«Дом с характером» kitabından alıntılar, sayfa 5

Я помню чудную походку,

Твой танец с грацией козы.

И голос томный, как у тёлки,

Жующей горные цветы.

— Я им сказал, что главная здесь ты и что пусть они подождут, пока ты тут любезничаешь с этими ведьмами.

— С ведьмами? — возмутилась Чармейн. — Одна из них — моя мать!

— Подумаешь, моя мать тоже ведьма.

Дело не в том, что я ленивая. <...> Или глупая. Просто я никогда не выглядывала за пределы маминого образа жизни, понимаешь?

Я только-только привыкла к тому, что, если бросить носок на пол, он останется там лежать, пока я его не подниму, и, если устрою кавардак в доме, то мне же и придётся его убирать, потому что он никуда не испарится. И тут приходишь ты и начинаешь убирать за мной! Ты такой же эгоист, как и моя мама!

- Эй! Ватерклозет замерз!

Не повезло, подумала Чармейн. Она забралась в постель и тут же заснула.

Примерно через час ей приснилось, что на нее уселся мохнатый мамонт.

-Уйди, Потеряшка, - пробормотала она. - Ты слишком большая.

If I ever marry, Charmain thought, striding across Royal Square with Waif in her arms, I shall never have children. They would make me cruel and hard-hearted after a week.

"Princess Hilda tells me you have a charming little boy," she said."Yes. Morgan," Mrs. Pendragon said. She seemed to be having trouble with butter too and was mopping her fingers with her handkerchief and looking flustered."How old will Morgan be now, Sophie?" Princess Hilda asked. "When I saw him he was just a baby.""Oh—nearly two," Mrs. Pendragon replied, catching a big golden drip of butter before it fell on her skirt. "I left him with—"The door of the parlor opened. Through it came a small, fat toddler in a grubby blue suit, with tears rolling down his face. "Mum-mum-mum!" he was wailing as he staggered into the room. But as soon as he saw Mrs. Pendragon, his face spread into a blinding smile. He stretched out both arms and rushed to her, where he buried his face in her skirt. "Mum!" he shouted.Following him through the door came floating an agitated-looking blue creature shaped like a long teardrop with a face on the front of it. It seemed to be made of flames. It brought a gust of warmth with it and a gasp from everyone in the room. An even more agitated housemaid hurried in after it.After the housemaid came a small boy, quite the most angelic child Charmain had ever seen. He had a mass of blond curls that clustered around his angelic pink and white face. His eyes were big and blue and bashful. His exquisite little chin rested on a frill of white, white lace, and the rest of his graceful little body was clothed in a pale blue velvet suit with big silver buttons. His pink rosebud mouth spread into a shy smile as he came in, showing a charming dimple in his delicate little cheek. Charmain could not think why Mrs. Pendragon was staring at him in such horror. He was surely a truly enchanting child. And what long, curly eyelashes!"—with my husband and his fire demon," Mrs. Pendragon finished. Her face had gone fiery red, and she glared at the little boy across the toddler's head.

You don't need to be nasty to make a mess.

Но как можно отказать королю, когда он уже распахнул дверь и уступил дорогу?

A golden light was spreading over the largest pile of bricks. The bricks picked up the light and glowed golden as well, under the dust. Charmain realized that they were not bricks at all but ingots of solid gold. To make this quite clear, a golden banner appeared, floating in front of the ingots. Old-fashioned letters on it said:Praife the Wifzard Melicot who hidde the Kinge hif gold."Huh!" Sophie snorted, letting go of her toe. "Melicot must have lisped just like you. Proper soulmates, you and he would have been! Same size in swelled heads. He couldn't resist having his name up in lights, could he?""I don't need my name up in lighth," Twinkle said, with great dignity."Doh!" said Sophie.