Pollyanna / Поллианна. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Yer aunt didn’t like it – because you didn’t come down ter supper, ye know.”

“But I couldn’t. I was up here.”

“Yes; but – she didn’t know that, you see!” observed Nancy, dryly, stifling a chuckle. “I’m sorry about the bread and milk; I am, I am.”

“Oh, I’m not. I’m glad.”

“Glad! Why?”

“Why, I like bread and milk, and I’d like to eat with you. I don’t see any trouble about being glad about that.”

“You don’t seem ter see any trouble bein’ glad about everythin’,” retorted Nancy, choking a little over her remembrance of Pollyanna’s brave attempts to like the bare little attic room.

Pollyanna laughed softly.

“Well, that’s the game, you know, anyway.”

“The – GAME?”

“Yes; the �just being glad’ game.”

“Whatever in the world are you talkin’ about?”

“Why, it’s a game. Father told it to me, and it’s lovely,” rejoined Pollyanna. “We’ve played it always, ever since I was a little, little girl.

I told the Ladies’ Aid, and they played it – some of them.”

“What is it? I ain’t much on games[35 - I ain’t much on games – (искаж.) Я не очень-то разбираюсь в играх], though.”

Pollyanna laughed again, but she sighed, too; and in the gathering twilight her face looked thin and wistful.

“Why, we began it on some crutches that came in a missionary barrel.”

“CRUTCHES!”

“Yes. You see I’d wanted a doll, and father had written them so; but when the barrel came the lady wrote that there hadn’t any dolls come in, but the little crutches had.

So she sent ’em along as they might come in handy[36 - they might come in handy – (разг.) они могут понадобиться (пригодиться)] for some child, sometime. And that’s when we began it.”

“Well, I must say I can’t see any game about that, about that,” declared Nancy, almost irritably.

“Oh, yes; the game was to just find something about everything to be glad about[37 - just find something about everything to be glad about – (разг.

) найти что-нибудь, чему можно радоваться] – no matter what ’twas,” rejoined Pollyanna, earnestly. “And we began right then – on the crutches.”

“Well, goodness me! I can’t see anythin’ ter be glad about – gettin’ a pair of crutches when you wanted a doll!”

Pollyanna clapped her hands.