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Chapter VII
STUART GOES OUT FOR A WALK 1
One morning when the wind was from the west, Stuart put on his sailor suit and his sailor hat and decided to go out for a walk. But before he went out he took his spy-glass from the shelf. This spy-glass was a special glass, like a sailor's; through this glass Stuart could see the things that were far away. He always took his spy-glass with him when he went out for a walk because he was afraid of dogs. Every time he saw a dog through his spy-glass, he ran to the nearest doorman, climbed his leg and hid in the pocket of his coat. Once, when there was no doorman in the street, Stuart had to crawl into a yesterday's paper and sit there till danger was past. 2 So that morning, full of the joy of life and the fear of dogs, 3 Stuart went out for a walk in his sailor suit and his sailor hat.
At the corner of Fifth Avenue 4 several people waited for the bus, and Stuart joined them. Nobody noticed him, because he was very small.
"I am so small that nobody notices me," thought Stuart, "but I am big enough to go on a bus."
When the bus came into view, 5 all the people waved their sticks and handbags, and Stuart waved his spy-glass, and the driver stopped the bus. The step of the bus was too high for Stuart, so he took hold of 6 a gentleman's shoe and got into the bus without any trouble. 7
Stuart could not buy tickets on buses because he was not big enough to carry money in his pocket. Once, when somebody gave him a dime, he had to roll it along like a hoop. But as he grew older, he understood that it was not good to ride on a bus without a ticket, so he asked his father to help him, and Mr. Little made him special tiny dimes out of tin foil. They were so tiny that it was difficult to see them without spectacles.
When the conductor came up to him, Stuart took one of his dimes out of his purse. It was no bigger than the eye of a grasshopper.
"What is this?" asked the conductor. "It's one of my dimes," said Stuart. "Is it?" 8 said the conductor. "I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain it to the bus company. Why, 9 you are no bigger than a dime yourself."
"Yes, I am!" 10 said Stuart angrily. "I'm twice as big as a dime. 11 Besides, I did not come on this bus to be insulted. 12
"I beg your pardon," said the conductor, and gave him a ticket. "You must forgive me, I had no idea 13 that in all the world there was such a small sailor."
"Live and learn," 14 said Stuart dryly and put his purse back in his pocket.
1 goes out for a walk — выходит прогуляться
2 till danger was past — пока опасность не миновала
3 full of the joy of life and the fear of dogs — преисполненный радости жизни и страха перед собаками
4 Fifth Avenue — Пятая авеню (одна из главных улиц Нью-Йорка. В центральной части Нью-Йорка одни улицы идут с севера на юг — avenues, другие — с запада на восток — streets; те и другие обозначаются порядковыми номерами)
5 came into view — показался
6 took hold of — уцепился за
7 without any trouble — безо всяких хлопот
8 Is it? — Вот как?
9 why — Да ведь (междометие; выражающее удивление)
10 Yes, I am! = Yes, I am bigger than a coin! — Нет, больше! (Yes в отрицательных по смыслу предложениях может переводиться словом "нem")
11 I'm twice as big as a dime. — Я в два раза больше десятицентовой монеты.
12 I did not come on this bus to be insulted — я не для того сел в этот автобус, чтобы меня оскорбляли
13 I had no idea — я понятия не имел
14 Live and learn — Век живи, век учись (пословица)
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