A Little Princess / Маленькая принцесса. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Sara made her laugh, and laughed with her; and, though neither of them quite knew it, the laughter was as “fillin’” as the meat pies[137 - the laughter was as “fillin’” as the meat pies – смех был не менее «питательным», чем пироги с мясом].

A few weeks before Sara’s eleventh birthday a letter came to her from her father, which did not seem to be written in such boyish high spirits as usual. He was not very well, and was evidently overweighted by the business connected with the diamond mines.

“You see, little Sara,” he wrote, “your daddy is not a businessman at all, and figures and documents bother him. He does not really understand them, and all this seems so enormous. Perhaps, if I was not feverish[138 - if I was not feverish – если бы у меня не было лихорадки] I should not be awake, tossing about, one half of the night and spend the other half in troublesome dreams. If my little missus[139 - Missus – хозяюшка] were here, I dare say she would give me some solemn, good advice.

You would, wouldn’t you, Little Missus?”

One of his many jokes had been to call her his “little missus” because she had such an old-fashioned air.

He had made wonderful preparations for her birthday. Among other things, a new doll had been ordered in Paris, and her wardrobe was to be, indeed, a marvel of splendid perfection. When she had replied to the letter asking her if the doll would be an acceptable present, Sara had been very quaint.

“I am getting very old,” she wrote; “you see, I shall never live to have another doll given me. This will be my last doll. There is something solemn about it. If I could write poetry, I am sure a poem about вЂ?A Last Doll’ would be very nice. But I cannot write poetry. I have tried, and it made me laugh. It did not sound like Watts or Coleridge[140 - Watts – Р?саак Уотс, английский РїРѕСЌС‚ XVI–XVII веков, автор около 750 христианских РіРёРјРЅРѕРІ; Coleridge – РЎСЌРјСЋСЌР» Тэйлор Кольридж – английский РїРѕСЌС‚-романтик XVIIXVIII веков] or Shakespeare at all.

No one could ever take Emily’s place, but I should respect the Last Doll very much; and I am sure the school would love it. They all like dolls, though some of the big ones – the almost fifteen ones – pretend they are too grown up.