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| The young lady was named Mavis. | Девушку звали Мэвис. |
| She came from Short Hills, New Jersey, and she had long straight dark hair. She was slender, pretty, intelligent, energetic and she had a sense of humor. | Уроженка Шорт-Хилс (штат Нью-Джерси), с великолепными длинными темными волосами, она была стройной, милой, умной, энергичной и обладала чувством юмора. |
| She had minor faults, as well, but they play no part in this story. | Ее маленькие недостатки не играют никакой роли в нашей истории. |
| She let Cordle buy her a cup of coffee. | Кордл угостил ее чашечкой кофе. |
| They were together constantly for the rest of the week. | Остаток недели они провели вместе. |
| "I think I am infatuated," Cordle said to himself on the seventh day. | Кажется, она вскружила мне голову, сказал себе Кордл на седьмой день. |
| He realized at once that he had made a slight understatement. | И тут же понял, что выразился неточно. |
| He was violently and hopelessly in love. | Он был страстно и безнадежно влюблен. |
| But what did Mavis feel? | Но что чувствовала Мэвис? |
| She seemed not unfond of him. It was even possible that she might, conceivably, reciprocate. At that moment, Cordle had a flash of prescience. He realized that one week ago, he had stepped on the toe of his future wife and mother of his two children, both of whom would be born and brought up in a split-level house with inflatable furniture in Summit, New Jersey, or possibly Millburn. This may sound unattractive and provincial when stated baldly, but it was desirable to Cordle, who had no pretensions to cosmopolitanism. After all, not all of us can live at Cap Ferrat. Strangely enough, not all of us even want to. | Недовольства его обществом она не обнаруживала. |
| That day, Cordle and Mavis went to the Marshall Gordon Residence in Belgravia to see the Byzantine miniatures. | В тот день Кордл и Мэвис отправились в резиденцию маршала Г ордона на выставку византийской миниатюры. |
| Mavis had a passion for Byzantine miniatures that seemed harmless enough at the time. | Увлечение Мэвис византийской миниатюрой казалось тогда вполне невинным. |
| The collection was private, but Mavis had secured invitations through a local Avis manager, who was trying very hard, indeed. | Коллекция была частной, но Мэвис с большим трудом раздобыла приглашения. |
| They came to the Gordon Residence, an awesome Regency building in Huddlestone Mews. They rang. | Они подошли к дому и позвонили. |
| A butler in full evening dress answered the door. |
