Английская коллекция. Р. Л. Стивенсон. Бутылочный чертенок / Robert Louis Stevenson. The Bottle Imp

“If all is true about this bottle (если все /сказанное/ об этой бутылке – правда), I may have made a losing bargain (то я, возможно, заключил невыгодную сделку; to lose – терять; нести потери, убыток; losing – проигрышный),” thinks he. “But perhaps the man was only fooling me (но, может быть, этот человек просто дурачил меня; fool – дурак, глупец; to fool – дурачиться, баловаться; дурачить, обманывать /кого-л./).” The first thing he did was to count his money (первым делом он пересчитал свои деньги); the sum was exact – forty-nine dollars American money, and one Chili piece (сумма была верной: «точной»: сорок девять американских долларов: «американскими деньгами» и одна чилийская монета; piece – кусок, часть; монета).

“That looks like the truth (похоже на правду; to look – смотреть, глядеть; to look like smth. – быть похожим, напоминать что-л.),” said Keawe. “Now I will try another part (а теперь я испробую вот что: «другую часть /особенностей бутылки/»).”

losing ['lu:z?n], perhaps [p?'h?ps; pr?ps], exact [??'z?kt]

Now, when Keawe was in the street, with the bottle under his arm, he began to think.

“If all is true about this bottle, I may have made a losing bargain,” thinks he. “But perhaps the man was only fooling me.” The first thing he did was to count his money; the sum was exact – forty-nine dollars American money, and one Chili piece.

“That looks like the truth,” said Keawe. “Now I will try another part.”

The streets in that part of the city were as clean as a ship's decks (улицы в той части города были чистыми, словно палубы корабля), and though it was noon, there were no passengers (и, хотя был полдень, там = на них не было /никаких/ прохожих; passenger – пассажир, седок; путник, странник).

Keawe set the bottle in the gutter and walked away (Кэаве бросил: «положил» бутылку в канаву и зашагал прочь). Twice he looked back (дважды он оглянулся: «посмотрел назад»), and there was the milky, round-bellied bottle where he left it (и по-прежнему молочного /цвета/ пузатая бутылка была там, где он ее оставил; to leave).

though [???], gutter ['??t?], round-bellied ['ra?nd,bel?d]

The streets in that part of the city were as clean as a ship's decks, and though it was noon, there were no passengers.

Keawe set the bottle in the gutter and walked away. Twice he looked back, and there was the milky, round-bellied bottle where he left it.