“Have you got Joey?” she cried sharply, as if I were a thief.

I opened the bag, and he flopped out, flapping as if he hated the touch of the snow, now. She gathered him up and put her lips to his beak. She was flushed and handsome, her eyes bright, her hair slack, thick, but more witch-like than ever. She did not speak.

She had been followed by a grey-haired woman with a round, rather sallow face and a slightly hostile bearing.

“Did you bring him with you, then?” she asked sharply. I answered that I had rescued him the previous evening.

From the background slowly approached a slender man with a grey moustache and large patches on his trousers (медленно приблизился человек с седыми усами и большими заплатками на штанах).

“You’ve got ’im back ’gain, Ah see (= You’ve got him back again, I see – вы принесли его обратно, как я вижу),” he said to his daughter-in-law (сказал он невестке; law – закон). His wife explained how I had found Joey (его жена объяснила, как я нашел Джоуи).

“Ah,” went on the grey man (о, – продолжал седой человек). “It wor our Alfred scarred him off, back your life (= It was our Alfred who scarred him off, /you/ bet your life – это наш Альфред его напугал, как пить дать/уж будьте уверены: «/можете/ поспорить на свою жизнь»; to scare – пугать, напугать; to scare off – отпугивать, распугивать). He must ’a’ flyed ower t’ valley (= He must have flown over the valley – он, должно быть, перелетел через долину). Tha ma’ thank thy stars as ’e wor fun, Maggie (= You must thank your stars that he was found, Maggie – ты должна благодарить судьбу: «свои /счастливые/ звезды» за то, что он был найден, Мэгги). ’E’d a bin froze (= He would have been frozen – он мог замерзнуть). They a bit nesh, you know,” he concluded to me (= They are a bit nesh, you know… – они, знаете ли, немного мерзлявые, – заключил он; nesh – /диал./ чувствительный к холоду).

“They are,” I answered (да, такие, – ответил я). “This isn’t their country (это не их местность = эти места не для них; country – страна; местность).”

“No, it isna,” replied Mr. Goyte (да, не для них, – ответила миссис Гойт; it isna = it isn`t).

 From the background slowly approached a slender man with a grey moustache and large patches on his trousers.

“You’ve got ’im back ’gain, Ah see,” he said to his daughter-in-law. His wife explained how I had found Joey.

“Ah,” went on the grey man. “It wor our Alfred scarred him off, back your life. He must ’a’ flyed ower t’ valley. Tha ma’ thank thy stars as ’e wor fun, Maggie. ’E’d a bin froze. They a bit nesh, you know,” he concluded to me.

“They are,” I answered. “This isn’t their country.”

“No, it isna,” replied Mr. Goyte.

He spoke very slowly and deliberately, quietly (он говорил очень медленно, взвешенно, тихо; deliberately – умышленно; обдуманно; осторожно; неспешно), as if the soft pedal were always down in his voice (словно левая педаль была всегда зажата в его голосе = будто под сурдинку; soft pedal: «тихая педаль» – /муз./ левая педаль /у фортепиано; приглушает звук/). He looked at his daughter-in-law as she crouched, flushed and dark, before the peacock (он взглянул на невестку, раскрасневшуюся и хмурую, присевшую перед павлином), which would lay its long blue neck for a moment along her lap (который ненадолго уложил свою длинную синюю шею к ней на колени; lap – колени /сидящего человека/). In spite of his grey moustache and thin grey hair (несмотря на седые усы и редкие седые волосы), the elderly man had a face young and almost delicate, like a young man’s (старик имел лицо молодое и с почти тонкими чертами, как у юноши; elderly – пожилой, преклонного возраста; delicate – изысканный, тонкий, утонченный). His blue eyes twinkled with some inscrutable source of pleasure (его голубые глаза поблескивали от какого-то загадочного удовольствия; to twinkle – мерцать, сверкать; source – исток; источник, причина), his skin was fine and tender (кожа была тонкая и нежная), his nose delicately arched (нос имел изящную горбинку; to arch – изгибать/ся/ дугой). His grey hair being slightly ruffled, he had a debonnair look, as of a youth who is in love (его седые волосы были слегка взлохмачены, и вид у него был добродушный/жизнерадостный, как у влюбленного юноши: «как /вид/ юноши, который в любви»).

“We mun tell ’im it’s come (= We must tell him it’s come – мы должны сказать ему, что птица прибыла),” he said slowly, and turning he called (медленно проговорил он и, обернувшись, позвал):

“Alfred – Alfred (Альфред! Альфред)! Wheer’s ter gotten to (= Where have you got to? – /разг./ куда ты подевался)?”

 He spoke very slowly and deliberately, quietly, as if the soft pedal were always down in his voice. He looked at his daughter-in-law as she crouched, flushed and dark, before the peacock, which would lay its long blue neck for a moment along her lap. In spite of his grey moustache and thin grey hair, the elderly man had a face young and almost delicate, like a young man’s. His blue eyes twinkled with some inscrutable source of pleasure, his skin was fine and tender, his nose delicately arched. His grey hair being slightly ruffled, he had a debonnair look, as of a youth who is in love.

“We mun tell ’im it’s come,” he said slowly, and turning he called:

“Alfred – Alfred! Wheer’s ter gotten to?”

Then he turned again to the group (потом он снова повернулся к группе = к нам).

“Get up, then, Maggie, lass, get up wi’ thee (вставай же, Мэгги, вставай, доченька; lass – /шотл., сев. англ./ девушка; девочка; wi’ thee = with you). Tha ma’es too much o’ th’ bod (= You make too much of the bird – очень уж ты носишься с этой птицей; to make much of smb. – уделять большое внимание кому-л., относиться к кому-л. особенно внимательно, бережно).”