b) you show your family album to your friend and answer all his or her questions.
○ TEXT
A Marriage of Convenience
(Story by W. S. Maugham. Abridged.)
I left Bangkok on a shabby little ship. I had gone on board early in the morning and soon discovered that I was thrown amid the oddest collection of persons I had ever encountered. There were two French traders and a Belgian colonel, an Italian tenor, the American proprietor of a circus with his wife, and a retired French official with his.
The French official had been accompanied on board by the French minister at Bangkok, one or two secretaries and a prince of a royal family. He was evidently a person of consequence.1 I had heard the captain address him as Monsieur le Gouverneur.
Monsieur le Gouverneur was a little man, well below the average height, and smally made, with a very ugly little face; he had a bushy grey head, bushy grey eyebrows, and a bushy grey moustache. He did look a little like a poodle2 and he had the poodle's soft, intelligent and shining eyes.
The Governor's wife was a large woman, tall and of a robust build. She towered over her diminutive husband like a skyscraper over a shack. He talked incessantly, with vivacity and wit, and when he said anything amusing her heavy features relaxed into a large fond smile.
In such a small ship having once made the acquaintance of my fellow passengers, it would have been impossible, even had I wished it, not to pass with them every moment of the day that I was not in my cabin.
Talking of one thing and another we watched the day decline, we dined, and then we sat out again on deck under the stars. Soon, influenced perhaps by the night, the Italian tenor, accompanying himself on his guitar began to sing. He had the real Italian voice, and he sang the Neapolitan songs.
I saw that the little French Governor had been holding the hand of his large wife and the sight was absurd and touching.
'Do you know that this is the anniversary of the day on which I first saw my wife?' he said, suddenly breaking the silence. 'It is also the anniversary of the day on which she promised to be my wife. And, which will surprise you, they were one and the same.'
'You see, ours was a marriage of convenience pure and simple.'3
'C'est vrai,'4 said the lady. 'But sometimes love comes after marriage and not before, and then it is better. It lasts longer.'
'You see, I had been in the navy, and when I retired I was forty-nine. I was strong and active and I was very anxious to find an occupation. And presently I was sent for by the minister to the Colonies and offered the post of Governor in a certain colony. The minister told me that I must be ready to start in a month. I told him that would be easy for an old bachelor.'
'You are a bachelor?'
'Certainly,' I answered.
'In that case I am afraid I must withdraw my offer. For this position it is essential that you should be married.'
'It is too long a story to tell you, but the gist of it was that owing to the scandal my predecessor had caused, it had been decided that the next Governor must be a model of respectability. I expostulated. I argued. Nothing would serve. The minister was adamant.'
'Well, think it over/ said the minister. 'If you can find a wife in a month you can go, but no wife no job.'
I walked away from the ministry with death in my heart.5 Suddenly I made up my mind.6 I walked to the offices of the Figaro, composed an advertisement, and handed it in for insertion. You will never believe it, but I had four thousand three hundred and seventy-two replies. It was an avalanche. It was hopeless, I had less than a month now and I could not see over four thousand aspirants to my hand in that time. I gave it up as a bad job.7I went out of my room hideous with all those photographs and littered papers and to drive care away8 went on to the boulevard and sat down at the Cafe de la Paix. After a time I saw a friend passing. My friend stopped and coming up to me sat down.
'What is making you lookso glum?' he asked me.
I was glad to havesomeone in whom I could confide my troubles and told him the whole story. He laughed. Controlling his mirth as best he could, he said to me: 'But, my dear fellow, do you really want to marry?' At this I entirely lost my temper.9
'You are completely idiotic,' I said. 'If I did not want to marry, do you imagine that I should have spent three days reading love letters from women I have never set eyes on?'10
'Calm yourself and listen to me,' he replied. 'I have a cousin who lives in Geneva. She is Swiss. Her morals are without reproach, she is of a suitable age, a spinster, for she has spent the last fifteen years nursing an invalid mother who has lately died, she is well educated and she is not ugly.'
'There is one thing you forget. What inducement would there be for her to give up her accustomed life to accompany in exile a man of forty-nine who is by no means a beauty?'
When I made this remark to my friend he replied: 'One can never tell with women.11 There is something about marriage that wonderfully attracts them. There would be no harm in asking her. '
'But I do not know your cousin and I don't see how I am to make her acquaintance.'
'I will tell you what to do,' said my friend. 'Go to Geneva and take her a box of chocolates from me. You can have a little talk and then if you do not like the look of her you take your leave and no harm is done.'
That night I took the train to Geneva. No sooner had I arrived than I sent her a letter to say that I was the bearer of a gift from her cousin. Within an hour I received her reply to the effect that she would be pleased to receive me at four o'clock in the afternoon. As the clock struck four I presented myself at the door other house. She was waiting for me. Imagine my surprise to see a young woman with the dignity of Juno, the features of Venus, and in her expression the intelligence of Minerva. I was so taken aback that I nearly dropped the box of chocolates. We talked for a quarter of an hour. And then I said to her.
'Mademoiselle,121 must tell you that I did not come here merely to give you a box of chocolates. I came to ask you to do me the honour of marrying me.'
She gave a start.13
'But, monsieur, you are mad,' she said.
Then I repeated my offer.
'I will not deny that your offer has come as a surprise. I had not thought of marrying, I have passed the age. I must consult my friends and my family.'
'What have they got to do with it? You are of full age. The matter is pressing. I cannot wait. '
'You are not asking me to say yes or no this very minute? That is outrageous.'
'That is exactly what I am asking.'
'You are quite evidently a lunatic.'
'Well, which is it to be? ' I said. 'Yes or no?'
She shrugged her shoulders. She waited a minute and I was on tenterhooks.14
'Yes.'
And there she is. We were married in a fortnight and I became Governor of a colony. 'I married a jewel, my dear sirs, one in a thousand.'
He turned to the Belgian colonel.
'Are you a bachelor? If so I strongly recommend you to go to Geneva. It is a nest of the most adorable young women.'
It was she who summed up the story.
'The fact is that in a marriage of convenience you expect less and so you are less likely to be disappointed. Passion is all very well,15 but it is not a proper foundation for marriage. For two people to be happy in marriage they must be able to respect one another, and their interests must be alike; then if they are decent people and are willing to give and take, to live and let live, there is no reason why their union should not be as happy as ours.' She paused. 'But, of course, my husband is a very remarkable man.'
Proper Names
William Somerset Maugham [wIlj@m 'söm@set 'mþm] — Уильям Сомерсег Моэм
Bangkok [b{Î'kÁk] — Бангкок
Belgian [bеld³@n] — бельгиец
Monsieur le Gourvemeur [mÆ:'sjÆ: l@ ,güv@r'nÆ:r] (French) — мсье губернатор
Neapolitan [nI@'pÁlIt@n] — неаполитанский
Figaro ["fIg@'r@U] — Фигаро (Прим.: популярная французская газета)
Cafe de la Paix ['k{feI d@l@'рe:]— кафе де ля Пэ
Geneva [³I'nÖv@] — Женева
Juno ['³u:n@U] (Latin) — Юнона (Прим.: супруга Юпитера, богиня брака)
Venus ['vÖn@s] (Latin) — Венера (Прим.: богиня любви и красоты)
Minerva [mI'nÆ:v@] (Latin) — Минерва (Прим.: богиня мудрости)
Vocabulary Notes
1. ... a person of consequence. — ... важная персона.
2. He did look a little like a poodle... — Очень уж он был похож на пуделя ... (Прим.: В данном случае имеет место так называемая эмфатическая, т.е. усилительная конструкция. В обычную структуру утвердительного предложения вводится вспомогательный глагол. При переводе подобных конструкции на русский употребляются слова типа «именно», «уж», «очень» и т. п. Подобные конструкции неоднократно встречаются в текстах данного учебника).
3. Ours was a marriage of convenience pure and simple. — Наш брак был, без сомнения, браком по расчёту.
4. C'est vrai [se: 'vre:] (French) — Верно.
5. ... with death in my heart. — ... с тяжёлым сердцем.
6. Suddenly I made up my mind. — Неожиданно у меня созрело решение.
7. I gave it up as a bad job. — Я бросил это безнадёжное дело.
8. ... to drive care away ... — ... чтобы развеяться ...
9. At this I entirely lost my temper. — И тут я совсем вышел из себя.
10. ... from women I have never set eyes on? — ... от женщин, которых я в глаза не видел?
11. One can never tell with women. — Кто их разберёт, женщин.
12. mademoiselle ["m{d@mw@'zel] — мадемуазель
13. She gave a start. —Она вздрогнула.
14. ... I was on tenterhooks. — ... я был как на иголках.
15. Passion is all very well, but... — Страсть — это прекрасно, но ...
Comprehension Check
1. What kind of people were there on board the ship?
2. How did the author guess that the Governor was a person of con sequence?
3. What did the Governor and his wife look like?
4. How did it happen that the Governor started telling his story?
5. What impulse did the Governor have to marry?
6. Why was it essential for the next Governor to be married?
7. What did the Governor suddenly decide to do?
8. What kind of response did the Governor get after he had handed in the advertisement?
9. Why did he give up reading letters?
10. Where did the Governor meet his friend?
11. What did his friend suggest?
12. Did the Governor agree to follow his advice? How?
13. What impression did the lady produce upon the Governor?
14. What reaction did the lady have to his proposal?
15. Was the Governor persistent? Support your opinion.
16. What happened in the end?
17. What piece of advice did the Governor give to the Belgian colonel?
18. How did the lady sum up the story?
Phonetic Text Drills
○ Exercise 1
Transcribe and pronounce correctly the words given below.
To encounter, colonel, tenor, proprietor, to accompany, consequence, moustache, diminutive, skyscraper, guitar, convenience, to withdraw, predecessor, to expostulate, adamant, avalanche, aspirant, hideous, boulevard, inducement, exile, quarter, outrageous, lunatic, adorable, to pause.
○ Exercise 2
Pronounce the words or phases where the following clusters occur.
1. plosive + plosive
Left Bangkok, had gone, had been, not to pass, watched, not before, should be, had caused, must be, bad job, sat down, remark to, dropped, must consult, got to do, shrugged, respect.
2. plosive + 1
Little, evidently, did look, poodle, husband like, decline, hopeless, glad, suitable, lately, accustomed life, replied, likely, let live, remarkable.
3. plosive + r
Trader, proprietor, secretaries, grey, eyebrows, skyscraper, promised, hundred, photographs, drive, troubles, controlling, reproach, struck, presented, expression, outrageous, proper.
4. plosive + m/n
Told me, could not, confide my troubles, invalid mother, about marriage, did not, had not, should not.
5. consonant + w
Sight was, ours was, must withdraw, it was, did not want, is well, tell with women, was waiting, that wonderfully attracts.
Exercise 3
Say what kind of false assimilation one should avoid in the following custers.
Was thrown, had heard, wife was, is the anniversary, was strong, was sent, is something, was so, is pressing, was she.
○ Exercise 4
I. Listen to the following sentences with enumeration. Pronounce after the announcer, transcribe and intone the sentences.
There were 'two 'French /traders | and a 'Belgian /colonel, | an I'talian /tenor, | the A'merican proprietor of a 'circus with his/wife, | and a re'tired 'French official with \his. ||
The 'French official had been accompanied on /board by the 'French 'minister at Bang/kok, | one or two /secretaries | and a 'prince of a 'royal \family. ||
Talking of 'one 'thing and a/nother | we 'watched the 'day de/cline, | we /dined, | and 'then we 'sat 'out a'gain on 'deck under the \stairs. ||
II. Find other sentences with enumeration in the text and read them aloud.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1
Find in the text words similar in meaning to the following:
Nouns:
A human being, an owner, a statesman, getting to know someone, the celebration of a date, a single man, a post, bad public gossip, a person who strives for getting something, a single lady, stimulus, a present, a madman, a precious stone.
Verbs:
To meet by chance, to travel together with somebody, to call somebody, to cease employment, to take back, to protest, to give to somebody, to finish abruptly, to ask for advice, to give instructions, to summarize.
Adjectives:
In bad condition, bad-looking, full-bodied, tiny, tender, silly, firm, appropriate, urgent, admirable, good enough, moving.
Exercise 2
Explain in other words the following phrases.
To confide troubles, to lose temper, without reproach, of a suitable age, to nurse somebody, to be taken aback, to do someone the honour of marrying him, to be on tenterhooks, to give a start, to come as a surprise, to pass the age, to be of full age, a proper foundation for marriage, a person of consequence, an aspirant to someone's hand, to be adamant, a marriage of convenience.
Exercise 3
Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian words and phrases.
A.
Брак по расчёту; годовщина; составить объявление; претендент(ка) на чью-либо руку; поделиться с кем-либо своими проблемами; любовное послание; подходящего возраста; незамужняя женщина; преподнести коробку конфет от чьего-либо имени; оказать честь выйти замуж; выйти из определённого возраста; быть совершеннолетним; один на тысячу; страсть — это прекрасно, но...; хорошая основа для брака; быть счастливым в браке; уважать друг друга; союз.
В.
Сопровождать; важная персона; обращаться к кому-либо; намного ниже среднего роста; возвышаться над кем-либо; познакомиться; говорить о том, о сём; на палубе; нарушить тишину; служить во флоте; ничего не помогало; решить; развеяться; изо всех сил; выйти из себя; в глаза не видеть кого-либо;никоим образом; быть удивлённым; уронить; вздрогнуть; дело безотлагательное; по