Indeed Bilbo was so pleased with their praise that he just chuckled inside

and said nothing whatever about the ring; and when they asked him how he

did it, he said: “O, just crept along, you know — very carefully and quietly.”

“Well, it is the first time that even a mouse has crept along carefully and

quietly under my very nose and not been spotted,” said Balin, “and I take off

my hood to you.” Which he did.

“Balin at your service,” said he.

“Your servant, Mr. Baggins,” said Bilbo.

Then they wanted to know all about his adventures (затем они захотели узнать

все о его приключениях) after they had lost him (после того, как они потеряли

его), and he sat down and told them everything (и он присел и рассказал им все)

— except about the finding of the ring (за исключением находки кольца) (“not

just now (не сейчас)” he thought (подумал он)). They were particularly interested

in the riddle-competition (они особенно заинтересовались /его/

соревнованиями в загадках), and shuddered most appreciatively (и

содрогнулись, боле чем понимающе) at his description of Gollum (при его

описании Голлума).

“And then I couldn’t think (и тогда я не мог придумать) of any other question

(ни одного вопроса) with him sitting beside me (когда он сидел рядом со

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мной),” ended Bilbo (закончил Бильбо); “so I said (и тогда я сказал) ‘what’s in

my pocket (что в моем кармане)?’ And he couldn’t guess in three goes (и он не

смог угадать за три захода). So I said (тогда я сказал): ‘what about your promise

(как насчет твоего обещания)? Show me the way out (покажи мне путь

отсюда)!’ But he came at me to kill me (но он подошел ко мне, чтобы убить

меня), and I ran (и я побежал), and fell over (и упал), and he missed me in the

dark (и он не заметил меня в темноте; to miss — зд. промахнуться,

пропустить). Then I followed him (затем я последовал за ним), because I heard

him talking to himself (потому что я слышал, как он разговаривал сам с собой).

He thought I really knew the way out (он думал, что я на самом деле знаю

выход), and so he was making for it (и поэтому он двинулся к нему). And then

he sat down in the entrance (и тогда он присел у входа), and I could not get by (и

я не мог пройти мимо /него/). So I jumped over him (и тогда я прыгнул на

него) and escaped (и ускользнул), and ran down to the gate (и побежал вниз, к

воротам).”

“What about guards (а как же стражники)?” they asked (спросили они).

“Weren’t there any (разве там их не было)?”

“O yes! lots of them (о да, кучи /их/); but I dodged ‘em (но я увернулся от

них). I got stuck in the door (я застрял в двери), which was only open a crack

(которая была только приоткрыта; crack — трещина), and I lost lots of buttons

(и я потерял кучи пуговиц),” he said sadly looking at his torn clothes (сказал он

печально смотря на свою разорванную одежду). “But I squeezed through all

right (но я протиснулся) — and here I am (и вот я здесь).”

appreciative [q'pri:SqtIv] entrance ['entrqns] squeeze [skwi:z]

Then they wanted to know all about his adventures after they had lost him,

and he sat down and told them everything — except about the finding of the

ring (“not just now” he thought). They were particularly interested in the

riddle-competition, and shuddered most appreciatively at his description of

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277

Gollum.

“And then I couldn’t think of any other question with him sitting beside

me,” ended Bilbo; “so I said ‘what’s in my pocket?’ And he couldn’t guess in

three goes. So I said: ‘what about your promise? Show me the way out!’ But

he came at me to kill me, and I ran, and fell over, and he missed me in the

dark. Then I followed him, because I heard him talking to himself. He thought