A friend in need краткое содержание
Обновлено: 05.07.2024
For thirty years now I have been studying my fellow-men. I do not know very much about them. I suppose it is on, the face that for the most part we judge the persons we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the shape of the mouth. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don't know anything about them.
These thoughts have occurred to me because I read in this morning's paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was the more startling because both his appearance and his manner gave the impression of a very different man. He was a tiny little fellow, very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and loving family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. But there was nothing sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he would not hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. From the windows you had an excellent view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a busy scene and yet, I do not know why, restful to the spirit.
Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
"What do you say to a little drink?"
He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two drinks. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
"Do you know Turner?" said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
"I've met him at the club. I'm told he's a remittance man."
"Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here."
"He plays bridge well."
"They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself."
"No. I don't believe I remember the name."
"He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."
Burton sipped his gin.
"It's rather a funny story,", he said. "He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and he was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Fellows like him always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
"Thirty five,' he said.
'"And what have you been doing before?' I asked him.
'"Well, nothing very much,' he said.
"I couldn't help laughing.
"'I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just now,' I said. 'Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do.'
"He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get a job he'd have to commit suicide.
"I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty.
'"Well, isn't there anything you can do except play cards?' I asked him.
"'I can swim,' he said.
"I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly answer.
"'I swam for my university.'
"'I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man,' I said.
"Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Do you know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."
"Then you don't know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It's over three miles and it's rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he'd do it I'd give him a job.
"I could see he was rather taken aback.
'"You say you're a swimmer,' I said.
'"I'm not in very good condition,' he answered.
"I didn't say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
'"All right,' he said. 'When do you want me to do it?'
"I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn't take you much over an hour and a quarter. I'll drive round to the creek at half-past twelve and meet you. I'll take you back to the club to dress and then we'll have lunch together.'
"We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, but in vain."
"Did he get frightened at the last moment?" I asked.
"'No, he didn't. He started swimming. But of course he'd ruined his health by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage.' We didn't get the body for about three days."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two. I was a little shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
"When you offered him the job, did you know that he'd be drowned?"
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Well, I hadn't got a vacancy in my office at the moment."
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I should certainly hesitate to engage a servant on his face, and yet I suppose it is on the face that for the most part we judge the persons we meet.
Наверно, я не решился бы нанять слугу, доверясь только его внешности, а между тем, мне кажется, в большинстве случаев мы как раз по внешнему виду судим о людях.
Why novels and plays are so often untrue to life is because their authors, perhaps of necessity, make their characters all of a piece.
They cannot afford to make them self-contradictory, for then they become incomprehensible, and yet self-contradictory is what most of us are.
Романы и пьесы нередко фальшивы и нежизненны потому, что их авторы наделяют героев цельными, последовательными характерами, впрочем, пожалуй, они не могут иначе, ведь если сделать характер противоречивым, он станет непонятен.
А между тем почти все мы полны противоречий.
In books on logic they will tell you that it is absurd to say that yellow is tubular or gratitude heavier than air; but in that mixture of incongruities that makes up the self yellow may very well be a horse and cart and gratitude the middle of next week.
Учебник логики скажет вам, что абсурдно утверждать, будто желтый цвет имеет цилиндрическую форму, а благодарность тяжелее воздуха; но в той смеси абсурдов, которая составляет человеческое "я", желтый цвет вполне может оказаться лошадью с тележкой, а благодарность - серединой будущей недели.
Когда люди уверяют меня, что первое впечатление от человека никогда их не обманывает, я только пожимаю плечами.
For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don’t know the first thing about them.
Что до меня - чем дольше я знаю человека, тем загадочней он мне кажется; и как раз про самых старых своих друзей я могу сказать, что не знаю о них ровным счетом ничего.
These reflections have occurred to me because I read in this morning’s paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe.
На эти размышления навела меня заметка, которую я прочитал сегодня в утренней газете: в Кобе скончался Эдвард Хайд Бартон.
Unless I had heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action.
Если бы я не услышал эту историю от него самого, я никогда бы не поверил, что он способен на такой поступок.
TEXT. A FRIEND IN NEED by William Somerset Maugham (abridged)
Maugham, William Somerset (1874-1965): an English writer. He achieved a great success as a novelist with such novels as "Of Human Bondage", "The Razor's Edge" and others, as a dramatist with Ms witty satirical plays "Our Betters", "The Circle", etc., but he is best known by his short stories.
At the beginning of his literary career Maugham was greatly influenced by French naturalism. Later on, his outlook on life changed. It became cool, unemotional and pessimistic. He says that life is too tragic and senseless to be described. A writer can't change life, he must only try to amuse his reader, stir his imagination. And this is where Maugham achieves perfection: his stories are always fascinating. Maugham's skill in depicting scenes and characters with a few touches is amazing and whether he means it or not his novels, stories and plays reveal the vanity, hypocrisy and brutality of the society he lives in. So does the story "A Friend in Need". Burton, a prosperous businessman, is not.in the least concerned about the troubles and needs of those who have failed in life. Without a moment's hesitation he sends a man to death just because his presence bores him, and later on he remembers the fact with a "kindly chuckle".
When Maugham described people and places in his short stories, he did it mostly from his personal experience.
"It's rather a funny story," he said. "He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-andwhite cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
Burton gave a kindly little chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
"Thirty-five," he said.
"And what have you been doing hitherto?" I asked him.
"Well, nothing very much," he said.
I couldn't help laughing.
"I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet," I said. "Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do."
He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't been willing to stick to bridge, he'd been playing poker, and he'd got trimmed. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.
I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.
"Well, isn't there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him.
"I can swim," he said.
"Swim!"
I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.
"I swam for my university."[1]
I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I've known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it.
"I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said.
Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Do you know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."
"Then you don't know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It's over three miles and it's rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he'd do it I'd give him a job. I could see he was rather taken aback.
"You say you're a swimmer," I said.
"I'm not in very good condition," he answered.
I didn't say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
"All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"
I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn't take you much over an hour and a quarter. I'll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I'll take you back to the club to dress and then we'll have lunch together,"
"Done," he said.
We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn't have hurried; he never turned up."
"Did he funk it at toe last moment?" I asked.
"No, he didn't funk it. He started all right. But of course he'd ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn't get the body for about three days."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.
"When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he'd be drowned?"
He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.
"Well, I hadn't got a vacancy in my office at the moment.
Текст. Друзья познаются в Уильяма Сомерсета Моэма (сокращенный)
Сомерсета Моэма, Уильям Сомерсет (1874-1965): английский писатель. Ему удалось добиться большого успеха как романиста с таких рассказов "людских кабала", "его", и другие, как Борис Гафуров с MS опалу жума играет "негативом", "Круг", и т.д., но он лучше всего известна его коротких рассказов.
В начале его литературной карьере Сомерсета Моэма был во многом влияет по-французски простирая ввысь. Позже, его перспектив в жизни изменилось. Она стала остыть, без обиняков и пессимистический. Он утверждает, что жизнь слишком трагической и бессмысленной. Писатель не могу изменить жизнь, он должен лишь попытаться развлекать его устройство чтения мультимедийных карт, перемешайте его воображения. И именно это Сомерсета Моэма достигает совершенства.Его рассказы всегда очаровывает. Сомерсета Моэма, skill, изображающие сцены и символов в прошлом и будет ли он означает, что он или нет его романы, рассказы и играет свидетельствуют о раковина, лицемерия и жестокости в обществе он живет в. Это не история "Друзья познаются в". Burton, процветающего предпринимателя, не является.В меньшей мере выражает обеспокоенность по поводу проблем и потребностей тех, кто не удалось в жизни. Без момент колебаний он отправляет до смерти одного человека только из-за того, что его присутствие отверстия, и позднее он запомнит факт с "любезно Соколовы" .
при Сомерсета Моэма описано людей и мест в его коротких рассказов, он в основном из его личного опыта.
"она довольно забавное история", он говорит."Он не самое плохое. Мне понравилась ему. Он всегда был хорошо одет и smart. Он был красивым и вьющиеся волосы и розового andwhite щеки. Женщин мысли много ему. Не было никакого вреда в него, вы знаете, он был всего лишь дикой. Разумеется, он выпил слишком много. Эти сортировать стипендиатов всегда делать. Немного денег используется в для него один раз в квартал, и он сделал больше по карте.Он выиграл в деятельности, связанной с разминированием, я знаю, что. "
Бертон представил любезно мало Соколовы. Я знал из моего собственного опыта, что он может потерять деньги на мост с хорошей льготный.
"Я полагаю, именно поэтому он пришел ко мне когда он сломал, и тот факт, что он является "Выхино" - "Таганская. Он пришел ко мне в моей канцелярии один день и просил меня для задания. Я был весьма удивлен.Он сказал мне, что нет больше денег, поступающих от дома и он хотел бы работать. Я задал ему вопрос о том, как старый он был.
"тридцать пять", - сказал он.
"и, до сих пор?" Я спросил, не.
"хорошо, ничего не очень много", - сказал он.
я не мог удержаться от смеха.
"Боюсь, я не могу это сделать что-нибудь для вас еще не время," Я и сказал. "Вернуться ко мне в другом тридцать пять лет, и я увижу что делать. "
Он не перемещается. Он довольно бледно. Он без колебаний на мгновение, затем сказал мне, что он был не везёт на на протяжении некоторого времени. Он не был готов для Memory Stick на мост, он играет Poker, и он бы получил обрезки. Он не взглянул. Он бы у россиян все, что он имеет. Он не смог бы его отеля и законопроект о они бы не дать ему все больше кредитов. Он был.Если он не мог попасть в это он бы совершить самоубийство.
я его немного. Я мог видеть сейчас, он всех на куски. Он бы был доступ к питьевой воде больше, чем обычно и он с интересом ожидает пятьдесят. Девочек никогда бы не подумали так много его, если они бы его затем.
"а также, есть ли все, что вы можете сделать за исключением играть карты?" Я спросил, не.
"Я могу купаться", - сказал он.
"купаться! "
я вряд ли мог бы мне уши;Представляется такой безумной ответ дать.
"Я пародируя для моего университета. " [ 1]
я видел, как некоторые из признаемся самим себе о том, что он ехал на. Я слишком много мужчин, которые были мало тин богов в их университете будут поражены его.
"Я был довольно тушить я лично когда я был молодым человеком," Я сказал.
внезапно я была идея.
приостановка в его рассказе, Burton в меня.
"Знаете ли вы, что Коби?" - спросил он.
"нет", я сказал,"Я прошел через это, но я только вечером. "
", затем вы не знаете Shioya клуб. Когда я был молодым человеком я пародируя оттуда на проблесковый маячок и приземлился в крик от Tarumi. Она более трех миль, и она довольно сложно из-за течения на проблесковый маячок. А также, я сказал молодых казаков Платова об этом и я сказал ему, что если он решил сделать это я ему задания.Я мог бы см. Он был весьма удивлен.
"Вы говорите вы - трехкратный олимпийский чемпион,. Я сказал.
"я не в очень хорошем состоянии," он ответил.
а я и не говорю. Я Дьячковский мои плечи. Он посмотрел на меня и кивнул.
"все права," он говорит. "Когда мне лучше это сделать? "
я с интересом ожидает на мои часы. Он был всего лишь после десяти.
"купаться не следует принимать вас гораздо более чем на час и на четверть.Я диск к крик на половине последние двенадцать и встречи с вами. Я возьму вас обратно в клуб для одежды и затем мы сможете пообедать вместе, "
"Выполнено", - сказал он.
мы пожали друг другу руки. Я пожелал ему удачи, и он оставил мне. Я многое сделать сегодня утром, и я только что удалось получить на крик на Tarumi на половине последние двенадцать. Но мне не надо было случайный характер; он никогда не повернут вверх. "
"Он фанк ей на ноги последний момент?" Я спросил.
"Нет, он не фанк. Он начал все права. Но и он бы из строя его конституции, напиток и рассеивание тепла. течений на проблесковый маячок были более чем он не может управлять. Мы не за три дня. "
я не говорю что-нибудь момент или два, я был келдыша потрясены. Затем я спросил Бертон вопрос.
"Когда вы сделали его в том, что предлагают задания, знаете ли вы, что он бы утонул? "
он мало мягкое Соколовы и он посмотрел на меня с эти добрые и откровенный голубые глаза его. Он насыпал его подбородок с его стороны.
"а также, я не есть вакансии в моей канцелярии в настоящий момент.
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Анализ литературного произведения на примере A FRIEND IN NEED ("Друзья познаются в беде") Уильям Сомерсет Моэм. Ответы на вопросы, рассуждения на тему, краткая характеристика героев
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