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Файл:The Legacy and Other Stories (Завещание и другие рассказы). Учебное пособие для студентов бакалавров, изучающих английский язык (второй год обучения),
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1.Tellingthetruth.ImaginethatyouareAngela.Youareindespair.
Youhave begunto feelvery attracted towards B.M. andyour husband
noticesthischange(unlikeGilbertinthestory).Heasksyouifanything
iswrong.Tellhimthetruth.2.Talkingtoatherapist.Thestorydatesback
to1944,backthen,itwasnotyetsowidelypopulartoseekappointments
withpsychoanalysts,ortherapists,onaregularbasis.ImaginethatAngela
hasone.ActoutatalkbetweenAngelaandhertherapist.Sheisdesperate
andisdetermined to commitsuicideas shehasfound herselfina tight
cornerandthetherapististryingtotalkheroutofit.
GilbertClandonmusthavebeenfuriousandresentfulofSissyMiller’s
latebrother.Intheoriginaltextheabsolutelyrefusestolistentoany
explanationofferedbySissyMiller.CouldMr.Clandonhavelaidthe
blame on her brother for Angela’s death if he had brought himself
towriteto her atall?Feel freetoexpress your resentment,andyet,
bepolite.Mindyou,Mr.ClandonisanEnglishgentlemanandisable
tokeephistemper,nomatterwhat.
20.RememberthatMissMilleris
asecretary.Do you thinksheknows howtodealwith conict?What
explanation do you think she could have offered? As you probably
know,therearefourdifferentwaysofdealingwitharguinginone’sper
sonallife: aggression,meditation, withdrawal andnegotiation. Which
ofthefourtechniques,inyouropinion,isshemostlikelytopick?
21
Whitechapel
TheTower
ofLondon
TheMansion
House
Piccadilly
TheEastEnd
Justeastofthe City,ontheThames,stands
ahistoricfortress.Nowamuseum,itwasforcen
turiesafearedprison,thesiteof stateinstigated
torture,mysteriousdeaths,andpublicexecutions.
Itremainedpoorandcolourfultillthesecond
halfofthe20
vertyandcrimeandthoroughlyworkingclass.
Its features in Charles Dickens’s Pick-
wick PaperswhereitischaracterizedbySam
Weller“as not a wery nice neighbourhood”.
ItisamajorLondonstreet,runningfrom
Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly
Circus in the east. It is completely within
thecityofWestminster.
ItistheofcialresidenceoftheLordMay
or of the City of London. It is used for some
of the City of London’s ofcial functions, in
cluding an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord
Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exche
quercustomarilygivesaspeech—his“Mansion
HouseSpeech”—aboutthestateofthe British
economy.
th
century.Itwas notorious forpo
It is the area of London, England, east
of the medieval walled City of London and
northoftheRiverThames,althoughit isnot
denedbyuniversallyacceptedformalboun
daries. It became synonymous with poverty,
overcrowding,diseaseandcriminality.
22
23
O. Henry
Onedollarandeightysevencents.Thatwasall.Andsixtycents
ofit was inpennies. Penniessaved oneand two by
thegrocerandthevegetablemanandthebutcheruntilone’s
cheeksburnedwiththesilentimputationofparsimonythatsuchclose
dealingimplied.ThreetimesDellacountedit.Onedollarandeighty
sevencents.AndthenextdaywouldbeChristmas.
butopdownontheshab
bylittlecouchandhowl.SoDelladidit.Whichinstigatesthemoral
reectionthatlifeismadeupofsobs,snifes,andsmiles,withsnifes
predominating.
Whilethemistressofthehomeisgraduallysubsidingfromtherst
stagetothesecond,thehome.Afurnishedatat$8per
week.It did notexactly beggar description,but itcertainlyhad that
wordonthelookoutforthemendicancysquad.
Inthevestibulebelowwasaletterboxintowhichnoletterwould
go, and an electric button from which no mortal nger could coax
a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name
“Mr.JamesDillinghamYoung.
The“Dillingham” had beenung tothe breeze duringa former
periodofprosperitywhenitspossessorwasbeingpaid$30perweek.
Now,whentheincomewasshrunkto$20,thelettersof“Dillingham”
lookedblurred,asthoughtheywerethinkingseriouslyofcontracting
toamodestandunassumingD.ButwheneverMr.JamesDillingham
Youngcamehomeandreachedhisatabovehewascalled“Jim”and
greatlyhuggedbyMrs.JamesDillinghamYoung,alreadyintroduced
toyouasDella.Whichisallverygood.
Dellanishedhercry andattendedtoher cheeks withthepow
derrag.Shestoodbythewindowandlookedoutdullyatagreycat
walkingagreyfenceinagreybackyard.TomorrowwouldbeChrist
masDay,and she had only$1.87 withwhich to buyJim apresent.
24
Shehadbeensavingeverypennyshecouldformonths,withthisre
sult.Twentydollarsaweekdoesn’tgofar.Expenseshadbeengreater
thanshehadcalculated.Theyalwaysare.Only$1.87tobuyapresent
forJim.HerJim.Manyahappyhourshehadspentplanningforsome
thingniceforhim.Somethingneandrareandsterling—something
just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned
byJim.
Therewasbetweenthewindowsoftheroom.Perhaps
youhave seena pierglassin an $8 Bat.Averythin andvery agile
personmay,byobservinghisreectioninarapidsequenceoflongi
tudinalstrips,obtainafairlyaccurateconceptionofhislooks.Della,
beingslender,had
Suddenlyshewhirledfromthewindowandstoodbeforetheglass.
Hereyeswereshiningbrilliantly,butherfacehadlostitscolourwithin
twentyseconds.Rapidlyshepulleddownherhairandletitfalltoits
fulllength.
Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs
inwhichtheybothOnewasJim’sgoldwatchthat
hadbeenhisfather’sandhisgrandfather’s.TheotherwasDella’shair.Had
theQueenofShebalivedintheatacrosstheairshaft,Dellawouldhave
letherhairhangoutofthewindowsomedaytodryjusttoHer
Majesty’sjewelsandgifts.HadKingSolomonbeenthejanitor,withallhis
treasurespiledupinthebasement,Jimwouldhavepulledouthiswatch
everytimehepassed,justtoseehimpluckathisbeardfromenvy.
SonowDella’sbeautifulhairfellabouther,ripplingandshining
likeacascadeofbrownwaters.Itreachedbelowherkneeandmade
itselfalmostagarmentforher.Andthenshediditupagainnervously
andquickly.Onceshefalteredforaminuteandwhileatear
ortwosplashedonthewornredcarpet.
Onwentheroldbrownjacket;onwentheroldbrownhat.With
awhirlofskirtsandwiththebrilliantsparklestillinhereyes,sheclut
teredoutofthedooranddownthestairstothestreet.
Where she stopped the sign read: ‘Mme Sofronie. Hair Goods
ofAllKinds.’OneEightupDellaran,andcollectedherself,panting.
Madame,large,toowhite,chilly,hardlylookedthe‘Sofronie.’
25
«Willyoubuymyhair?»askedDella.»Ibuyhair,»saidMadame.
«Take your hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of it.» Down
rippled the brown cascade. «Twentydollars,» said Madame, lifting
themass“Giveittomequick”saidDella.
Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget
thehashedmetaphor.ShewasransackingthestoresforJim’spresent.
Shefounditatlast. ItsurelyhadbeenmadeforJimandnoone
else.Therewasnootherlikeitinanyofthestores,andshehadturned
alloftheminsideout.Itwasaplatinumsimpleandchaste
indesign,properlyproclaimingitsvaluebysubstancealoneandnot
bymeretriciousornamentationasallgoodthingsshoulddo.Itwas
evenworthyofTheWatch.Assoonasshesawitsheknewthatitmust
beJim’s.Itwaslikehim.Quietnessandvaluethedescriptionapplied
toboth.Twentyonedollarstheytookfromherforit,andshehurried
homewith the 78cents.Withthatchain onhis watch Jimmight be
properlyanxiousaboutthetimeinanycompany.Grandasthewatch
was,hesometimeslookedatitontheslyonaccountoftheoldleather
strapthatheusedinplaceofachain.
WhenDellareachedhomeherintoxicationgavewayalittletopru
denceandreason.Shegotouthercurlingironsandlightedthegasand
wenttoworkrepairingtheravagesmadebygenerosityaddedtolove.
Whichisalwaysatremendoustaskdearfriends
Withinfortyminutesherheadwascoveredwithtiny,closelying
curlsthat made herlook wonderfully like . She
lookedatherreectioninthemirrorlong,carefully,andcritically.
«If Jim doesn’t kill me,» she said to herself, «before he takes
asecondlookatme,he’llsayIlooklikeaConeyIslandchorusgirl.
ButwhatcouldIdo—oh!whatcouldIdowithadollarandeighty
sevencents?»
At 7 o’clock the coffee was made and the fryingpan was
onthebackofthestovehotandreadytocook
Jimwasneverlate.Delladoubledthefobchaininherhandandsat
onthecornerofthetablenearthedoorthathealwaysentered.Then
sheheardhissteponthestairawaydownontherstight,andshe
26
turnedwhiteforjustamoment.Shehadahabitofsayinglittlesilent
prayersaboutthesimplesteverydaythings,andnowshewhispered:
“Please,God,makehimthinkIamstillpretty.”Thedooropenedand
Jimsteppedinandclosedit.Helookedthinandveryserious.Poorfel
low,hewasonlytwentytwo—andtobeburdenedwithafamily!He
neededanewovercoatandhewaswithoutgloves.
Jimsteppedinsidethedoor,asimmovableasasetteratthescent
ofquail.HiseyeswerexeduponDella,andtherewasanexpression
inthemthatshecouldnotread,anditterriedher.Itwasnotanger,
nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror,nor any of thesentiments
thatshehadbeen preparedfor.He simplystaredather xedlywith
thatpeculiarexpressiononhisface.Dellawriggledoffthetableand
wentforhim.
“Jim,darling,”shecried,“don’tlookatmethatway.Ihadmyhair
cutoff andsold it becauseI couldn’thave lived throughChristmas
withoutgivingyouapresent.It’llgrowoutagainyouwon’tmind,
willyou?Ijusthadtodoit.Myhairgrowsawfullyfast.Say‘Merry
Christmas!’Jim,andlet’sbehappy.Youdon’tknowwhatanicewhat
abeautiful,nicegiftI’vegotforyou.”
“You’vecutoffyour hair?” askedJim, laboriously,asif he had
notarrivedatthatpatentfactyet,evenafterthehardestmentallabour.
«Cutitoffandsoldit,»saidDella.«Don’tyoulikemejustaswell,
anyhow?I’mmewithoutmyhair,ain’tI?»
Jimlookedabouttheroomcuriously.«Yousayyourhairisgone?»
hesaid,withanairalmostofidiocy.«Youneedn’tlookforit,»said
Della.«It’ssold,Itellyou—soldandgone,too.It’sChristmasEve,
boy.Begoodtome,foritwentforyou.Maybethehairsofmyhead
werenumbered,»shewentonwithasuddenserioussweetness,«but
nobodycouldevercount my loveforyou.Shall I putthechopson,
Jim?»
Outof histrance Jimseemed quicklyto wake.He enfoldedhis
Della.Fortensecondsletusregardwithdiscreetscrutinysomeincon
sequentialobjectintheotherdirection.Eightdollarsaweekoramil
lionayear—whatisthedifference?Amathematicianorawitwould
27
giveyouthewronganswer.Themagibroughtvaluablegifts,butthat
wasnotamongthem.Thisdarkassertionwillbeilluminatedlateron.
Jimdrewapackagefromhisovercoatpocketandthrewit upon
thetable.«Don’tmakeanymistake,Dell,»hesaid,«aboutme.Idon’t
thinkthere’sanythinginthewayofahaircutorashaveorashampoo
thatcould make melike my girlany less.Butif you’llunwrap that
packageyoumayseewhyyouhadmegoingawhileatrst.»
Whitengers and nimbletore atthe stringand paper.And then
an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change
tohystericaltearsandwails,necessitatingtheimmediateemployment
ofallthecomfortingpowersofthelordoftheat.
FortherelayTheCombs—thesetofcombs,sideandback,that
Della had for long . Beauti
ful combs, pure tortoiseshell, with jewelled rims — just the shade
towearinthebeautifulvanishedhair.Theywereexpensivecombs,she
knew,andherhearthadsimplycravedandyearnedoverthemwithout
theleasthopeofpossession.Andnow,theywerehers,butthetresses
thatshouldhaveadornedthecovetedadornmentsweregone.Butshe
huggedthemtoherbosom,andatlengthshewasabletolookupwith
dimeyesandasmileandsay:“Myhairgrowssofast,Jim!”
AndthenDellaleapeduplikealittlesingedcatandcried,“Oh,
oh!”Jimhadnotyetseenhisbeautifulpresent.Shehelditouttohim
eagerlyuponheropenpalm.Thedullpreciousmetalseemedto{lash
withareectionofherbrightandardentspirit.
«Isn’titadandy,Jim?Ihuntedallovertowntondit.You’llhave
tolookatthetimeahundredtimesadaynow.Givemeyourwatch.
Iwanttoseehowitlooksonit.»
Insteadofobeying,Jimtumbleddownonthe couch andputhis
handsunderthebackofhisheadandsmiled.
«Dell,»saidhe,«let’sputourChristmaspresentsawayandkeep‘em
awhile. They’re too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch toget
themoneytobuyyourcombs.Andnowsupposeyouputthechopson.»
The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise
men—whobroughtgiftstotheBabeinthe.Theyinvented
28
theartofgivingChristmaspresents.Being wise, theirgiftswereno
doubtwise ones, possiblybearing theprivilege ofexchange in case
ofduplication.AndhereIhavelamelyrelatedtoyoutheuneventful
chronicleoftwo foolishchildren in aat whomostunwisely sacri
cedforeachotherthegreatesttreasuresoftheirhouse.Butinalast
wordtothewiseofthesedaysletitbesaidthatofallwhogivegifts
thesetwowerethewisest.Ofallwhogiveandreceivegifts,suchas
theyarethewisest.Everywheretheyarethewisest.Theyarethemagi.
T a sk s a n d e xe r c i s e s
1.Thetitle ofthe storyis“The Giftof theMagi”. Doesithelp
anticipatethecontent?Whatdoyouthinkisthekeywordinthetitle?
2.WhatdoyouknowabouttheMagi?3.Doyouliketogiveorreceive
presents?3.Whatareyourcriteriaforgivingpresents?
O.Henry(1862–1910)wasbornWilliamSydneyPorterinGreen
boro,NorthCarolina.Hisfather,AlgernonSidneyPorter,wasaphysi
cian.WhenWilliamwasthree,hismotherdied,andhewasraisedbyhis
parental grandmother and paternal aunt. Williamwas an avid reader,
butattheageoffteenheleftschool,andthenworkedinadrugstore
andonaTexasranch.HecontinuedtoHouston,wherehehadanumber
ofjobs,includingthatofbankclerk.Aftermovingin1882toTexas,he
workedonaranchinLaSalleCountyfortwoyears.In1887hemarried
AtholEstesRoach;theyhadonedaughterandoneson.
In1894Porter starteda humorous weeklyThe Rolling Stone.It
wasatthistimethathebeganheavydrinking.Whentheweeklyfailed,
hejoinedtheHouston Postasareporterandcolumnist.In1894cash
29
wasfoundtohavegonemissingfromtheFirstNationalBankinAus
tin,wherePorterhadworkedasabankteller.In1897hewasconvicted
ofembezzlingmoney,althoughtherehasbeenmuchdebateoverhis
actualguilt.Porterenteredin1898apenitentiaryatColumbus,Ohio.
While in prison, Porter started to write short stories to earn
moneyto support his daughter Margaret. Hisrst work, ‘Whistling
Dick’sChristmasStocking’(1899),appearedinMcClure’s Magazine.
ThestoriesofadventureintheU.S.SouthwestandinCentralAmerica
gainedanimmediatelysuccessamongreaders.Afterdoingthreeyears
of the ve years sentence, Porter emergedfrom the prison in 1901
and changed his name to O. Henry.Accordingto some sources, he
acquired the pseudonym from a warder called Orrin Henry. It also
couldbeanabbreviationofthenameofaFrenchpharmacist,Eteinne
OssianHenry,foundintheU.S.Dispensatory,areferenceworkPorter
usedwhenhewasintheprisonpharmacy.
1.Dellacouldn’tbuyapresentforherhusbandbecauseshehadlost
themoney.2.ThetwothingsDellaandJimtookamightyprideofwere
a bracelet and a chain. 3. For his watch Jim used an old leather strap
inplaceofachain.4.TobuyapresentDellaborrowedsomemoneyfrom
herhairdresser.5.JimwasangryaboutthenewDella’shaircut.
atatime;totakealookatsmth.;tomastertheartofsmth.;totake
prideinsmth.;depreciate;todosmth.;withapracticedhand;amam
mothtask;toworshipsmth.forsmth.
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