5. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following sentences in Russian:

1. Вчетвером, связанные голова к хвосту, они мерно шли туда, где от большой дороги отходила тропа, с пренебрежением шлёпая огромными копытами по чёрной жидкой грязи, покачивая крутыми крупами и неожиданно переходя на рысь когда их подводили к развилке, где они сворачивали за угол.

2. Собака слегка завиляла хвостом; мужчина выдвинул вперёд челюсть и, зажав трубку в ладонях, сосредоточенно запыхтел, отдаваясь табачному дурману и не сводя с собаки отсутствующих карих глаз.

3. Фред Генри, стиснув зубы, поглядел ей вслед тяжёлым, откровенно неприязненным взглядом и желчно поморщился.

4. Позади находился небольшой мощёный кирпичом хозяйственный дворик, а за ним широкая площадка, засыпанная красным мелким гравием; по обеим сторонам на неё выходили конюшни.

5. Пускай мужчины сквернословили, пускай о женщинах на кухне шла дурная молва, пускай у её братьев были незаконные дети – не важно.

6. Translate the following sentences into Russian:

1. The stables had been full of horses, there was a great turmoil and come-and-go of horses and of dealers and grooms.

2. Mindless and persistent, she seemed in a sort of ecstasy to be coming nearer to her fulfilment, her own glorification, approaching her dead mother, who was glorified.

3. There remained distinct in his consciousness, like a vision, the memory of her face, lifted from the tombstone in the churchyard, and looking at him with slow, large, portentous eyes.

4. When she turned her face to him again, a faint delicate flush was glowing, and there was again dawning that terrible shining of joy in her eyes, which really terrified him, and yet which he now wanted to see, because he feared the look of doubt still more.

Discussion points

1. What did Mabel’s brothers feel when they watched their horses being taken away from them?

2. What in the description of Joe suggests he had something in common with horses? Why does the author draw this parallel?

3. What words and phrases does the author use to create the atmosphere of helplessness and hopelessness?

4. Describe the relations between Mabel and her brothers.

5. How did Mabel manage to keep house together for ten years? What gave her confidence?

6. How do the descriptions of nature contribute to Mabel’s state of mind?

7. Recall the episode when Mabel went to her mother’s grave. What gave her the sense of satisfaction and happiness? Interpret the phrase: “…the world of death she inherited from her mother”. Why did the world Mabel lived in seemed “far less real than the world of death” to her?

8. What feelings did Ferguson have when he saw Mabel in the churchyard? Do you think this experience gave rise to his emotions later in Mabel’s house when he saved her?

9. Speak about the everyday working life of Ferguson. Did he like the place he worked in? What pleasure did he take in his work?

10. Why did Ferguson save Mabel? Was that only because of his duty as a doctor to save people’s lives?

11. Observe the following expressions in the description of the pond: callous wintry obscurity; dead water; dead cold; cold, rotten clay; hideous cold element; dead cold pond; foul earthy water; clutches of the pond. What atmosphere is created through the use of these expressions? What feeling does the description evoke?

12. What did Ferguson feel when he found himself in Mabel’s arms? Comment on the repetition:

He had never thought of loving her.

He had never wanted to love her.

And yet he had never intended to love her.

For he had, really, no intention of loving her.

Does it give any key to the doctor’s attitude towards Mabel? What mattered to Ferguson when he thought of what people might say about him? Do you think he loved Mabel?

13. Make character-sketches of a) Mabel, b) Joe, c) Fred Henry, d) Ferguson.

14. Comment on the use of colloquial words in the story. What is the author’s purpose in introducing colloquial speech?

15. What is the theme of the story?

16. What is the message of the story?