II

«We thought maybe you were in the plot (заговор),» said Mrs. McKisco. She was a shabby-eyed (с бесчестными глазами), pretty young woman with a disheartening (приводящий в уныние) intensity (сила, энергия). «We don’t know who’s in the plot (заговор) and who isn’t. One man my husband had been particularly nice to turn out (оказаться) to be a chief (главный) character (герой) – practically the assistant (помощник) hero.»

«The plot?» inquired Rosemary, half understanding. «Is there a plot?»

«My dear, we don’t KNOW,» said Mrs. Abrams, with a convulsive (конвульсивный), stout (тучной, полный) woman’s chuckle (тихий смех; смех про себя). «We’re not in it. We’re the gallery (публика на галёрке).»

Mr. Dumphry, a tow-headed (белокурый) effeminate (женоподобный) young man, remarked (заметить): «Mama Abrams is a plot in herself,» and Campion shook his monocle at him, saying: «Now, Royal, don’t be too ghastly (отвратительный) for words.» Rosemary looked at them all uncomfortably, wishing her mother had come down here with her. She did not like these people, especially in her immediate (непосредственный) comparison of them with those who had interested her at the other end of the beach. Her mother’s modest but compact social gift (способность, дарование; дар, талант) got them out of unwelcome (неудобный) situations swiftly (быстро) and firmly (твердо). But Rosemary had been a celebrity (знаменитость; звезда) for only six months, and sometimes the French manners of her early adolescence (юность, подростковый возраст) and the democratic manners of America, these latter superimposed (накладывать), made a certain confusion (беспорядок; неразбериха, путаница) and let her in (впутывать во) for just such things.

Mr. McKisco, a scrawny (костлявый, сухопарый), freckle (веснушка) – and-red man of thirty, did not find the topic of the «plot» amusing (забавный, занимательный, занятный). He had been staring (уставиться) at the sea – now after a swift (быстрый) glance (взгляд) at his wife he turned to Rosemary and demanded (требовать) aggressively:

«Been here long?»

«Only a day.»

«Oh.»

Evidently feeling that the subject had been thoroughly changed, he looked in turn (по очереди) at the others.

«Going to stay all summer?» asked Mrs. McKisco, innocently (невинно). «If you do (если останешься) you can watch the plot unfold (раскрывать).»

«For God’s sake (ради бога), Violet, drop (бросать, отказываться от) the subject!» exploded her husband. «Get a new joke (шутка), for God’s sake!»

Mrs. McKisco swayed (качнуться) toward Mrs. Abrams and breathed (выдохнуть) audibly (громко, вслух):

«He’s nervous.»

«I’m not nervous,» disagreed McKisco. «It just happens I’m not nervous at all.»

He was burning (гореть) visibly (вслух) – a grayish flush (румянец) had spread over his face, dissolving (растворять) all his expressions into a vast (огромный) ineffectuality (отсутствие эффективности, действенности). Suddenly remotely (отдаленно) conscious (осознавать) of his condition he got up (подняться) to go in the water, followed by his wife (а жена следовала за ним), and seizing the opportunity (воспользоваться возможностью) Rosemary followed (последовать за ними).

Mr. McKisco drew a long breath, flung himself into the shallows and began a stiff-armed batting of the Mediterranean, obviously intended to suggest a crawl – his breath exhausted he arose and looked around with an expression of surprise that he was still in sight of shore.

«I haven’t learned to breathe (дышать) yet. I never quite understood how they breathed.» He looked at Rosemary inquiringly (вопросительно).

«I think you breathe out (выдыхать) under water,» she explained. «And every fourth beat (такт, удар) you roll (крутить, вертеть) your head over (над водой) for air.»

«The breathing’s the hardest part for me. Shall we go to the raft (плот, наплавной мост, паром)?»

The man with the leonine (львиный) head lay stretched out upon the raft, which tipped (перевешивать) back and forth (вперед) with the motion (движение) of the water. As Mrs. McKisco reached for (потянуться) it a sudden (неожиданный) tilt (наклон) struck (ударить) her arm up roughly (сильно), whereupon (при этом) the man started up (поднялся на ноги) and pulled (вытянуть) her on board.

«I was afraid it hit you (что он ударит вас).» His voice was slow (тихий) and shy (застенчивый); he had one of the saddest (печальный) faces Rosemary had ever seen (когда-либо видела), the high (высокий) cheekbones (скула) of an Indian, a long upper lip, and enormous (огромный) deep-set (глубоко посаженный) dark golden eyes. He had spoken out of the side (уголок) of his mouth, as if he hoped his words would reach Mrs. McKisco by a circuitous (кружный, окольный, обходной) and unobtrusive (ненавязчивый; малозаметный) route (способ; путь, маршрут); in a minute he had shoved (отталкиваться) off into the water and his long body lay motionless (неподвижно) toward shore.

Rosemary and Mrs. McKisco watched him. When he had exhausted (истощать) his momentum (импульс, количество движения) he abruptly (резко) bent double (согнуться вдвое), his thin thighs (бедро) rose above the surface, and he disappeared totally (полностью), leaving scarcely (едва ли) a fleck (капелька) of foam (пена) behind.

«He’s a good swimmer,» Rosemary said.

Mrs. McKisco’s answer came with surprising violence (ярость).

«Well, he’s a rotten (неудачный) musician.» She turned to her husband, who after two unsuccessful attempts had managed to climb (вскарабкаться) on the raft, and having attained (достичь) his balance (равновесие) was trying to make some kind of compensatory (компенсирующий) flourish (росчерк), achieving (добиваться) only an extra (еще один, лишний) stagger (пошатывание, неустойчивое положение). «I was just saying that Abe North may be a good swimmer but he’s a rotten musician.»

«Yes,» agreed McKisco, grudgingly (нехотя, без желания). Obviously (явно, очевидно) he had created his wife’s world, and allowed her few (мало, немного) liberties (вольность) in it.

«Antheil’s my man.» Mrs. McKisco turned challengingly (вызывающе) to Rosemary, «Anthiel and Joyce. I don’t suppose you ever hear much about those sort (такого рода) of people in Hollywood, but my husband wrote the first criticism of Ulysses (Одиссей) that ever appeared in America.»

«I wish I had a cigarette (Жаль, что у меня нет сигареты),» said McKisco calmly (спокойно). «That’s more important to me just now.»

«He’s got insides (под водой) – don’t you think so, Albert?»

Her voice faded off (ослабевать) suddenly. The woman of the pearls had joined her two children in the water, and now Abe North came up under one of them like a volcanic island, raising him on his shoulders. The child yelled (кричать; вопить) with fear (страх) and delight (восторг) and the woman watched with a lovely (восхитительный) peace (спокойствие), without a smile.

«Is that his wife?» Rosemary asked.

«No, that’s Mrs. Diver. They’re not at the hotel.» Her eyes, photographic, did not move from the woman’s face. After a moment she turned vehemently (неистово; страстно) to Rosemary.

«Have you been abroad before?»

«Yes – I went to school in Paris.»

«Oh! Well then you probably know that if you want to enjoy yourself here the thing is to get to know some real French families. What do these people get out of it?» She pointed her left shoulder toward shore. «They just stick around with each other in little cliques (клика, группировка). Of course, we had letters of introduction (рекомендательное письмо) and met all the best French artists and writers in Paris. That made it very nice.»

«I should think so.»

«My husband is finishing his first novel, you see.»

Rosemary said: «Oh, he is?» She was not thinking anything special (особый), except (кроме) wondering (удивляться) whether her mother had got to sleep in this heat (жара).

«It’s on the idea of Ulysses (Одиссей),» continued Mrs. McKisco. «Only instead of taking twenty-four hours my husband takes a hundred years. He takes a decayed (дряблый) old French aristocrat and puts him in contrast with the mechanical age – »

«Oh, for God’s sake, Violet, don’t go telling everybody the idea,» protested McKisco. «I don’t want it to get all around before the book’s published.»

Rosemary swam back to the shore, where she threw her peignoir (пеньюар) over her already sore [больной] shoulders and lay down again in the sun. The man with the jockey cap was now going from umbrella to umbrella carrying a bottle and little glasses in his hands; presently [некоторое время спустя] he and his friends grew (становиться) livelier (весёлый, оживлённый) and closer together and now they were all under a single assemblage [совокупность] of umbrellas – she gathered (делать вывод) that some one was leaving and that this was a last drink on the beach. Even the children knew that excitement was generating (образовывать, формировать) under that umbrella and turned toward it – and it seemed to Rosemary that it all came from the man in the jockey cap.

Noon dominated sea and sky – even the white line of Cannes, five miles off, had faded to a mirage of what was fresh and cool; a robin (малиновка) – breasted (на носу) sailing boat (парусная лодка) pulled in behind it a strand (жгут) from the outer (внешний), darker sea. It seemed that there was no life anywhere in all this expanse (простор) of coast except under the filtered (очищенный; профильтрованный) sunlight of those umbrellas, where something went on amid (среди) the color and the murmur (бормотание).

Campion walked near her, stood a few feet away and Rosemary closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep; then she half-opened them and watched two dim (неясный, неотчётливый), blurred (запачканный, неясный, расплывчатый) pillars (столп) that were legs. The man tried to edge his way into a sand-colored cloud, but the cloud floated off (отплыть) into the vast hot sky. Rosemary fell really asleep.

She awoke drenched with sweat (мокрый от пота) to find (и обнаружила) the beach deserted (что на пляже никого не было) save for (кроме) the man in the jockey cap, who was folding (складывать) a last umbrella. As Rosemary lay blinking (лежать, моргая), he walked nearer and said:

«I was going to wake you before I left. It’s not good (нет ничего хорошего) to get too burned (чтобы слишком загореть) right away (сразу).»

«Thank you.» Rosemary looked down at her crimson (тёмно-красный) legs.

«Heavens (Господи)!»

She laughed cheerfully (весело), inviting him to talk (приглашая его к разговору), but Dick Diver was already carrying (нести) a tent and a beach umbrella (пляжный зонт) up to a waiting (ожидающий) car, so she went into the water to wash off the sweat (чтобы смыть пот). He came back and gathering up a rake (грабли, скребок, рашпиль), a shovel (лопата, совок), and a sieve (решето, сито), stowed (складывать, укладывать) them in a crevice (трещина, расщелина, щель) of a rock (скала). He glanced up and down (оглядеть сверху донизу) the beach to see (чтобы убедиться) if he had left anything (не оставил ли он чего-либо).

«Do you know what time it is?» Rosemary asked.

«It’s about (примерно) half-past one (половина второго; один час тридцать минут).»

They faced (поворачиваться лицом к) the seascape (море, марина, морской пейзаж) together momentarily (мгновенно; ежеминутно, поминутно).

«It’s not a bad time,» said Dick Diver. «It’s not one of worst (наихудший) times of the day.»

He looked at her and for a moment she lived in the bright blue worlds of his eyes, eagerly (горячо, пылко, страстно) and confidently (уверенно). Then he shouldered (взвалить на плечо) his last piece of junk (отбросы, хлам) and went up to his car, and Rosemary came out of the water, shook out her peignoir and walked up to the hotel.