Very long chance. I've never known it happen in my experience, but I've
heard of cases, I could read them up."
"There's nothing like that in my family," said Raymond. He thought of
Lou, the obscure Liverpool antecedents. The parents had died before he had
met Lou.
"It could be several generations back," said the doctor.
Raymond went home, avoiding the neighbours who would stop him to
Inquire after Lou. He rather regretted smashing up the cot in his first fury.
That was something low coming out in him. But again, when he thought of the
tiny black hands of the baby with their pink fingernails he did not regret
smashing the cot.
He was successful (ему повезло: «он был удачлив») in tracing the
whereabouts of Oxford St. John (установить местонахождение Оксфорд Сент-
Джона). Even before he heard the result (даже до того, как он узнал: «услышал»
результаты) of Oxford's blood test (анализа крови Оксфорда) he said to Lou (он
сказал Лу), "Write and ask your relations (напиши и спроси у своих
родственников) if there's been any black blood in the family (была ли черная
кровь в семье)."
"Write and ask yours (напиши и спроси у своих /родственников/)," she said.
She refused to look at the black baby (она отказывалась смотреть на черную
малышку; to refuse — отказывать, отвергать). The nurses fussed round it all
day (няньки суетились вокруг нее целый день; to fuss round — волноваться по
пустякам, чрезмерно заботиться), and came to report its progress to Lou (и
приходили рассказать Лу о ее успехах: «развитии»).
"Pull yourself together (возьмите себя в руки), Mrs. Parker, she's a lovely child
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(миссис Паркер, она прекрасный ребенок)."
"You must care for your infant (ты должна заботиться о своем младенце),"
said the priest (сказал священник).
"You don't know what I'm suffering (вы не имеете понятия: «не знаете», как я
страдаю; to suffer — страдать, испытывать, сносить)," Lou said.
"In the name of God (во имя Господа)," said the priest (сказал священник), "if
you're a Catholic Christian (если ты католическая христианка) you've got to
expect to suffer (ты должна ожидать страданий)."
"I can't go against my nature (я не могу противиться своей природе: «идти
против»)," said Lou. "I can't be expected to (нельзя ожидать от меня, что) —
whereabouts ['we(q)rqbaVts] suffering ['sAf(q)rIN] nature ['neICq]
He was successful in tracing the whereabouts of Oxford St. John. Even
before he heard the result of Oxford's blood test he said to Lou, "Write and
ask your relations if there's been any black blood in the family."
"Write and ask yours," she said.
She refused to look at the black baby. The nurses fussed round it all day,
and came to report its progress to Lou.
"Pull yourself together, Mrs. Parker, she's a lovely child."
"You must care for your infant," said the priest.
"You don't know what I'm suffering," Lou said.
"In the name of God," said the priest, "if you're a Catholic Christian
you've got to expect to suffer."
"I can't go against my nature," said Lou. "I can't be expected to —
Raymond said to her one day in the following week (Раймонд сказал ей
однажды на следующей неделе), "The blood tests are all right (анализ крови в
порядке), the doctor says (/так/ доктор говорит)."
"What do you mean, all right (что ты имеешь в виду, в порядке)?"
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325
"Oxford's blood and the baby's don't tally, and (кровь Оксфорда и кровь
ребенка не совпадают, и) —
"Oh, shut up (о, заткнись)," she said. "The baby's black (ребенок черный) and
your blood tests can't make it white (и твои анализы крови не могут сделать его
белым)."
"No," he said. He had fallen out with his mother (он поссорился со своей
матерью; to fall — падать, выпадать, to fall out — поссориться, быть в
плохих отношениях), through his inquiries (из-за своих расспросов) whether
there had been coloured blood in his family (о том, была ли кровь цветных:
«цветная кровь» в их семье). "The doctor says," he said, "that these black
mixtures sometimes occur (что подобные черные примеси: «смешения» иногда
случаются) in seaport towns (в портовых городах). It might have been
generations back (это могло случиться поколения назад)."
"One thing (единственно)," said Lou. "I'm not going to take that child back to
the flat (я не собираюсь брать этого ребенка с собой: «назад» в квартиру)."
"You'll have to (но тебе придется)," he said.
tally ['txlI] mixture ['mIksCq] generation ["Genq'reIS(q)n]
Raymond said to her one day in the following week, "The blood tests are all
right, the doctor says."
"What do you mean, all right?"
"Oxford's blood and the baby's don't tally, and —
"Oh, shut up," she said. "The baby's black and your blood tests can't make