“Best of luck,” said I.

“And what did you tell her?” he asked.

“That the baby belonged to the old mother – that it was brother to your girl, who was writing to you as a friend of the family.”

He stood smiling, with the long, subtle malice of a farmer.

“And did she take it in?” he asked.

“As much as she took anything else.”

He stood grinning fixedly. Then he broke into a short laugh.

“Good for her!” he exclaimed cryptically (тем лучше для нее: «хорошо для нее»! – загадочно воскликнул он).

And then he laughed aloud once more (и тут он снова громко рассмеялся), evidently feeling he had won a big move in his contest with his wife (очевидно, думая, что выиграл большой ход в состязании с женой = одержал крупную победу в борьбе с женой; to win – выиграть; победить; move – движение; ход /в игре/; contest – столкновение, борьба; спор; соревнование, состязание).

“What about the other woman?” I asked (а что насчет другой женщины? – спросил я).

“Who (кого)?”

“Elise (Элиз).”

“Oh” – he shifted uneasily – “she was all right (о, – он неловко заерзал, – она была хороша…; to shift – передвигать/ся/; перемещать/ся/; all right – удовлетворительный, хороший, неплохой; благополучный) —”

“You’ll be getting back to her (вы будете возвращаться к ней),” I said.

 “Good for her!” he exclaimed cryptically.

And then he laughed aloud once more, evidently feeling he had won a big move in his contest with his wife.

“What about the other woman?” I asked.

“Who?”

“Elise.”

“Oh” – he shifted uneasily – “she was all right —”

“You’ll be getting back to her,” I said.

He looked at me (он посмотрел на меня). Then he made a grimace with his mouth (затем скривил губы: «сделал гримасу ртом»).

“Not me (только не я),” he said. “Back your life it’s a plant (будьте уверены, это обман; plant – растение; обман, надувательство; подвох; приманка).”

“You don’t think the cher petit b'eb'e is a little Alfred (вы не думаете, что cher petit b'eb'e – это маленький Альфред)?”

“It might be (возможно),” he said.

“Only might (только возможно)?”

“Yes – an’ there’s lots of mites in a pound of cheese (да… и в фунте сыра полно сырных клещей = спелое яблочко не одного червячка влечет; pound – фунт /мера веса = 453,59 г/).” He laughed boisterously but uneasily (он рассмеялся громко, но неловко; boisterous – неистовый, бурный; громогласный).

“What did she say, exactly?” he asked (что она в точности говорила? – спросил он; exactly – в точности; точно; exact – точный).

I began to repeat, as well as I could, the phrases of the letter (я начал повторять, насколько мог, фразы из письма):

 He looked at me. Then he made a grimace with his mouth.

“Not me,” he said. “Back your life it’s a plant.”

“You don’t think the cher petit b'eb'e is a little Alfred?”

“It might be,” he said.

“Only might?”

“Yes – an’ there’s lots of mites in a pound of cheese.” He laughed boisterously but uneasily.

“What did she say, exactly?” he asked.

I began to repeat, as well as I could, the phrases of the letter:

“Mon cher Alfred, – Figure-toi comme je suis d'esol'ee (мой дорогой Альфред, представь себе, как я расстроена… /фр./) —”

He listened with some confusion (он слушал с некоторым смущением). When I had finished all I could remember, he said (когда я закончил /говорить/ всё, что мог вспомнить, он сказал):

“They know how to pitch you out a letter, those Belgian lasses (они знают, как преподнести вам письмо, эти бельгийские девицы; to pitch – бросать, кидать; подавать /мяч/; задавать тон, настраивать на какой-л. лад; подавать определенным образом).”