The Battle of Life / Битва жизни. Книга для чтения на английском языке

�And I wish you’ – which he might or might not, for he didn’t look, at first sight, like a gentleman troubled with many warm outpourings of soul, in behalf of other people, �a hundred happy returns of this auspicious day.’

�Ha, ha, ha!’ laughed the Doctor thoughtfully, with his hands in his pockets. �The great farce in a hundred acts!’

�You wouldn’t, I am sure,’ said Mr. Snitchey, standing a small professional blue bag against one leg of the table, �cut the great farce short for this actress, at all events, Doctor Jeddler.

’

�No,’ returned the Doctor. �God forbid! May she live to laugh at it, as long as she CAN laugh, and then say, with the French wit, “The farce is ended; draw the curtain.”’

�The French wit,’ said Mr. Snitchey, peeping sharply into his blue bag, �was wrong, Doctor Jeddler, and your philosophy is altogether wrong, depend upon it, as I have often told you. Nothing serious in life! What do you call law?’

�A joke,’ replied the Doctor.

�Did you ever go to law?[7 - Did you ever go to law? – (разг.) Вы когда-нибудь подавали в суд?]’ asked Mr. Snitchey, looking out of the blue bag.

�Never,’ returned the Doctor.

�If you ever do,’ said Mr. Snitchey, �perhaps you’ll alter that opinion.’

Craggs, who seemed to be represented by Snitchey, and to be conscious of little or no separate existence or personal individuality, offered a remark of his own in this place.

It involved the only idea of which he did not stand seized and possessed in equal moieties with Snitchey; but, he had some partners in it among the wise men of the world.

�It’s made a great deal too easy,’ said Mr. Craggs.

�Law is?’ asked the Doctor.

�Yes,’ said Mr. Craggs, �everything is. Everything appears to me to be made too easy, now-a-days. It’s the vice of these times. If the world is a joke (I am not prepared to say it isn’t), it ought to be made a very difficult joke to crack[8 - a very difficult joke to crack – (разг.

) трудная задача]. It ought to be as hard a struggle, sir, as possible. That’s the intention. But, it’s being made far too easy. We are oiling the gates of life. They ought to be rusty. We shall have them beginning to turn, soon, with a smooth sound. Whereas they ought to grate upon their hinges, sir.’

Mr.