«We’ll stay three days and then go home. I’ll wire (телеграфировать) right away (прямо сейчас) for steamer (пароход) tickets.»
At the hotel the girl made the reservation (заказать, сделать бронь) in idiomatic (идиоматический) but rather flat (плоский) French, like something remembered (как нечто выученное). When they were installed (устроить, поместить) on the ground floor (первый, нижний этаж) she walked into the glare (ослепительный свет; сияние) of the French windows and out a few steps onto the stone veranda that run the length (опоясывать) of the hotel. When she walked she carried herself like a ballet – dancer, not slumped down (неуклюже двигаться) on her hips (бедро) but hеld up (держать прямо) in the small of her back. Out there the hot light clipped (обрезать) close her shadow and she retreated (отступить, попятиться назад) – it was too bright (ярко) to see. Fifty yards away the Mediterranean (Средиземное море) yielded (уступать) up its pigments, moment by moment, to the brutal (брутальный, грубый) sunshine; below the balustrade (балюстрада) a faded (блёклый, вылинявший, линялый) Buick (Бьюик) cooked (жариться) on the hotel drive (дорога, подъездная аллея, проезд).
Indeed, of all the region only the beach stirred (шевелиться; двигаться) with activity. Three British nannies (няня) sat knitting (вязать) the slow (неторопливый) pattern (рисунок, узор) of Victorian England, the pattern (образец, модель) of the forties, the sixties, and the eighties, into sweaters (свитер, пуловер) and socks (носки), to the tune (под музыку) of gossip (сплетня) as formalized (стилизованный, формализованный) as incantation (заклинание); closer to (ближе к) the sea a dozen (десяток, дюжина) persons kept house (хозяйничать) under striped (полосатый) umbrellas, while their dozen children pursued (ловить, преследовать) unintimidated (не запуганный; не устрашённый) fish through the shallows (отмель) or lay naked (лежать нагими) and glistening (блестеть) with cocoanut (кокосовый) oil out in the sun.
As Rosemary came onto the beach a boy of twelve ran past her and dashed into (бросаться) the sea with exultant (ликующий, торжествующий) cries. Feeling the impactive (ударный) scrutiny (внимательный осмотр) of strange faces, she took off her bathrobe (купальный халат) and followed. She floated (плыть) face down for a few yards (ярд) and finding it shallow (мелкий) staggered (шататься, покачиваться; идти шатаясь) to her feet and plodded (идти медленно, с трудом) forward, dragging (тащить) slim (стройный) legs like weights (гиря) against (против, преодолевать) the resistance (сопротивление) of the water. When it was about breast high (по грудь), she glanced back (оглянуться назад) toward shore: a bald man in a monocle and a pair of tights (трико), his tufted (с хохолком) chest thrown out, his brash navel (поросший пупок) sucked in (втянутый), was regarding (рассматривать) her attentively. As Rosemary returned the gaze the man dislodged (убрать) the monocle, which went into hiding amid the facetious (забавный, смешной,) whiskers (усы) of his chest, and poured (наливать) himself a glass of something from a bottle in his hand.