
with
halfitsbeadfringegone;
the
один
one
stiff,yellowchair;
thefadedoldmotto,“Gone
але
but
notforgotten,”workedincolouredyarns
про
about
Great-grand-motherStirling’sgrimoldface;
the
старі
old
photographsofancientrelativeslongbanishedfromtheroomsbelow.
Therewere
тільки
only
twopicturesthatwerenotofrelatives.
One,an
старий
old
chromoofapuppysittingonarainydoorstep.
Thatpicture
завжди
always
madeValancyunhappy.
Thatforlorn
маленький
little
dogcrouchedonthedoorstepinthedrivingrain!
Чому
Why
didn’tsomeoneopenthe
двері
door
andlethimin?
Theotherpicturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingofQueenLouisecomingdownastairway,whichAuntWellingtonhadlavishlygivenheronhertenthbirthday.
Fornineteenyearsshehadlookedatit
і
and
hatedit,beautiful,smug,self-satisfiedQueenLouise.
Але
But
sheneverdareddestroyit
або
or
removeit.
MotherandCousinStickleswouldhavebeenaghast,
або
or
,asValancyirreverentlyexpresseditinherthoughts,wouldhavehadafit.
Кожна
Every
roominthehousewasugly,of
звичайно
course
.
Butdownstairsappearanceswerekeptupsomewhat.
Therewas
не
no
moneyforroomsnobodyeversaw.
Valancy
іноді
sometimes
feltthatshecouldhavedone
щось
something
forherroomherself,
навіть
even
withoutmoney,ifshewerepermitted.
Але
But
hermotherhadnegatived
кожну
every
timidsuggestionandValancydidnotpersist.
Valancy
ніколи не
never
persisted.
Shewasafraidto.
Her
мати
mother
couldnotbrookopposition.
Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordaysifoffended,withtheairsofaninsultedduchess.
TheonlythingValancylikedabouther
кімнаті
room
wasthatshecouldbealone
там
there
atnighttocry
якщо
if
shewantedto.
But,afterall,whatdiditmatter
якщо
if
aroom,whichyouusedfornothingexceptsleeping
і
and
dressingin,wereugly?
Valancywas
ніколи не
never
permittedtostayaloneinher
кімнаті
room
foranyotherpurpose.
Люди
People
whowantedtobe
наодинці
alone
,soMrs.FrederickStirling
і
and
CousinSticklesbelieved,could
лише
only
wanttobealoneforsomesinisterpurpose.
Але
But
herroomintheBlueCastlewaseverythingaroomshouldbe.
Valancy,socowedandsubduedandoverriddenandsnubbedinreal
житті
life
,waswonttoletherselfgorathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.
NobodyintheStirlingclan,oritsramifications,suspected
цього
this
,leastofallher
мати
mother
andCousinStickles.
They
ніколи не
never
knewthatValancyhad
два
two
homes—theuglyredbrickboxofahome,onElm
Стріт
Street
,andtheBlueCastleinSpain.
ValancyhadlivedspirituallyintheBlueCastleever
з
since
shecouldremember.
Shehadbeena
дуже
very
tinychildwhenshefoundherselfpossessedofit.
Always,
коли
when
sheshuthereyes,shecouldseeitplainly,withitsturrets
і
and
bannersonthepine-cladmountainheight,wrappedinitsfaint,blueloveliness,againstthesunsetskiesofafair
і
and
unknownland.
Everythingwonderful
і
and
beautifulwasinthatcastle.
Jewels
які
that
queensmighthaveworn;
robesofmoonlight
і
and
fire;
couchesofroses
і
and
gold;
longflightsofshallowmarblesteps,withgreat,whiteurns,
і
and
withslender,mist-cladmaidensgoingup
і
and
downthem;
courts,marble-pillared,
куди
where
shimmeringfountainsfellandnightingalessangamongthemyrtles;
hallsofmirrors
які
that
reflectedonlyhandsomeknights
і
and
lovelywomen—herselftheloveliestof
усіх
all
,forwhoseglancemendied.
Все
All
thatsupportedherthroughtheboredomofherdayswasthe
надія
hope
ofgoingonadreamspreeat
вночі
night
.
Most,ifnotall,oftheStirlingswouldhavediedofhorror
якщо
if
theyhadknownhalfthethingsValancydidinherBlueCastle.
Foronethingshehad
досить
quite
afewloversinit.
Oh,
тільки
only
oneatatime.
One
хто
who
wooedherwithalltheromanticardouroftheageofchivalry
і
and
wonherafterlongdevotion
і
and
manydeedsofderring-do,
і
and
wasweddedtoherwithpomp
і
and
circumstanceinthegreat,banner-hungchapeloftheBlueCastle.
Attwelve,
цей
this
loverwasafairlad
з
with
goldencurlsandheavenlyblueeyes.
Atfifteen,hewastall
і
and
darkandpale,but
все одно
still
necessarilyhandsome.
Attwenty,hewasascetic,dreamy,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,hehadaclean-cutjaw,slightlygrim,anda
обличчя
face
strongandruggedratherthanhandsome.
Valancy
ніколи не
never
grewolderthantwenty-fiveinherBlueCastle,
але
but
recently—veryrecently—herherohadhadreddish,tawny
волосся
hair
,atwistedsmileandamysteriouspast.
Idon’t
кажу
say
Valancydeliberatelymurderedtheseloversassheoutgrew
їх
them
.
Onesimplyfadedawayasanothercame.
Thingsare
дуже
very
convenientinthisrespectinBlueCastles.
Але
But
,onthismorningofher
день
day
offate,ValancycouldnotfindthekeyofherBlueCastle.
Realitypressedonher
надто
too
hardly,barkingatherheels
як
like
amaddeninglittledog.
Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—theonlyhomelygirlinahandsomeclan,with
без
no
pastandnofuture.
Asfarasshecouldlook
назад
back
,lifewasdrabandcolourless,withnotonesinglecrimson
або
or
purplespotanywhere.
Asfarasshecould
дивитися
look
forwarditseemedcertaintobejustthesameuntilshewasnothingbutasolitary,
маленький
little
witheredleafclingingtoawintrybough.
The
момент
moment
whenawomanrealises
що
that
shehasnothingto
жити
live
for—neitherlove,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforherthebitternessof
смерті
death
.
“AndIjusthavetogoonliving
тому
because
Ican’tstop.
Imayhavetoliveeightyyears,”thoughtValancy,inakindofpanic.
“We’re
всі
all
horriblylong-lived.
Itsickensmeto
думаю
think
ofit.”
Shewasgladitwasraining—orrather,shewasdrearilysatisfied
що
that
itwasraining.
Therewouldbe
не
no
picnicthatday.
Thisannualpicnic,wherebyAuntandUncleWellington—one
завжди
always
thoughtoftheminthatsuccession—inevitablycelebratedtheirengagementatapicnicthirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,oflateyears,averitablenightmaretoValancy.
Byanimpishcoincidenceitwasthe
той же
same
dayasherbirthday
і
and
,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,
ніхто не
nobody
letherforgetit.
Muchasshehatedgoingto
на
the
picnic,itwouldneverhaveoccurredtohertorebel
проти
against
it.
Thereseemedtobe
нічого
nothing
oftherevolutionaryinhernature.
І
And
sheknewexactlywhat
кожен
every
onewouldsaytoheratthepicnic.
Дядько
Uncle
Wellington,whomshedisliked
і
and
despisedeventhoughhehadfulfilledthehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”wouldsaytoherinapig’swhisper,“Notthinkingofgettingmarriedyet,mydear?”
а
and
thengooffintothebellowoflaughterwithwhichheinvariablyconcludedhisdullremarks.
AuntWellington,ofwhomValancystoodinabjectawe,wouldtellher
про
about
Olive’snewchiffondress
та
and
Cecil’slastdevotedletter.
Valancywouldhaveto
виглядати
look
aspleasedandinterestedasifthedress
і
and
letterhadbeenhersorelseAuntWellingtonwouldbeoffended.
AndValancyhadlong
давно
ago
decidedthatshewouldratheroffendGod
ніж
than
AuntWellington,becauseGodmightforgiveherbutAuntWellingtonneverwould.
AuntAlberta,enormouslyfat,withanamiablehabitof
завжди
always
referringtoherhusbandas“he,”asifheweretheonlymalecreatureinthe
світі
world
,whocouldneverforgetthatshehadbeenagreatbeautyinheryouth,wouldcondolewithValancyonhersallowskin—.
“Idon’t
знаю
know
whyallthegirlsoftodayaresosunburned.
Коли
When
Iwasagirlmyskinwasroses
і
and
cream.
IwascountedtheprettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Можливо
Perhaps
UncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—or
можливо
perhaps
hewouldremarkjocularly,“Howfatyou’regetting,Doss!”
І
And
theneverybodywouldlaugh
над
over
theexcessivelyhumorousideaofpoor,scrawny
маленький
little
Dossgettingfat.
Handsome,solemn
Дядько
Uncle
James,whomValancydisliked
але
but
respectedbecausehewasreputedtobeveryclever
і
and
wasthereforetheclanoracle—brainsbeingnonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—would
ймовірно
probably
remarkwiththeowl-likesarcasmthathadwonhimhisreputation,“Isupposeyou’rebusywithyourhope-chestthesedays?”
І
And
UncleBenjaminwouldask
деякі
some
ofhisabominableconundrums,
між
between
wheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.
“Whatisthedifference
між
between
Dossandamouse?
“Themousewishestoharmthecheese
а
and
Dosswishestocharmthehe’s.”
Valancyhadheardhimaskthatriddlefiftytimes
і
and
everytimeshewantedtothrow
щось
something
athim.
Butsheneverdid.
Inthe
перше
first
place,theStirlingssimplydidnotthrowthings;
inthe
друге
second
place,UncleBenjaminwasawealthyandchildlessoldwidowerandValancyhadbeenbroughtupinthefearandadmonitionofhis
грошима
money
.
Ifsheoffendedhimhewouldcutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewereinit.
ValancydidnotwanttobecutoutofUncleBenjamin’swill.
Shehadbeenpoor
все
all
herlifeandknewthegallingbitternessofit.
Sosheenduredhisriddles
і
and
evensmiledtorturedlittlesmiles
над
over
them.
AuntIsabel,downright
і
and
disagreeableasaneastwind,wouldcriticiseherinsomeway—Valancycouldnotpredictjusthow,forAuntIsabel
ніколи не
never
repeatedacriticism—shefound
щось
something
newwithwhichtojabyoueverytime.
AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshethought,
але
but
didn’tlikeitsowell
коли
when
otherpeoplesaidwhattheythoughtto
їй
her
.
Valancyneversaidwhatshethought.
CousinGeorgiana—named
після
after
hergreat-great-grand-mother,whohadbeennamed
після
after
GeorgetheFourth—wouldrecountdolorously
на
the
namesofallrelatives
і
and
friendswhohaddiedsince
на
the
lastpicnicandwonder“whichofus
буде
will
bethefirsttogonext.”
Oppressivelycompetent,AuntMildredwouldtalkendlesslyofherhusband
і
and
herodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,
тому
because
Valancywouldbetheonlyoneshecould
знайти
find
toputupwithit.
Forthe
ж
same
reason,CousinGladys—reallyFirstCousinGladys
колись
once
removed,accordingtothestrict
способом
way
inwhichtheStirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,thin
дама
lady
whoadmittedshehadasensitivedisposition,woulddescribeminutelythetorturesofherneuritis.
AndOlive,thewonder
дівчина
girl
ofthewholeStirlingclan,whohad
все
everything
Valancyhadnot—beauty,popularity,love,—wouldshowoffherbeautyandpresumeonherpopularityandflauntherdiamondinsigniaof
кохання
love
inValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.
Therewouldbenoneofall
цього
this
today.
Andtherewouldbe
не
no
packingupofteaspoons.
Thepackingupwas
завжди
always
leftforValancyandCousinStickles.
А
And
once,sixyearsago,asilverteaspoonfromAuntWellington’swedding
набору
set
hadbeenlost.
Valancy
ніколи не
never
heardthelastofthatsilverteaspoon.
ItsghostappearedBanquo-likeateverysubsequentfamilyfeast.
Oh,
так
yes
,Valancyknewexactlywhatthepicnicwouldbe
як
like
andsheblessedtherainthathadsavedherfromit.
Therewouldbe
не
no
picnicthisyear.
IfAuntWellingtoncouldnotcelebrateonthesacred
день
day
itselfshewouldhave
не
no
celebrationatall.
Thank
будь
whatever
godstherewereforthat.
Оскільки
Since
therewouldbenopicnic,Valancymadeuphermind
що
that
,iftherainheldupintheafternoon,shewouldgouptothelibrary
і
and
getanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.
Valancywas
ніколи не
never
allowedtoreadnovels,
але
but
JohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.
Theywere“naturebooks”—sothelibrariantoldMrs.FrederickStirling—“all
про
about
thewoodsandbirds
і
and
bugsandthingslikethat,youknow.”
SoValancywasallowedto
прочитати
read
them—underprotest,foritwasonly
надто
too
evidentthatsheenjoyedthem
надто
too
much.
Itwaspermissible,
навіть
even
laudable,toreadtoimproveyour
розум
mind
andyourreligion,buta
книга
book
thatwasenjoyablewasdangerous.
Valancydidnotknowwhetherher
розум
mind
wasbeingimprovedornot;
але
but
shefeltvaguelythatifshehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’sbooksyears
тому
ago
lifemighthavebeen
на
a
differentthingforher.
Theyseemedtohertoyieldglimpsesofa
світ
world
intowhichshemight
колись
once
haveentered,thoughthe
двері
door
wasforeverbarredtohernow.
Itwas
лише
only
withinthelastyear
що
that
JohnFoster’sbookshadbeenintheDeerwoodlibrary,
хоча
though
thelibrariantoldValancy
що
that
hehadbeenawell-knownwriterforseveralyears.
“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancyhadasked.
“Nobodyknows.
FromhisbookshemustbeaCanadian,
але
but
nomoreinformationcanbehad.
Hispublisherswon’tsaya
слова
word
.
QuitelikelyJohnFosterisanomdeplume.
Hisbooksaresopopularwecan’tkeeptheminatall,
хоча
though
Ireallycan’tseewhat
люди
people
findinthemtoraveover.”
“I
думаю
think
they’rewonderful,”saidValancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
Міс
Miss
ClarksonsmiledinapatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’t
сказати
say
Icaremuchforbugsmyself.
Але
But
certainlyFosterseemsto
знати
know
allthereisto
знати
know
aboutthem.”
Valancydidn’tknowwhethershecaredmuchforbugseither.
ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncannyknowledgeofwildcreatures
і
and
insectlifethatenthralled
її
her
.
Shecouldhardlysaywhatitwas—sometantalisinglureof
на
a
mysteryneverrevealed—somehintof
на
a
greatsecretjusta
трохи
little
furtheron—somefaint,elusiveechooflovely,forgottenthings—JohnFoster’smagicwasindefinable.
Так
Yes
,shewouldgetanewFoster
книгу
book
.
Itwasamonth
з
since
shehadThistleHarvest,sosurelyMothercouldnotobject.
Valancyhadreadit
чотири
four
times—sheknewwholepassagesoffbyheart.
And—she
майже
almost
thoughtshewouldgo
і
and
seeDr.Trentabout
що
that
queerpainaroundthe
серця
heart
.
Ithadcomeratheroftenlately,
і
and
thepalpitationswerebecomingannoying,nottospeakofanoccasionaldizzymoment
і
and
aqueershortnessofbreath.
Але
But
couldshegotoseehimwithouttellinganyone?
Itwasamostdaringthought.
NoneoftheStirlingseverconsultedadoctor
без
without
holdingafamilycouncil
і
and
gettingUncleJames’approval.
Then,theywenttoDr.AmbroseMarshofPortLawrence,
який
who
hadmarriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.
Але
But
ValancydislikedDr.AmbroseMarsh.
І
And
,besides,shecouldnotgettoPortLawrence,fifteenmilesaway,
без
without
beingtakenthere.
Shedidnotwantanyonetoknow
про
about
herheart.
Therewouldbe
такий
such
afussmadeandeverymemberofthe
сім'ї
family
wouldcomedownandtalkitover
і
and
adviseherandcautionher
і
and
warnherandtellherhorribletalesofgreat-aunts
і
and
cousinsfortytimesremovedwhohadbeen“justlikethat”
і
and
“droppeddeadwithoutamoment’swarning,mydear.”
AuntIsabelwouldrememberthatshehad
завжди
always
saidDosslookedlikea
дівчина
girl
whowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinched
і
and
peakedalways”;
andUncleWellingtonwouldtakeitasapersonalinsult,
коли
when
“noStirlingeverhadheartdiseasebefore”;
і
and
Georgianawouldforebodeinperfectlyaudibleasides
що
that
“poor,dearlittleDossisn’t
довго
long
forthisworld,I’mafraid”;
andCousinGladyswouldsay,“Why,my
серце
heart
hasbeenlikethatforyears,”inatonethatimplied
не
no
oneelsehadanybusiness
навіть
even
tohaveaheart;
andOlive—Olivewouldmerelylookbeautifulandsuperioranddisgustinglyhealthy,asiftosay,“Whyall
ця
this
fussoverafadedsuperfluitylikeDoss
коли
when
youhaveme?”
Valancyfelt
що
that
shecouldn’ttellanybodyunlessshehadto.
Shefelt
цілком
quite
suretherewasnothingatallseriously
поганого
wrong
withherheartand
не
no
needofallthepother
що
that
wouldensueifshementionedit.
Shewould
просто
just
slipupquietlyandseeDr.Trentthatvery
день
day
.
Asforhisbill,shehadthetwohundreddollarsthather
батько
father
hadputinthebankforherthe
дня
day
shewasborn.
Shewas
ніколи не
never
allowedtouseeventheinterestofthis,
але
but
shewouldsecretlytakeout
достатньо
enough
topayDr.Trent.
Dr.
Trentwasagruff,outspoken,absent-minded
старий
old
fellow,buthewasarecognisedauthorityonheartdisease,
навіть
even
ifhewereonlyageneralpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.
Dr.Trentwas
більше
over
seventyandtherehadbeenrumours
що
that
hemeanttoretire
скоро
soon
.
NoneoftheStirlingclanhadevergonetohimsincehehadtoldCousinGladys,
десять
ten
yearsbefore,thatherneuritiswasallimaginary
і
and
thatsheenjoyedit.
Youcouldn’tpatroniseadoctorwhoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removedlikethat—nottomentionthathewasaPresbyterian
коли
when
alltheStirlingswenttotheAnglicanchurch.
CHAPTERII
Коли
When
CousinSticklesknockedather
двері
door
,Valancyknewitwashalf-pastsevenandshemustgetup.
Aslongasshecouldremember,CousinStickleshadknockedather
двері
door
athalf-pastseven.
CousinStickles
і
and
Mrs.FrederickStirlinghadbeenupsinceseven,
але
but
Valancywasallowedtolieabedhalfanhourlonger
бо
because
ofafamilytraditionthatshewasdelicate.
Valancygotup,
хоч
though
shehatedgettingup
більше
more
thismorningthanevershehad
раніше
before
.