лучших рассказов / 75 Best Short Stories - читать бесплатно онлайн полную версию книги автора Коллектив авторов (ч. notes)

Примечания

1

bungalows – a bungalow is a small one-storied house with a veranda

2

Norfolk – a historic county on the North Sea coast in eastern England

3

Norwich – a city in Norfolk; the first settlement was founded in Saxon times; in the 12th century, in the times of the Danes, and later, after the Norman Conquest, Norwich became an important market centre.

4

Brownie – in English and Scottish folklore, a small fairy, a mythical being that inhabited houses and barns

5

talisman – an object acting as a charm to bring good fortune and avert evil

6

chariot – an open vehicle of ancient times with two or four wheels; it originated in about 3000 BC in Mesopotamia.

7

calico – a cotton fabric with simple design, first made in Calicut, India, in the 11th century

8

castanet – a musical instrument of a clapper type consisting of two pieces hinged by a cord, usually held in the hand and used by dancers in Spain and some parts of Italy

9

elfish – in Germanic folklore, an elf is a spirit in a tiny human form; it usually causes disease and brings mischief.

10

s’prise = surprise

11

Lord Mayor – the title given to the mayor of London or some other large city

12

Ohio – the US state in the Midwest (106 125 sq. km), joined the USA after the American Revolutionary War in 1783

13

Indiana – the US state in the Midwest (93 491 sq. km), joined the USA after the American Revolutionary War

14

Sandusky – a city on Lake Erie in northern Ohio, founded by the British in 1745

15

Lake Erie – one of the five Great Lakes on the USA-Canadian border

16

Wapping – an area in eastern London

17

the old Globe Theatre – a theatre built in 1599 on the south bank of the Thames and famous for the performance of the greatest Shakespeare’s plays; it remained in use until 1644.

18

Covent Garden – 1) London’s wholesale flower, fruit and vegetable market in central London at the time when the story was written; 2) the Royal Opera House which is near the place where the market used to be.

19

the Strand – the street in central London linking the West End and the City of London

20

Waterloo Station – a main line railway station in London

21

hors de combat – disabled due to the wound or injury

22

K. C. – King’s Counsel

23

Kingsway – a street in central London where companies’ offices are located

24

the Aldwych Theatre – a theatre on the corner of Drury Lane in the West End, built in 1905

25

Lancashire – a county in northwestern England

26

Bakkan – a province and city in Vietnam

27

M. P. – Member of Parliament

28

Chancery Lane – a street in central London where lawyers’ offices are located

29

the Law Courts – the main building of the House of Justice where all important judicial decisions are adopted

30

New Oxford Street – a street in central London, the shopping centre of the city

31

Lincoln’s Inn Fields – a street in central London

32

inamorata = sweetheart, beloved (Italian)

33

Knightsbridge – an area in west-central London with expensive jewellers’ and antique shops

34

sine qua non – necessary conditions (Latin)

35

St. George and his Dragon – a Christian martyr of the 3d century and the patron saint of England; St. George saved a Libyan king’s daughter from the dragon and killed the monster in return for the promise that the people of Libya would be baptized.

36

cromlechs – in prehistoric architecture, a cromlech is an acircle of stones enclosed by a broad rampant

37

Cornwall – a historic county on the Atlantic coast in southwestern England

38

St. Yves – a coastal town in Cornwall

39

Wesleyanism – the Wesleyan church, one of the Protestant churches, founded by John Wesley (1703–1791), a clergyman and church reformer; the members of the Wesleyan church promise to live a sinless life.

40

Sarah – a biblical figure, in the Old Testament, the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac

41

Abraham – in the Old Testament, the first of the Hebrew patriarchs, revered in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

42

Hagar – in the Old Testament, Sarah’s maid and Abraham’s mistress, the mother of his illegitimate son, Ishmael

43

Britannia metal – the alloy composed of tin, antimony and copper, used for making household utensils

44

Penzance – a town in Cornwall where the English Channel joins the Atlantic Ocean

45

escutcheon – a metal plate placed on a wooden article either to decorate it or to protect the wood

46

chartreuse – the liqueur made from more than 130 different plants by the monks of La Grande Chartreuse in France

47

Derby – one of the most famous English horse races, an annual event since 1730; the Derby is run on the first Saturday of June.

48

cheroot – a thin cigar open at both ends

49

claret – famous Bordeaux wine made since Roman times in the region around the city of Bordeaux in France; the word claret is not used in modern French.

50

hansom – a low two-wheeled open carriage with the elevated driver’s seat

51

West Kensington – a fashionable district in central London

52

W. – West

53

brougham – a four-wheeled one-horse carriage designed in 1838 by Henry Brougham, a former lord chancellor of England

54

kept me on tenter-hooks – idiom kept me in a state of anxiety

55

Alabama – the US state in the south (131 334 sq. km); the first Europeans who came there were the Spanish, the first settlement was founded by the French in 1701; after the war of 1763, the territory was ceded to England.

56

the Federal army – the army of the federal government in the American Civil War of 1861–1865 with 11 Southern states

57

the Southern cause – the southern states seceded from the Union in 1860–1861; the Northern and the Southern states had different economies, different attitude to slavery, trade and the very idea of states’ rights.

58

Corinth – a city in northeastern Mississippi; the bloody battle took place to the north of the city during the American Civil War.

59

the Yanks – Yankees, a nickname of the citizens of New England states; the word was used by Southerners for Northerners and Federal soldiers during the American Civil War.

60

Niagara – Niagara Falls on the Niagara River in northeastern North America, on the USA-Canadian border

61

Aeolian harps – Aeolian harp is a musical instrument in which sound is produced by the movement of the wind over the strings; in Greek mythology, Aeolus is the god of the winds.

62

delirium – mental state marked by confused thinking, hallucinations, etc. as a result of the intoxication of the brain caused by fever or some other physical disorder

63

Monterey – a city in California, 135 km south of San Francisco; the first Europeans in the region were the Spanish in 1542.

64

the Blavatsky people – followers of Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891), an occultist and spiritualist; she founded the Theosophical Society to promote theosophy (divine wisdom), a philosophical-religious system.

65

Sepoy – 1) a place in India; 2) an Indian soldier in the service of the British India Company.

66

the Thugs – members of the Indian organization of professional assassins who travelled throughout the country for several cen-turies since 1356

67

vraisemblance = love of truth (French)

68

Garrick – David Garrick (1717–1779), a famous English actor, producer and dramatist, one of the managers of the Drury Lane Theatre in London

69

the Syndicate Mill – a mill belonging to the Syndicate, an association of racketeers in control of organized crime in the USA

70

Dionysius (430 BC–367 BC) – a tyrant of Syracuse, an ancient Greek city on the east coast of Sicily

71

Pall Mall – Pall Mall Gazette, a British newspaper, one of the “poplars”

72

tetradrachm – an ancient Greek coin used for trade with the Scythians and the Celts

73

Offa – the king of Mercia (757–796), one of the most powerful kings of Anglo-Saxon England

74

Mercia – one of the most powerful kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England in the 7th–9th centuries

75

Richmond – an outer borough (an incorporate town or district with special privileges) of London, along the River Thames

76

Padua – a city in northern Italy, west of Venice, first mentioned in 302 BC

77

Euclideas – here: one of ancient Greek coins

78

Kentuckian – a resident of Kentucky, the US state in the south (102 694 sq. km)

79

a Sandwich Islander – a resident of the Sandwich Islands, the second name of the Hawaiian Islands, a group of the volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean; the first European who visited the islands in 1778 was Captain James Cook (1728–1779).

80

Pompadour – Marquise de Pompadour (1721–1764), the mistress of Louis XV, king of France; she was a well-educated woman and a patron of art and literature.

81

Olympus – a mount in Greece (2,917 m); in Greek mythology, the place where gods lived.

82

the Lost Atlantis – a legendary island in the Atlantic Ocean, described by antique authors as a highly developed and powerful civilization

83

Florence – a city in central Italy, founded in the 1st century BC and notable for its works of art

84

the Commandments – in the Bible, the list of religious principles revealed to Moses, a Hebrew prophet of the 14th—13th centuries BC, on Mount Sinai

85

the Mosaic Law – the religious principles of Judaism revealed to Moses, a Hebrew prophet of the 14th—13th centuries BC

86

the Legion of Hono(u)r – the National Order of the Legion of Honour, a military and civil order of the French Republic, created by Napoleon in 1802

87

damask – a silk, fine, patterned fabric, originally produced in Damascus, Syria

88

catechism – a religious instruction in the form of questions and answers

89

portière – heavy curtains hung in a doorway

90

Marseilles – a city and port in southern France on the Mediterranean Sea, founded 2,500 years ago

91

Desdemona – a fictional character in Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Othello’ (1603)

92

Belgravia – an area in the borough of Westminster in London, east of Chelsea and south of Hyde Park

93

Popish priest = Catholic priest

94

Buckingham Palace – royal residence in London; the famous architect John Nash converted the house built in 1705 for the Duke of Buckingham into a royal residence for king George IV.

95

the Exchequer – the government department responsible for receiving and distributing the public revenue, founded in the 12th century; later the Exchequer was joined with the Treasury.

96

Gladstone – William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), four-time prime minister of Great Britain

97

Gladstone – William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), four-time prime minister of Great Britain

98

synod – in the Christian church, a local assembly of church officials

99

Burmah – Burma (now Myanmar), a country in Southeast Asia

100

St. Peter – the Apostle, one of Christ’s disciples; when asked thrice, after Jesus Christ’s arrest, if he knew Him, St. Peter said ‘No’.

101

rococo – a style in painting, sculpture, architecture and decorative arts, originated in Paris in the early 19th century

102

archangel – in the hierarchy of angels, one of the chief angels

103

omnibus – a large vehicle designed to carry passengers on a fixed route, a bus

104

the Pantheon – the 18th century building in Paris, an example of Neoclassical architecture with columns and a high dome

105

La Petite – baby (French)

106

Seigneur – Lord, God (French)

107

Tan’tante – from tante = aunt (French)

108

palmetto – a sort of small palm trees

109

Il ne faut pas faire mal à Pauline. – Don’t do harm to Pauline. (French)

110

la guerre = war (French)

111

Sumter – a county in South Caroline, US

112

Louisiana – the US state (123,366 sq. km) admitted to the union in 1812 as the 18th member; it borders Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.

113

Adieu! – Goodbye!

114

Venus – the second planet from the Sun; when it is visible, it is the brightest in the sky.

115

pied à terre – a place of refuge where a person lives from time to time (French)

116

Texans – residents of Texas, the US state in the south

117

corbeille – a basket; here: a set of clothes (French)

118

muslin – a thin cotton fabric, first made in Mosul, Iraq

119

cochon de lait – a sucking pig; here: a small baby (French)

120

Mais si! = Oh, yes, yes! (French)

121

peignoir – a loose dressing gown

122

bayou – a river armlet with slow movement

123

layette – a dowry of a new-born baby (French)

124

espousal – marriage, engagement (archaic)

125

Liverpool – a city and port on the Irish Sea in northeastern England

126

the Palais Royal – an area and a famous theatre in Paris

127

Frascati’s – a casino in Paris

128

sou – a French coin of low value (no longer in use)

129

Rouge et Noir – ‘Red and Black’ (French), a French card game played in casinos of France, Italy and Monte Carlo

130

the Theory of Chances – a theory used in gambling to predict the outcome of a game, the result of which may be determined by chance, or accident, or miscalculation

131

napoleon – an old French gold coin equal to 20 francs

132

Sacre mille bombes! – an exclamation of anxiety (French)

133

Mille tonnerres! – an exclamation of encouragement (French)

134

croupier – a person who gathers money and pays out winnings in a gambling house

135

Sacre petit polisson de Napoleon! – Oh, little prankster of Napoleon! (French)

136

Austerlitz – the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, one of the greatest victories of Napoleon over joined Russian-Austrian forces

137

Nom d’une pipe! – an exclamation ‘listen’, ‘oh’, ‘there’ (French)

138

Vive le vine! = Long live the wine! (French)

139

grenadier – a soldier trained to hurl grenades, small explosive bombs

140

cabriolet – a two-wheeled, one-horse open carriage, first used in France in the 18th century

141

Le Maistre – Antoine Le Maistre (1608–1658), a French religious figure and theologian

142

‘Voyage autour de ma Chambre’ – ‘A Trip Around My Room’ (French)

143

Guido Fawkes – Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), an active participant of the famous Gunpowder Plot against James I of England in 1605

144

desperado – a bandit, a ruffian

145

‘Childe Harold’ – ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’, a poem by George Gordon Byron (1788–1824), a famous British Romantic poet

146

the Inquisition – an institution of the Roman Catholic Church established in the 13th century to combat heresy

147

the Harz Mountains – a northern mountain range in Germany

148

Westphalia – a historic region in northwestern Germany

149

canopy – a hood or cover over a door, bed, fireplace, etc.

150

cravat – a piece of linen or lace worn as a tie

151

posse comitatus – a group of armed men who help to maintain order, catch criminals, etc.

152

le Sous-préfet = sub-prefect (French)

153

le GarÇon = waiter, servant (French)

154

proces verbal – transcript of interrogation

155

au revoir = goodbye (French)

156

myrmidons – here: accomplices

157

compagnons de voyage = voyage companions (French)

158

olla podrida = ragout made of red beans, pork and sausage (Spanish)

159

ulster – a long, loose overcoat with a belt

160

quartermaster – an officer responsible for the quartering and movement of troops; on a ship, an officer in charge of steering and signals.

161

mal de mer = seasickness (French)

162

the New York Herald – an American daily newspaper published from 1835 till 1924

163

R. N. – Royal Navy

164

Kent – a county in England facing the European continent across the Strait of Dover

165

Sussex – a historic county in southeastern England along the English Channel coast

166

Salisbury Plain – a treeless area, a chalk plateau, in the county of Wiltshire, famous for its prehistoric monuments, the best known of which is Stonehenge