Yet she knew that he was not in love with anybody else. The love-letters that

Women wrote to him he read out to Julia with a chuckle, and when they sent

Him flowers he immediately gave them to her.

"What blasted fools they are," he said. "What the devil do they think they're

going to get out of it?"

"I shouldn't have thought it very hard to guess that," said Julia dryly.

Although she knew he took these attentions so lightly she could not help

Feeling angry and jealous.

"I should be a damned fool if I got myself mixed up with some woman in

Middlepool. After all, they're mostly flappers. Before I knew where I was I'd

Have some irate father coming along and saying, now you must marry the

girl."

She tried to find out (она попыталась выяснить) whether he had had any

adventures (были ли у него приключения) while he was playing with Benson's

company (пока он играл в труппе Бенсона). She gathered (она пришла к

заключению; to gather — собирать, накапливать, делать вывод) that one or

two of the girls (что пара девушек: «одна или две девушки») had been rather

inclined to make nuisances of themselves (были склонны надоедать ему; to make

a nuisance of oneself — надоедать, досаждать, докучать кому-либо: «делать

из себя досаду, неприятность, докучание), but he thought (но он думал) it was

a terrible mistake (что было бы ужасной ошибкой) to get mixed up with any of

the actresses (связаться с одной из актрис) a chap was playing with (с которой

ты играешь; chap — малый, парень, приятель). It was bound to lead to trouble

(это неминуемо привело бы к беде; it is bound to — это обязательно, это

неизбежно приведет к чему-либо; bound — связанный, обязанный,

вынужденный).

"And you know (и ты же знаешь) how people gossip in a company (как актеры:

«люди» сплетничают в труппе; gossip — болтовня, слухи). Everyone would

know everything (каждый будет знать все) in twenty-four hours (за двадцать

четыре часа: «сутки»). And when you start a thing like that (и когда ты

начинаешь нечто подобное) you don't know what you're letting yourself in for

(ты не знаешь, во что ты впутываешься; to let oneself in for — напроситься,

впутаться, быть вовлеченным во что-то неприятное). I wasn't risking

anything (я не рисковал)."

adventure [qd'ventSq] nuisance ['nju:s(q)ns] gossip ['gOsIp]

She tried to find out whether he had had any adventures while he was playing

with Benson's company. She gathered that one or two of the girls had been

Rather inclined to make nuisances of themselves, but he thought it was a

Terrible mistake to get mixed up with any of the actresses a chap was playing