Sister Carrie / Сестра Кэрри. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Now to turn back on it and live the little old life out there – she almost exclaimed against the thought.

Curiously, she could not hold the money in her hand without feeling some relief. Even after all her depressing conclusions, she could sweep away all thought about the matter and then the twenty dollars seemed a wonderful and delightful thing. Ah, money, money, money! What a thing it was to have. How plenty of it would clear away all these troubles.

In the morning she got up and started out a little early.

Her decision to hunt for work was moderately strong, but the money in her pocket, after all her troubling over it, made the work question the least shade less terrible.

Without much thinking, she reached Dearborn Street. Here was the great Fair store with its multitude of delivery wagons about, its long window display, its crowd of shoppers. It readily changed her thoughts, she who was so weary of them. It was here that she had intended to come and get her new things. Now for relief from distress; she thought she would go in and see.

She would look at the jackets.

When she entered the store, she already had her heart fixed upon the peculiar little tan jacket with large mother-of-pearl buttons which was all the rage that fall[27 - all the rage that fall – крик моды в ту осень]. Still she delighted to convince herself that there was nothing she would like better. She went about among the glass cases and racks where these things were displayed, and satisfied herself that the one she thought of was the proper one.

All the time she wavered in mind[28 - wavered in mind – была в нерешительности], now persuading herself that she could buy it right away if she chose, now recalling to herself the actual condition. At last the noon hour was dangerously near, and she had done nothing. She must go now and return the money.

Drouet was on the corner when she came up.

“Hello,” he said, “where is the jacket and” – looking down – “the shoes?”

Carrie had thought lead up to her decision in some intelligent way, but this swept the whole fore-schemed situation by the board[29 - but this swept the whole fore-schemed situation by the board – но это «смыло» все заранее заготовленные фразы «за борт»].

“I came to tell you that – that I can’t take the money.”

“Oh, that’s it, is it?” he returned. “Well, you come on with me.