Here there was a well (скважина, колодец) with the boarding (обшивка досками; доски) around it dank (влажный; сырой; мокрый) and slippery (скольский) even on the brightest days. She went up the stairs on the other side and into the vegetable garden; she walked rather quickly; she liked to be active, though at times (временами) she gave an impression (производить впечатление) of repose (отдых, покой, тишина) that was at once static and evocative (восстанавливающий в памяти, вызывающий воспоминания). This was because she knew few words and believed in none, and in the world she was rather silent, contributing just her share of urbane (вежливый; с изысканными манерами) humor with a precision (точность) that approached (приближаться) meagerness (скудность). But at the moment when strangers (незнакомец) tended to (иметь склонность) grow uncomfortable (чувствовать себя неловко) in the presence of (в присутствии) this economy she would seize (схватить, ухватиться, завладеть) the topic and rush off (нестись) with it, feverishly (лихорадочно) surprised with herself – then bring it back and relinquish (бросать, оставлять, отказываться) it abruptly (резко), almost timidly (стыдливо), like an obedient (покорный) retriever (охотничья (поисковая) собака), having been adequate and something more.
As she stood in the fuzzy [’fʌzɪ] (неясный, туманный, смазанный) green light of the vegetable garden, Dick crossed the path ahead of (впереди неё) her going to his work house. Nicole waited silently till he had passed (пройти мимо); then she went on through (через, сквозь) lines of prospective (будущий) salads to a little menagerie (зверинец) where pigeons and rabbits and a parrot made a medley (мешанина, «попурри») of insolent (дерзкий, наглый, нахальный) noises at her. Descending to another ledge (выступ, уступ; край) she reached a low, curved (изогнутый, кривой) wall and looked down seven hundred feet to the Mediterranean Sea.
She stood in the ancient (древний, античный) hill (холм) village of Tarmes. The villa and its grounds were made out of a row (ряд) of peasant (крестьянский) dwellings (жилище) that abutted (примыкать к, граничить с, упираться во (что-л.) on the cliff (утёс) – five small houses had been combined (соединять) to make the house and four destroyed (разрушать) to make the garden. The exterior (внешний) walls were untouched (нетронутый) so that (так что) from the road far below (далеко внизу) it was indistinguishable (неразличимый) from the violet (фиолетоый) gray mass of the town.
For a moment Nicole stood looking down at the Mediterranean but there was nothing to do with that, even with her tireless hands. Presently (вскоре) Dick came out of his one-room house carrying a telescope and looked east toward Cannes. In a moment Nicole swam into his field of vision (обзор, видение), whereupon he disappeared into his house and came out with a megaphone. He had many light mechanical devices.
«Nicole,» he shouted, «I forgot to tell you that as a final apostolic [апостолический; папский, святейший] gesture I invited Mrs. Abrams, the woman with the white hair.»
«I suspected (подозревать) it. It’s an outrage (грубое нарушение (закона, прав, приличий); произвол).»
The ease (лёгкость) with which her reply reached him seemed to belittle (недооценивать, принижать) his megaphone, so she raised her voice and called, «Can you hear me?»
