Pollyanna Crows up / Поллианна вырастает. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Carew’s annoyance overflowed into irritable remonstrance. The immediate cause thereof was Pollyanna’s glowing conclusion to a story about one of her Ladies’ Aiders.

“She was playing the game, Mrs. Carew. But maybe you don’t know what the game is. I’ll tell you. It’s a lovely game.”

But Mrs. Carew held up her hand.

“Never mind, Pollyanna,” she demurred. “I know all about the game. My sister told me, and – and I must say that I – I should not care for it[24 - I should not care for it – (разг.

“Why, of course not, Mrs. Carew!” exclaimed Pollyanna in quick apology. “I didn’t mean the game for you. You couldn’t play it, of course.”

“I COULDN’t play it!” ejaculated Mrs. Carew, who, though she WOULD not play this silly game, was in no mood to be told that she COULD not.

“Why, no, don’t you see?” laughed Pollyanna, gleefully. “The game is to find something in everything to be glad about; and you couldn’t even begin to hunt, for there isn’t anything about you but what you COULD be glad about.

Mrs. Carew flushed angrily. In her annoyance she said more than perhaps she meant to say.

“Well, no, Pollyanna, I can’t say that I do,” she differed coldly. “As it happens, you see, I can find nothing whatever to be – glad for.”

For a moment Pollyanna stared blankly. Then she fell back in amazement.

“Why, MRS. CAREW!” she breathed.

“Well, what is there – for me?” challenged the woman, forgetting all about, for the moment, that she was never going to allow Pollyanna to “preach.”

“Why, there’s – there’s everything,” murmured Pollyanna, still with that dazed unbelief. “There – there’s this beautiful house.”

“It’s just a place to eat and sleep – and I don’t want to eat and sleep.”

“But there are all these perfectly lovely things,” faltered Pollyanna.

“I’m tired of them.”

“And your automobile that will take you anywhere.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere.” Pollyanna quite gasped aloud.

“But think of the people and things you could see, Mrs. Carew.”

“They would not interest me, Pollyanna.”

Once again Pollyanna stared in amazement. The troubled frown on her face deepened.

“But, Mrs. Carew, I don’t see,” she urged.