| The two men looked up at him, and laughed, as he strummed a careless, lilting air, and then he began to sing, softly at first, then a little louder, and Dona, straining to catch the words, realised with a sudden wave of understanding, and her heart thumping, that the man was singing in French. | Матросы подняли головы, с улыбкой прислушиваясь к бойкому, озорному напеву. Проиграв вступление, человечек запел, сначала тихо, потом все громче и громче. Дона слушала, пытаясь разобрать слова. И вдруг, замерев от неожиданности, поняла, что он поет по-французски. |
| Then she knew, then she understood - her hands went clammy, her mouth felt dry and parched, and she felt, for the first time in her life, a funny strange spasm of fear. This was the Frenchman's hiding-place - that was his ship. | Так вот оно что - руки у нее похолодели, во рту пересохло, сердце забилось от дикого, никогда прежде не испытываемого страха, - вот в чем дело: она обнаружила тайное убежище француза, и парусник, который она видит перед собой, не что иное, как пиратский корабль! |
| She must think rapidly, make a plan, make some use of her knowledge; how obvious it was now, this silent creek, this perfect hiding-place, no one would ever know, so remote, so silent, so still - something must be done, she would have to say something, tell someone. | Нужно срочно что-то предпринять, нужно с кем-то связаться, кого-то предупредить... Боже мой, как же она сразу не догадалась - место действительно идеальное: тихое, уединенное, недоступное для посторонних - да, да, нужно обязательно с кем-нибудь поделиться, обязательно кому-то рассказать... |
| Or need she? | А может быть, не нужно? |
| Could she go away now, pretend she had not seen the ship, forget about it, or pretend to forget it - anything so that she need not be involved, for that would mean a breaking up of her peace, a disturbance, soldiers tramping through the woods, people arriving, Harry from London - endless complications, and Navron no more a sanctuary. No, she would say nothing, she would creep away now, back to the woods and the house, clinging to her guilty knowledge, telling no one, letting the robberies continue - what did it matter - Godolphin and his turnip friends must put up with it, the country must suffer, she did not care. |
