Injured [`InGqd] knee [nJ]

"There!" he would say, in an injured tone, "now the nail's gone."

And we would all have to go down on our knees and grovel for it, while he would stand on the chair, and grunt, and want to know if he was to be kept there all the evening.

The nail would be found at last, but by that time he would have lost the hammer.

"Where's the hammer? What did I do with the hammer? Great heavens! Seven of you, gaping round there, and you don't know what I did with the hammer!"

We would find the hammer for him (мы находим молоток для него), and then he would have lost sight of the mark he had made on the wall (и потом он потерял отметку, /которую/ сделал на стене; to lose sight of — потерять из виду; забыть), where the nail was to go in (куда гвоздь должен был войти), and each of us had to get up on the chair, beside him, and see if we could find it (и каждому из нас /по очереди/ пришлось встать на стул рядом с ним и посмотреть = попытаться найти ее); and we would each discover it in a different place (и каждый обнаруживает ее в другом месте), and he would call us all fools, one after another, and tell us to get down (и он называет нас всех дураками, одного за другим, и говорит нам слезть). And he would take the rule, and re-measure (и он берет линейку, и мерит снова), and find that he wanted half thirty-one and three-eighths inches from the corner (и обнаруживает, что ему нужна половина = нужно разделить пополам тридцать один и три восьмых дюйма от угла; inch — дюйм /2, 54 см/), and would try to do it in his head, and go mad (и пытается сделать это в голове, и сходит с ума = бесится).

And we would all try to do it in our heads (и мы все пытаемся сделать это в своих головах), and all arrive at different results (и все приходим к различным результатам), and sneer at one another (и издеваемся друг над другом; to sneer at — насмехаться, глумиться над). And in the general row, the original number would be forgotten (и во всеобщем споре первоначальное число забывается; row — перебранка, ссора; to forget), and Uncle Podger would have to measure it again (и дяде Поджеру приходится мерить снова).

discover [dIs`kAvq] measure [`meZq] original [q`rIGInl]

We would find the hammer for him, and then he would have lost sight of the mark he had made on the wall, where the nail was to go in, and each of us had to get up on the chair, beside him, and see if we could find it; and we would each discover it in a different place, and he would call us all fools, one after another, and tell us to get down. And he would take the rule, and re-measure, and find that he wanted half thirty-one and three-eighths inches from the corner, and would try to do it in his head, and go mad.

And we would all try to do it in our heads, and all arrive at different results, and sneer at one another. And in the general row, the original number would be forgotten, and Uncle Podger would have to measure it again.

He would use a bit of string this time (он использует кусок веревки на этот раз), and at the critical moment, when the old fool was leaning over the chair at an angle of forty-five (и в критический момент, когда старый дурак наклоняется на стуле под углом в сорок пять /градусов/), and trying to reach a point three inches beyond what was possible for him to reach (и пытается дотянуться до точки, /находящейся/ на три дюйма дальше, чем возможно для него = чем он может достать; to reach — добираться, достигать; протягивать/ся/), the string would slip, and down he would slide on to the piano (веревка выскальзывает /из руки/, и он соскальзывает = падает на фортепьяно), a really fine musical effect being produced by the suddenness (действительно прекрасный музыкальный эффект производится внезапностью) with which his head and body struck all the notes at the same time (с которой его голова и тело ударяют по всем клавишам одновременно; to strike a note — взять ноту; note — нота; клавиша).

And Aunt Maria would say that she would not allow the children to stand round and hear such language (и тетя Мария говорит, что не разрешает детям стоять рядом и слушать такой язык = подобные выражения).

At last, Uncle Podger would get the spot fixed again (наконец, дядя Поджер находит /нужное/ место снова; to fix — устанавливать, прикреплять; определять местоположение), and put the point of the nail on it with his left hand (и приставляет острие гвоздя к нему левой рукой), and take the hammer in his right hand (и берет молоток в правую руку). And, with the first blow, he would smash his thumb (и первым ударом он попадает по большому пальцу; to smash — разбивать/ся/, ломать/ся/; наносить сильный удар), and drop the hammer, with a yell, on somebody's toes (и роняет молоток с /пронзительным/ воплем на чью-то ногу; toe — палец на ноге; носок).

piano [pI`xnqu] thumb [TAm] toe [tqu]

He would use a bit of string this time, and at the critical moment, when the old fool was leaning over the chair at an angle of forty-five, and trying to reach a point three inches beyond what was possible for him to reach, the string would slip, and down he would slide on to the piano, a really fine musical effect being produced by the suddenness with which his head and body struck all the notes at the same time.

And Aunt Maria would say that she would not allow the children to stand round and hear such language.

At last, Uncle Podger would get the spot fixed again, and put the point of the nail on it with his left hand, and take the hammer in his right hand. And, with the first blow, he would smash his thumb, and drop the hammer, with a yell, on somebody's toes.

Aunt Maria would mildly observe that, next time Uncle Podger was going to hammer a nail into the wall (тетя Мария кротко замечает, что в следующий раз, /когда/ дядя Поджер соберется вбить гвоздь в стену), she hoped he'd let her know in time (она надеется, он даст ей знать/предупредит заранее; in time — вовремя; заблаговременно), so that she could make arrangements to go and spend a week with her mother while it was being done (чтобы она могла уехать и провести неделю со своей мамой, пока это /вбивание гвоздя/ делается; to make arrangements — принимать меры; делать приготовления).

"Oh! you women, you make such a fuss over everything (вы, женщины, поднимаете такой шум из-за всего; fuss — суета, шум, беспокойство /из-за пустяков/)," Uncle Podger would reply, picking himself up (отвечает дядя Поджер, приходя в себя; to pick up — поднимать, подбирать; ободрять, поднимать настроение; to pick oneself up — оправляться /после болезни, удара и т. п./). "Why, I like doing a little job of this sort (а ведь мне нравится делать мелкую работу такого рода)."

And then he would have another try (потом он пытается снова: «имеет еще одну попытку»), and, at the second blow, the nail would go clean through the plaster (и со второго удара гвоздь полностью входит в штукатурку; clean — чисто; полностью, совсем), and half the hammer after it (и полмолотка за ним), and Uncle Podger be precipitated against the wall with force nearly sufficient to flatten his nose (а дядю Поджера бросает о стену с силой, почти достаточной, чтобы расплющить его нос; to precipitate — бросать, швырять /с силой/; to flatten — выравнивать/ся/, сглаживать/ся/; flat — плоский, ровный).

plaster [`plRstq] precipitated [prI`sIpItIt] sufficient [sq`fIS(q)nt]

Aunt Maria would mildly observe that, next time Uncle Podger was going to hammer a nail into the wall, she hoped he'd let her know in time, so that she could make arrangements to go and spend a week with her mother while it was being done.

"Oh! you women, you make such a fuss over everything," Uncle Podger would reply, picking himself up. "Why, I like doing a little job of this sort."

And then he would have another try, and, at the second blow, the nail would go clean through the plaster, and half the hammer after it, and Uncle Podger be precipitated against the wall with force nearly sufficient to flatten his nose.

Then we had to find the rule and the string again (затем нам приходится найти линейку и веревку снова), and a new hole was made (и новая дырка сделана); and, about midnight, the picture would be up — very crooked and insecure (и, около полуночи, картина повешена — очень криво и ненадежно), the wall for yards round looking as if it had been smoothed down with a rake (стена на /много/ ярдов вокруг выглядит /так/, словно ее выравнивали граблями; to smooth — приглаживать/ся/, разглаживать/ся/), and everybody dead beat and wretched — except Uncle Podger (и все измождены и несчастны — кроме дяди Поджера; dead beat — смертельно усталый, изможденный; wretched — бедный, несчастный).

"There you are (вот видите)," he would say, stepping heavily off the chair on to the charwoman's corns (говорит он, слезая тяжело со стула /и наступая/ на мозоли поденщице; corn — зерно, крупинка; мозоль), and surveying the mess he had made with evident pride (и обозревая беспорядок = любуясь беспорядком, /который/ он произвел, с явной гордостью). "Why, some people would have had a man in to do a little thing like that (а некоторые бы вызвали /специального/ человека, чтобы сделать такую мелочь; to have in — иметь в доме /про запас/; вызывать специалиста)!"

Harris will be just that sort of man when he grows up, I know, and I told him so (Гаррис будет именно таким /человеком/, когда вырастет, я знаю, и я сказал ему это). I said I could not permit him to take so much labour upon himself (я сказал, я не могу позволить ему взять на себя столько работы; labour — труд, работа). I said: "No; you get the paper, and the pencil, and the catalogue (нет, — ты принесешь бумагу, карандаш и прейскурант), and George write down, and I'll do the work (Джордж будет записывать, а я сделаю работу = все сделаю /сам/)."