The piston plane shook Tom Hagen's already nervous insides and he ordered
A martini from the hostess to quiet them. Both the Don and Johnny had briefed
Him on the character of the movie producer, Jack Woltz. From everything that
Johnny said, Hagen knew he would never be able to persuade Woltz. But he also
Had no doubt whatsoever that the Don would keep his promise to Johnny. His
Own role was that of negotiator and contact.
Lying back in his seat, Hagen went over all the information given to him that
Day. Jack Woltz was one of the three most important movie producers in
Hollywood, owner of his own studio with dozens of stars under contract. He was
On the President of the United States' Advisory Council for War Information,
Cinematic Division, which meant simply that he helped make propaganda movies.
He had had dinner at the White House. He had entertained J. Edgar Hoover in his
Hollywood home. But none of this was as impressive as it sounded. They were all
Official relationships. Woltz didn't have any personal political power, mainly
Because he was an extreme reactionary, partly because he was a megalomaniac
Who loved to wield power wildly without regard to the fact that by so doing
Legions of enemies sprang up out of the ground.
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3 Hagen sighed. There would be no way to "handle" Jack Woltz. He opened his
Briefcase and tried to get some paper work done, but he was too tired. He ordered
Another martini and reflected on his life. He had no regrets, indeed he felt that he
Had been extremely lucky. Whatever the reason, the course he had chosen ten
Years ago had proved to be right for him. He was successful, he was as happy as
Any grown man could reasonably expect, and he found life interesting.
1 Tom Hagen was thirty-five years old, a tall crew-cut man (подстриженный ежиком),
very slender (стройный, тонкий), very ordinary-looking (самой обыкновенной
внешности). He was a lawyer (адвокатом) but did not do the actual detailed legal work
for the Corleone family business (но не занимался собственно судебной практикой)
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though he had practiced law for three years after passing the bar exam (хотя и работал
по профессии: «в юридической области» после сдачи экзамена на адвоката; bar –
юридическая деятельность; адвокат).
2 At the age of eleven he had been a playmate of eleven-year-old Sonny Corleone
(товарищ по играм). Hagen's mother had gone blind (ослепла) and then died during
his eleventh year. Hagen's father, a heavy drinker, had become a hopeless drunkard
(превратился в безнадежного пьяницу). A hard-working carpenter (трудяга-плотник),
he had never done a dishonest thing in his life (ни разу не совершил ничего
нечестного). But his drinking destroyed his family (но его пьянство разрушило его
семью) and finally killed him. Tom Hagen was left an orphan (был оставлен сиротой)
who wandered the streets and slept in hallways (в проходах, коридорах). His younger
sister had been put in a foster home (была отдана в приют; to foster – воспитывать,
растить), but in the 1920's the social agencies did not follow up cases of twelve-year-
old boys (не занимались делами; to follow up – упорно, энергично преследовать;
доводить до конца) who were so ungrateful as to run from their charity (которые были
настолько неблагодарны, что сбежали от их милосердия, благотворительности
[‘t∫жrıtı]). Hagen, too, had an eye infection. Neighbors whispered that he had caught
(заразился: «подхватил»; to catch) or inherited it from his mother (или унаследовал),
and so therefore it could be caught from him (поэтому это может быть подхвачено от
него = от него можно заразиться). He was shunned (его избегали, обходили
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стороной, остерегались: «он был избегаем»; to shun). Sonny Corleone, a
warmhearted and imperious (властный [ım'pı∂rı∂s]) eleven-year-old, had brought his
friend home and demanded that he be taken in (потребовал, чтобы его приняли:
«чтобы он был принят, впущен»; to demand [dimα:nd]). Tom Hagen was given a hot
101
dish of spaghetti (ему дали порцию: «блюдо» горячих спагетти) with oily rich tomato
sauce, the taste of which he had never forgotten, and then given a metal folding bed to
sleep on (раскладушку; to fold – складывать).
3 In the most natural way, without a word being spoken or the matter discussed in any
fashion (не обсуждая никак: «никаким манером» это дело), Don Corleone had
permitted the boy to stay in his household (позволил остаться в своем семействе).
Don Corleone himself took the boy to a special doctor and had his eye infection cured.
He sent him to college and law school. In all this the Don acted not as a father but
rather as a guardian (скорее как опекун [gα:dj∂n]). There was no show of affection (не
было выражения любви, привязанности) but oddly enough (как ни странно:
«довольно странно») the Don treated Hagen more courteously than his own sons
(обращался вежливее), did not impose a parental will upon him (не навязывал ему
родительской воли: «не накладывал на него родительскую волю»; parental
[p∂’rentl]). It was the boy's decision (решение [dı’sıG∂n]) to go to law school after
college. He had heard Don Corleone say once, "A lawyer with his briefcase can steal
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more (украсть) than a hundred men with guns (с пистолетами)." Meanwhile, much to
the annoyance of their father (к вящей досаде их отца; annoyance [∂’noı∂ns] – досада,
раздражение; to annoy [∂’noı] – досаждать, докучать), Sonny and Freddie insisted on
going into the family business (настаивали на том, чтобы войти в семейный бизнес)
after graduation from high school (после окончания старших классов). Only Michael
had gone on to college, and he had enlisted in the Marines (записался =
завербовался в морскую пехоту) the day after Pearl Harbor.
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