The Food of the Gods / Пища богов. Книга для чтения на английском языке

The doctor yelled and hammered…

The brickmaker says he was weeping with terror when at last the door was opened.

“Bolt,” said the doctor, “bolt” – he could not say “bolt the door.” He tried to help, and was of no service. The brickmaker fastened the door, and the doctor had to sit on the chair beside the clock for a space before he could go upstairs…

“I don’t know what they are!” he repeated several times. “I don’t know what they are” – with a high note on the “are.

”

The brickmaker would have got him whisky, but the doctor would not be left alone with nothing but a flickering light just then.

It was long before the brickmaker could get him to go upstairs…

And when the fire was out the giant rats came back, took the dead horse, dragged it across the churchyard into the brickfield and ate at it until it was dawn, none even then daring to disturb them…

II

Redwood went round, to Bensington about eleven the next morning with the “second editions” of three evening papers in his hand.

Bensington looked up from a despondent meditation over the forgotten pages of the most distracting novel the Brompton Road librarian had been able to find him. “Anything fresh?[45 - Anything fresh? – (разг.) Есть новости?]” he asked.

“Two men stung near Chartham.”

“They ought to let us smoke out that nest. They really did.

It’s their own fault.”

“It’s their own fault, certainly,” said Redwood.

“Have you heard anything – about buying the farm?”

“The House Agent,” said Redwood, “is a thing with a big mouth and made of dense wood. It pretends someone else is after the house – it always does, you know – and won’t understand there’s a hurry. �This is a matter of life and death,’ I said, �don’t you understand?’ It drooped its eyes half shut and said, �Then why don’t you go the other two hundred pounds?[46 - why don’t you go the other two hundred pounds? – (разг.

) почему бы вам не скинуть еще фунтов двести?]’ I’d rather live in a world of solid wasps than give in to the stonewalling stupidity of that offensive creature. I —”

He paused, feeling that a sentence like that might very easily be spoiled by its context.