After he passed the bar exam, Hagen married to start his own family. The bride
Was a young Italian girl from New Jersey, rare at that time for being a college
Graduate. After the wedding, which was of course held in the home of Don
Corleone, the Don offered to support Hagen in any undertaking he desired, to
Send him law clients, furnish his office, start him in real estate.
2 Tom Hagen had bowed his head and said to the Don, "I would like to work for
you."
3 The Don was surprised, yet pleased. "You know who I am?" he asked.
Hagen nodded. He hadn't really known the extent of the Don's power, not then.
He did not really know in the ten years that followed until he was made the acting
Consigliori after Genco Abbandando became ill. But he nodded and met the
Don's eyes with his own. "I would work for you like your sons," Hagen said,
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Meaning with complete loyalty, with complete acceptance of the Don's parental
Divinity. The Don, with that understanding which was even then building the
Legend of his greatness, showed the young man the first mark of fatherly
Affection since he had come into his household. He took Hagen into his arms for
A quick embrace and afterward treated him more like a true son, though he would
sometimes say, "Tom, never forget your parents," as if he were reminding himself
As well as Hagen.
There was no chance that Hagen would forget. His mother had been near
Moronic and slovenly, so ridden by anemia she could not feel affection for her
Children or make a pretense of it. His father Hagen had hated. His mother's
Blindness before she died had terrified him and his own eye infection had been a
Stroke of doom. He had been sure he would go blind. When his father died, Tom
Hagen's eleven-year-old mind had snapped in a curious way. He had roamed the
Streets like an animal waiting for death until the fateful day Sonny found him
Sleeping in the back of a hallway and brought him to his home. What had
Happened afterward was a miracle. But for years Hagen had had nightmares,
Dreaming he had grown to manhood blind, tapping a white cane, his blind
Children behind him tap-tapping with their little white canes as they begged in the
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Streets. Some mornings when he woke the face of Don Corleone was imprinted
On his brain in that first conscious moment and he would feel safe.
But the Don had insisted that he put in three years of general law practice in
Addition to his duties for the family business. This experience had proved
Invaluable later on, and also removed any doubts in Hagen's mind about working
For Don Corleone. He had then spent two years of training in the offices of a top
Firm of criminal lawyers in which the Don had some influence. It was apparent to
Everyone that he had a flair for this branch of the law. He did well and when he
Went into the full-time service of the family business, Don Corleone had not been
Able to reproach him once in the six years that followed.
7 When he had been made the acting Consigliori, the other powerful Sicilian
families referred contemptuously to the Corleone family as the "Irish gang." This
Had amused Hagen. It had also taught him that he could never hope to succeed
The Don as the head of the family business. But he was content. That had never
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been his goal, such an ambition would have been a "disrespect" to his benefactor
And his benefactor's blood family.
1 It was still dark (было все еще темно) when the plane landed in Los Angeles
(приземлился). Hagen checked into his hotel (оформился в гостинице), showered
and shaved (принял душ и побрился), and watched dawn (рассвет) come over the
city. He ordered breakfast and newspapers to be sent up to his room (чтобы были
присланы в номер) and relaxed until it was time for his ten A.M. appointment (пока не
было пора отправляться на назначенную на десять утра встречу; to appoint [∂’poınt]
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– назначать) with Jack Woltz. The appointment had been surprisingly easy to make
(удивительно = неожиданно легко было получить эту аудиенцию).
2 The day before (накануне), Hagen had called the most powerful man in the movie
labor unions (в профсоюзах работников кино), a man named Billy Goff. Acting on
instructions from Don Corleone, Hagen had told Goff to arrange an appointment
(договориться о встрече; to arrange [∂’reındG] – приводить в порядок; устраивать)
on the next day for Hagen to call on Jack Woltz, that he should hint to Woltz (намекнуть)
that if Hagen was not made happy (если не будет удовлетворен: «сделан
счастливым, довольным») by the results of the interview, there could be a labor strike
at the movie studio (может быть забастовка). An hour later Hagen received a call from
Goff. The appointment would be at ten A.M. Woltz had gotten the message about the
possible labor strike (получил извещение о возможной забастовке) but hadn't
seemed too impressed (но казался не слишком впечатленным), Goff said. He added,
"If it really comes down to that (дойдет до этого), I gotta talk to the Don myself (= I got
to talk – мне нужно будет поговорить)."
3 "If it comes to that he'll talk to you," Hagen said. By saying this he avoided making
any promises (избежал делания каких-либо обещаний; to avoid [∂’voıd] – избегать,
уклоняться; promise [‘promıs] – обещание). He was not surprised that Goff was so
agreeable to the Don's wishes (такой согласный, податливый желаниям Дона;
agreeable [∂’grı∂bl]; to agree – соглашаться). The family empire, technically, did not
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extend beyond the New York area (не простиралась за пределы Нью-Йоркской
области; area [‘ε∂rı∂]) but Don Corleone had first become strong by helping labor
leaders (“впервые стал /по-настоящему/ сильным» = набрал истинную силу, /лишь/
помогая руководителям профсоюзов). Many of them still owed him debts of friendship
(все еще были должны ему, обязаны ему долгом дружбы; debt [det] – долг).
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4 But the ten A.M. appointment was a bad sign (плохой знак = дурная примета). It
meant that he would be first on the appointment list, that he would not be invited to
lunch (что он не будет приглашен на обед). It meant that Woltz held him in small
worth (не придавал ему большого значения: «держал его в малой ценности»). Goff
had not been threatening enough (не достаточно сильно угрожал: «был
недостаточно угрожающ»; to threaten – [θretn]), probably (возможно) because Woltz
had him on his graft payroll (в списке лиц, получающих взятки; graft [grα:ft] – взятка,
подкуп, незаконные доходы; payroll – сумма, выплаченная служащим /за
определенный период/). And sometimes the Don's success in keeping himself out of
the limelight (то, что Дону так хорошо удавалось оставаться в тени; limelight – свет
рампы) worked to the disadvantage of the family business (действовало во вред;
advantage [жd’vα:ntıdG] – преимущество), in that his name did not mean anything to
outside circles (тем, что его имя ничего не значило для «внешних кругов» = для
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непосвященных).
5 His analysis proved correct (его анализ оказался верным; analysis [∂’nжl∂sıs]; to
prove [pru:v] – доказывать, подтверждать). Woltz kept him waiting for a half hour past
the appointed time (заставил его ждать более получаса /после назначенного
времени/). Hagen didn't mind (не обиделся, ему было все равно). The reception
room was very plush (роскошным, шикарным: «плюшевым»), very comfortable, and
on a plum-colored couch (на темно-фиолетовой кушетке; plum – слива) opposite him
(напротив него ['op∂zıt]) sat the most beautiful child Hagen had ever seen. She was no
more than eleven or twelve, dressed in a very expensive but simple way as a grown
woman. She had incredibly golden hair (невероятно золотистые волосы), huge deep
sea-blue eyes and a fresh raspberry-red mouth (малинового цвета рот = губы;
raspberry [‘rα:zb∂rı] – малина). She was guarded by a woman (сопровождалась:
«охранялась»; to guard [gα:d]) obviously her mother (очевидно, ее матерью), who
tried to stare Hagen down (которая старалась, пристально глядя на Хагена,
заставить его потупиться; to stare down – смутить взглядом) with a cold arrogance (с
холодным высокомерием ['жr∂g∂ns]; arrogant ['жr∂ug∂nt] – заносчивый,
высокомерный) that made him want to punch her in the face (что вызывало у него
желание двинуть ей кулаком в лицо; to punch – бить кулаком). The angel child and
the dragon mother, Hagen thought, returning the mother's cold stare.
6 Finally an exquisitely dressed (изысканно одетая) but stout (полная) middle-aged
woman came to lead him through a string of offices (через ряд офисов; string –
веревка; последовательность) to the office-apartment of the movie producer. Hagen
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was impressed by the beauty of the offices and the people working in them. He smiled.
They were all shrewdies (ловкачи, проныры: shrewdie; shrewd [∫ru:d] –
пронизывающий, сильный /напр. о ветре/; сообразительный, быстро
схватывающий), trying to get their foot in the movie door by taking office jobs, and
most of them would work in these offices for the rest of their lives (всю оставшуюся
жизнь) or until they accepted defeat (пока не признают: «примут» поражение; defeat
[dı’fi:t]) and returned to their home towns.
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