Поворот винта. Уровень 1 / The Turn of the Screw

“Looked at her?”

“Ah, with such awful eyes!”

“Do you mean with dislike?”

“God help us, no. With something much worse.”

“Worse than dislike?”

“With great determination[42 - determination – решимость]. With a kind of evil intent[43 - intent – умысел, намерение].”

Her face turned pale. “Intent?”

“To take possession of Flora.” Mrs. Grose walked towards the window. As she looked outside, I finished, “That’s what Flora knows.”

After a bit, she turned around. “The person was dressed in black, you say?”

“Yes, but with great beauty.

She came back to me slowly. “Miss Jessel was insidious.” She once again took my hand and said, “They were both insidious.”

“I appreciate[45 - to appreciate – ценить],” I said, “that you haven’t spoken about it until now, but it’s time for you to tell me everything.” She seemed to agree with this, but still stayed silent. I continued: “I need to know. What did she die from? Come, there was something between them.

“There was everything.”

“But what about their differences?”

“Oh, their social status, their situation,” she said sadly. “She was a lady.”

I thought about it; I understood again. “Yes, she was a lady.”

“And he was so far below,” said Mrs. Grose.

“He was a bad person.”

Mrs. Grose quietly said “I’ve never seen anyone like him. He did what he wished.”

“With her?”

“With them all.”

It was as if my friend saw Miss Jessel again with her own eyes.

Mrs. Grose’s expression showed that it was true, but she also said: “Poor woman—she paid for it!”

“Then you do know what she died of?” I asked.

“No—I know nothing. I didn’t want to know; I was glad enough I didn’t!”

“Yet you had, then, your idea—”

“About why she left? Oh yes, I had that. She couldn’t have stayed. Imagine being a governess here! And then I started imagining… and what I imagine is horrible.

“It’s not as horrible as what I do,” I replied, and then I realized my defeat “I can’t do it!” I cried in despair. “I can’t save or protect them! It’s worse than I imagined—they’re lost!”

VIII

What I told Mrs. Grose was true enough: there were things in the situation that were difficult for me to understand and explore. We both agreed that it was important to stop imagining strange things.