Travels with my aunt / Путешествие с тетушкой. Книга для чтения на английском языке

”

“With men?”

“That the leaves don’t say, dear, but knowing you as I do, it wouldn’t surprise me. You will be in danger of your life and liberty on more than one occasion.”

“But I’ll come through?”

“I see a knife – or it might be a syringe.”

“Or it could be something else, Hatty – you know what I mean?”

“There is some mystery in your life.”

“That’s nothing new.[53 - That’s nothing new. – (зд.) Подумаешь, удивила.]”

“I see a lot of confusion – a lot of running about this way and that.

“I’ve always been interested in religion,” my aunt said, “ever since Curran.”

“Or it could be a bird, of course – a vulture perhaps. Keep away from deserts.” Hatty gave a sigh. “Things don’t come to me so easily as they once did. I exhaust myself with strangers.

“But you’ll take one look at Henry’s cup too, dear, won’t you? Just one look.”

She poured my tea away and looked in the cup. “Men are difficult,” she said. “They have so many occupations beyond a woman’s knowledge and that affects the interpretation. I had a client once who said he was a bevel-edger. I don’t know what he meant. Are you an undertaker?”

“No.”

“There’s something that looks like an urn. Do you see it there? On the left of the handle.

“It might be an urn,” I said, looking.

“You will do a lot of travelling.”

“That’s not very likely. I’ve always been rather stay-at-home. It’s quite an adventure for me coming as far as Brighton.”

“It’s in the future you’re going to travel. Across the ocean. With a lady friend.”

“Perhaps he’s coming with me,” Aunt Augusta said. “It’s possible. The leaves don’t lie. There’s a round thing like a target. There’s a mystery in your life too.

“I’ve only just discovered that,” I said.

“I see a lot of confusion too and running about. Just like in Augusta’s cup.”

“That’s most unlikely,” I said. “I lead a very regular life. A game of bridge once a week at the Conservative Club. And my garden, of course. My dahlias.”

“The target might be a flower,” Hatty admitted. “Forgive me. I’m tired. I’m afraid it was not a very good reading.