Lady Dant was quite well pleased with the impression she seemed to have created (леди Дант была очень довольна впечатлением, /которое/ она, по всей видимости, произвела; to seem — казаться) and even took each one down and held it up to her (и даже сняла каждое /платье с вешалки/ и приложила их к ней: to hold — держать; to hold up — выставлять, показывать) so that Mrs. Harris could get some idea of the effect (так, чтобы миссис Харрис могла получить представление об эффекте). And since the char's hands were spotless from the soap and water (и так как руки уборщицы были безупречно чистыми от мыла и воды; spot — пятнышко; крапинка; пятно /от грязи/) in which they were immersed most of the time (в которые они были погружены большую часть времени), she let her touch the material (она позволила ей потрогать материю), which the little drudge did as though it were the Grail (что маленькая трудяжка сделала /так/, будто это был /Святой/ Грааль: drudge — человек, выполняющий тяжелую работу).

"Ain't it loverly (разве оно не прелестно /loverly = lovely — просторечный акцент/)," she whispered again (прошептала она вновь). Lady Dant did not know that at that instant Mrs. Harris had made up her mind (леди Дант не знала, что в тот момент миссис Харрис приняла решение) that what she desired above all else on earth, and in Heaven thereafter (/что тем/, что она хотела больше всего на земле = на свете, и на небесах после того), was a Dior dress of her own to have hanging in her closet (было иметь собственное платье от Диора, висящее в ее шкафу).

immersed [I'mWst], drudge [drAG], Grail [greIl]

Lady Dant was quite well pleased with the impression she seemed to have created and even took each one down and held it up to her so that Mrs. Harris could get some idea of the effect. And since the char's hands were spotless from the soap and water in which they were immersed most of the time, she let her touch the material, which the little drudge did as though it were the Grail.

"Ain't it loverly," she whispered again. Lady Dant did not know that at that instant Mrs. Harris had made up her mind that what she desired above all else on earth, and in Heaven thereafter, was a Dior dress of her own to have hanging in her closet.

Smiling slyly, pleased with herself (хитро улыбаясь, довольная собой), Lady Dant shut the closet door (леди Дант закрыла дверцу шкафа), but she could not shut out from the mind of Mrs. Harris what she had seen there (но она не могла исключить из: «закрыть» памяти миссис Харрис /то/, что она видела там: mind — ум; память): beauty (красоту), perfection (совершенство), the ultimate in adornment that a woman could desire (предел украшения, которое женщина может желать). Mrs. Harris was no less a woman than Lady Dant or any other (миссис Харрис была не менее женщиной, чем леди Дант или любая другая). She wanted (она хотела), she wanted, she wanted a dress from what must be surely the most expensive store in the world (она хотела платье из, должно быть, самого дорогого магазина в мире: «из того, что должно было быть наверняка самым дорогим магазином в мире»), that of Mr. Dior in Paris (/магазина/ г-на Диора в Париже).

closet ['klOzIt], ultimate ['AltImIt], adornment [q'dLnmqnt]

Smiling slyly, pleased with herself, Lady Dant shut the closet door, but she could not shut out from the mind of Mrs. Harris what she had seen there: beauty, perfection, the ultimate in adornment that a woman could desire. Mrs. Harris was no less a woman than Lady Dant or any other. She wanted, she wanted, she wanted a dress from what must be surely the most expensive store in the world, that of Mr.