Дом о семи шпилях - [71]

Растратив все свое состояние за два предыдущие дня на неслыханные наслаждения, он теперь явился по поручению своей матери и попросил два яйца и полфунта изюму.
These articles Phoebe accordingly supplied, and, as a mark of gratitude for his previous patronage, and a slight superadded morsel after breakfast, put likewise into his hand a whale!	Фиби подала желаемое и в знак благодарности за его первоначальное покровительство их лавочке вручила ему сладкого кита.
The great fish, reversing his experience with the prophet of Nineveh, immediately began his progress down the same red pathway of fate whither so varied a caravan had preceded him. This remarkable urchin, in truth was the very emblem of old Father Time, both in respect of his all-devouring appetite for men and things, and because he, as well as Time, after engulfing thus much of creation, looked almost as youthful as if he had been just that moment made.	Огромное морское чудовище немедленно было отправлено той же дорогой, что и предшествующий ему караван.
After partly closing the door, the child turned back, and mumbled something to Phoebe, which, as the whale was but half disposed of, she could not perfectly understand.	Прикрывая за собой дверь, мальчик вдруг обернулся и пробормотал что-то Фиби, но так как часть кита все еще находилась у него во рту, то девушка не смогла понять его.
"What did you say, my little fellow?" asked she.	- Что ты говоришь, дружок? - спросила она.
"Mother wants to know," repeated Ned Higgins, more distinctly, "how Old Maid Pyncheon's brother does?	- Матушка велела узнать, - повторил Нед Гиггинс более внятно, - как здоровье брата старой мисс Пинчон?
Folks say he has got home."	Говорят, он вернулся домой.
"My cousin Hepzibah's brother!" exclaimed Phoebe, surprised at this sudden explanation of the relationship between Hepzibah and her guest.	- Брат моей кузины Гепзибы! - воскликнула Фиби, удивленная этим внезапным объяснением отношений между Гепзибой и ее гостем.
"Her brother!	- Ее брат?
And where can he have been?"	А где он был?
The little boy only put his thumb to his broad snub-nose, with that look of shrewdness which a child, spending much of his time in the street, so soon learns to throw over his features, however unintelligent in themselves. Then, as Phoebe continued to gaze at him without answering his mother's message, he took his departure.	Мальчик только с лукавым видом приложил указательный палец к своему широкому вздернутому носу и, так как Фиби продолжала смотреть на него, не давая ответа на заданный вопрос, отправился домой.
As the child went down the steps, a gentleman ascended them, and made his entrance into the shop.	Когда он спустился по ступенькам, по ним поднялся какой-то джентльмен и вошел в лавочку.

It was the portly, and, had it possessed the advantage of a little more height, would have been the stately figure of a man considerably in the decline of life, dressed in a black suit of some thin stuff, resembling broadcloth as closely as possible.	Это был дородный мужчина, ростом выше среднего, уже довольно пожилой, в черном платье из тонкой материи.
A gold-headed cane, of rare oriental wood, added materially to the high respectability of his aspect, as did also a white neckcloth of the utmost snowy purity, and the conscientious polish of his boots.	Трость из редкого восточного дерева, с золотым набалдашником, безукоризненно белые воротнички и начищенные до блеска сапоги придавали ему значительный вид.
His dark, square countenance, with its almost shaggy depth of eyebrows, was naturally impressive, and would, perhaps, have been rather stern, had not the gentleman considerately taken upon himself to mitigate the harsh effect by a look of exceeding good-humour and benevolence.	Его смуглое, квадратное лицо с мохнатыми бровями было от природы выразительным и казалось бы, вероятно, слишком суровым, если бы он не позаботился смягчить его чрезвычайно добродушным и благосклонным взглядом.
Owing, however, to a somewhat massive accumulation of animal substance about the lower region of his face, the look was, perhaps, unctuous, rather than spiritual and had, so to speak, a kind of fleshly effulgence, not altogether so satisfactory as he doubtless intended it to be. A susceptible observer, at any rate, might have regarded it as affording very little evidence of the genuine benignity of soul, whereof it purported to be the outward reflection. And if the observer chanced to be ill-natured, as well as acute and susceptible, he would probably suspect that the smile on the gentleman's face was a good deal akin to the shine on his boots, and that each must have cost him and his bootblack, respectively, a good deal of hard labor to bring out and preserve them.	Но тонкий наблюдатель прочел бы в этом взгляде не много истинной душевной доброты.
As the stranger entered the little shop where the projection of the second storey and the thick foliage of the elm tree, as well as the commodities at the window, created a sort of gray medium, his smile grew as intense as if he had set his heart on counteracting the whole gloom of the atmosphere (besides any moral gloom pertaining to Hepzibah and her inmates) by the unassisted light of his countenance.