| - Разумеется, но какое это имеет отношение к... |
| Mary, like half the sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year olds today, has begun to feel acutely self-conscious. | - Мэри, как приблизительно половина шестнадцати-, семнадцати-, восемнадцатилетних, становится болезненно застенчивой. |
| She feels that her body has developed sufficiently for the Transformation-which of course it has not, not quite yet-and she cannot understand the complex reasons that compel her to wait until some future date. | Ей кажется, что ее тело достаточно развилось и готово к Трансформации, а на самом деле это не так. |
| Mary looks at you, at the women all about her, at the pictures, and then she looks into a mirror. From pure perfection of body, face, limbs, pigmentation, carriage, stance, from simon-pure perfection, if I may be allowed the expression, she sees herself and is horrified. Isn't that so, my dear child? Of course-of course. | Мэри видит вас, окружающих ее женщин, фотографии, а потом смотрится в зеркало и приходит в ужас. |
| She asks herself, why must I be hideous, unbalanced, oversize, undersize, full of revolting skin eruptions, badly schemed organically? In short, Mary is tired of being a monster and is overly anxious to achieve what almost everyone else has already achieved." | Она спрашивает себя: "Почему я должна быть безобразной, неуклюжей, непропорционально сложенной?" |
| "But-" said Mrs. Cuberle. | - Но... - начала миссис Кьюберли. |
| "This much you understand, doubtless. | - Эта сторона вопроса вам, несомненно, понятна. |
| Now, Mary, what you object to is that our society offers you, and the others like you, no convincing logic on the side of waiting until age nineteen. It is all taken for granted, and you want to know why! It is that simple. A non-technical explanation will not suffice-mercy no! The modern child wants facts, solid technical data, to satisfy her every question. And that, as you can both see, will take a good deal of reorganizing." "But-" said Mary. "The child is upset, nervous, tense; she acts strange, peculiar, odd, worries you and makes herself ill because it is beyond our meagre powers to put it across. I tell you, what we need is a whole new basis for learning. And, that will take doing. It will take doing, Mrs. Cuberle. Now, don't you worry about Mary, and don't you worry, child. I'll prescribe some pills and-" | Итак, Мэри, твой протест направлен против того, что мы не даем тебе и твоим сверстникам убедительных, логически обоснованных объяснений, почему нужно ждать до девятнадцати лет. |
| "No, no, doctor! You're all mixed up," cried Mrs. Cuberle. | - Нет, нет, доктор! - вскричала миссис Кьюберли.- У нас все наоборот. |
| "I beg your pardon, Madam?" | - Прошу прощения, сударыня? |
| "What I mean is, you've got it wrong. | - Дело в том, что вы меня неправильно поняли. |
| Tell him, Mary, tell the doctor what you told me." | Мэри, скажи доктору то, о чем ты говорила мне. |
| Mary shifted uneasily in the chair. | Мэри беспокойно заерзала на стуле: |
| "It's that-I don't want it." | - Понимаете, доктор, я... я не хочу этого. |
| The doctor's well-proportioned jaw dropped. | У доктора отвисла челюсть: |
| "Would you please repeat that?" | - Что ты сказала? Повтори, пожалуйста. |
| "I said, I don't want the Transformation." "D-Don't want it?" "You see? She told me. That's why I came to you." The doctor looked at Mary suspiciously. | - Я сказала, что не хочу подвергаться Трансформации. |
| "But that's impossible! | - Невероятно! |
| I have never heard of such a thing. | Такое я слышу впервые в жизни. |
| Little girl, you are playing a joke!" | Ты шутишь, девочка! |
| Mary nodded negatively. | Мэри отрицательно покачала головой. |
| "See, doctor. | - Вы видите, доктор. |
| What can it be?" Mrs. Cuberle rose and began to pace. | Что это может быть? |
| THE DOCTOR clucked his tongue and took from a small cupboard a black box covered with buttons and dials and wire. | Доктор поцокал языком и достал из маленького шкафчика опутанную проводами черную коробку с множеством кнопок и дисков. Он укрепил на голове Мэри черные зажимы. |
| "Oh no, you don't think-I mean, could it?" | - О нет, не думаете же вы... |
| "We shall soon see." |