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“Come on (да ладно, давай), Al,” said Max. “We better go. He’s not coming.”

“Better give him five minutes,” Al said from the kitchen.

In the five minutes a man came in, and George explained that the cook was sick (объяснил, что повар болен).

“Why don’t you get another cook (почему же вы не возьмете другого повара)?” the man asked.

“Aren’t you running a lunch-counter (разве вы не держите закусочную)?” He went out.

“Come on, Al,” Max said.

“What about (а что насчет, а как с) the two bright boys and the nigger?”

“The’re all right (пусть их: «они в порядке, нормально»).”

“You think so (ты так полагаешь)?”

“Sure. We’re through with it (здесь уже все /закончено/: «мы /уже/ сквозь, через это»).”

“I don’t like it (мне это не нравится),” said Al. It’s sloppy (нечистая работа; slop — жидкая грязь; sloppy — покрытый лужами; неряшливый, небрежный). You talk too much (ты слишком много болтаешь).”

“Oh, what the hell,” said Max. “We got to keep amused, haven’t we?”

“You talk too much, all the same (все равно),” Al said. He came out from the kitchen. The cut-off barrels of the shotgun (обрезанные стволы ружья) made a slight bulge (делали легкую выпуклость) under the waist of his too tight-fitting overcoat (под талией = на боку его слишком узкого пальто). He straightened his coat (он одернул свое пальто) with his gloved hands.

“So long (прощай, пока), bright boy,” he said to George. “You got a lot of luck (везет тебе: «имеешь много удачи, большую удачу»).”

“That’s the truth (это правда),” Max said. You ought to play the races (тебе надо бы играть на скачках), bright boy.”

The two of them went out the door. George watched them, through the window, pass under the arc-light (как они прошли под /дуговым/ фонарем; arc — /электрическая/ дуга) and cross the street (и пересекли улицу). In their tight overcoats and derby hats they looked like a vaudeville team (на водевильную команду, на эстрадную пару). George went back through the swinging-door (через вращающуюся, двустворчатую, открывающуюся в обе стороны дверь) into the kitchen and untied (развязал) Nick and the cook.

“Come on, Al,” said Max. “We better go. He’s not coming.”

“Better give him five minutes,” Al said from the kitchen.

In the five minutes a man came in, and George explained that the cook was sick.

“Why don’t you get another cook?” the man asked.

“Aren’t you running a lunch-counter?” He went out.

“Come on, Al,” Max said.

“What about the two bright boys and the nigger?”

“The’re all right.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. We’re through with it.”

“I don’t like it,” said Al. It’s sloppy. You talk too much.”

“Oh, what the hell,” said Max. “We got to keep amused, haven’t we?”

“You talk too much, all the same,” Al said. He came out from the kitchen. The cut-off barrels of the shotgun made a slight bulge under the waist of his too tight-fitting overcoat. He straightened his coat with his gloved hands.

“So long, bright boy,” he said to George. “You got a lot of luck.”

“That’s the truth,” Max said. You ought to play the races, bright boy.”

The two of them went out the door. George watched them, through the window, pass under the arc-light and cross the street. In their tight overcoats and derby hats they looked like a vaudeville team. George went back through the swinging-door into the kitchen and untied Nick and the cook.

vaudeville ['vudvl]

“I don’t want any more of that (я не хочу больше ничего подобного = с меня довольно),” said Sam, the cook. “I don’t want any more of that.”

Nick stood up (встал). He had never had a towel in his mouth before (он никогда раньше не имел полотенца во рту).

“Say (послушай: «скажи»),” he said. “What the hell?” He was trying to swagger it off (он пытался отмахнуться от этого /от происшедшего/, сделать вид, что ему все нипочем; to swagger — расхаживать с важным видом; чваниться; хвастать).

“They were going to kill Ole Andreson,” George said. “They were going to shoot him (они собирались застрелить его) when he came in to eat.”