Читаем без скачивания Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Первый сборник рассказов - Arthur Conan Doyle

sight [saɪt], remedied [ˈremɪdɪd], seized [si:zd], strenuously [ˈstrenjuǝslɪ], afford [ǝˈfɔ:d]

"Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window, and she was escorted home in a cab by the police, as her presence could be of no help to them in their investigations. Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case, made a very careful examination of the premises, but without finding anything which threw any light upon the matter. One mistake had been made in not arresting Boone instantly, as he was allowed some few minutes during which he might have communicated with his friend the Lascar, but this fault was soon remedied, and he was seized and searched, without anything being found which could incriminate him. There were, it is true, some blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve, but he pointed to his ring-finger, which had been cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came from there, adding that he had been to the window not long before, and that the stains which had been observed there came doubtless from the same source. He denied strenuously having ever seen Mr. Neville St. Clair and swore that the presence of the clothes in his room was as much a mystery to him as to the police. As to Mrs. St. Clair's assertion that she had actually seen her husband at the window, he declared that she must have been either mad or dreaming. He was removed, loudly protesting, to the police station, while the inspector remained upon the premises in the hope that the ebbing tide might afford some fresh clew.

"And it did (и действительно), though they hardly found upon the mud-bank what they had feared to find (хотя они едва нашли на грязевой отмели /то/, что они боялись найти = хотя и нашли кое-что, но совсем не то, чего они так боялись найти). It was Neville St. Clair's coat (пиджак), and not Neville St. Clair (а не Невилл Сент-Клер), which lay uncovered as the tide receded (который лежал открыто, когда прилив снизился = отхлынула вода; to uncover — обнаруживать, открывать, обнажать). And what do you think they found in the pockets (и что вы думаете, они нашли в карманах)?"

though [ðǝu], feared [fɪǝd], receded [rɪˈsi:dɪd]

"I cannot imagine (не могу /себе/ представить)."

"No, I don't think you would guess (не думаю, что вы догадаетесь). Every pocket stuffed with pennies and halfpennies (каждый карман /был/ набит /монетами в/ пенни и полпенни) — 421 pennies and 270 halfpennies. It was no wonder (не удивительно) that it had not been swept away (что он не был смыт; to sweep away — смывать, сносить) by the tide. But a human body is a different matter (но человеческое тело — другое дело). There is a fierce eddy (сильный водоворот = течение) between the wharf and the house (между верфью и домом). It seemed likely enough (вполне допустимо) that the weighted coat had remained (что отягощенное пальто осталось) when the stripped body had been sucked away into the river (тогда как раздетое тело было унесено в реку; to suck — поглощать, всасывать)."

stuffed [stʌft], wonder [ˈwʌndǝ], weighted [ˈweɪtɪd]

"And it did, though they hardly found upon the mud-bank what they had feared to find. It was Neville St. Clair's coat, and not Neville St. Clair, which lay uncovered as the tide receded. And what do you think they found in the pockets?"

"I cannot imagine."

"No, I don't think you would guess. Every pocket stuffed with pennies and halfpennies — 421 pennies and 270 halfpennies. It was no wonder that it had not been swept away by the tide. But a human body is a different matter. There is a fierce eddy between the wharf and the house. It seemed likely enough that the weighted coat had remained when the stripped body had been sucked away into the river."

"But I understand that all the other clothes (но /как/ я понимаю, вся остальная одежда) were found in the room (была найдена в комнате). Would the body be dressed in a coat alone (неужели тело было одето только в пиджак = на трупе был только пиджак)?"

"No, sir, but the facts might be met speciously enough (но факты могли быть встречены достаточно правдоподобно = этому можно найти объяснение). Suppose (предположим) that this man Boone had thrust Neville St. Clair through the window (выбросил Невилла Сент-Клера в: «через» окно; to thrust — толкать, выбрасывать), there is no human eye (там нет человеческого глаза = свидетеля) which could have seen the deed (который мог бы видеть /это/ действие). What would he do then (что бы он сделал затем)? It would of course instantly strike him (ему сразу пришло бы в голову, конечно) that he must get rid of the tell-tale garments (что он должен избавиться от выдающей его одежды; tell-tale — указатель, доносчик). He would seize the coat (схватил бы = хватает пиджак), then, and be in the act of throwing it out (во время выкидывания его), when it would occur to him (ему пришло бы в голову) that it would swim and not sink (что он поплывет, а не потонет). He has little time (у него мало времени: «маленькое время»), for he has heard the scuffle downstairs (услышал потасовку внизу) when the wife tried to force her way up (когда жена пыталась прорваться наверх), and perhaps (возможно) he has already heard from his Lascar confederate (слышал от своего сообщника-Ласкара) that the police are hurrying up the street (что полиция спешит /сюда/ по улице). There is not an instant to be lost (тут нет ни одного мига, чтобы был потерян = нельзя терять ни минуты). He rushes to some secret hoard (он кидается к тайному складу = углу), where he has accumulated the fruits of his beggary (где он накопил плоды своего нищенства), and he stuffs all the coins upon which he can lay his hands (набивает все монеты, на которые может положить свои руки = которые первыми попались под руку) into the pockets to make sure of the coat's sinking (в карманы, чтобы быть уверенным в погружении пиджака = что пиджак потонет). He throws it out (выбрасывает), and would have done the same with the other garments (и сделал бы то же самое с другими предметами одежды) had not he heard the rush of steps below (не услышь он шум шагов внизу), and only just had time (и имел только время) to close the window when the police appeared (закрыть окно, когда появилась полиция)."

speciously [ˈspi:ʃǝslɪ], occur [ǝˈkǝ:], confederate [kǝnˈfedrɪt], hoard [hɔ:d]

"But I understand that all the other clothes were found in the room. Would the body be dressed in a coat alone?"

"No, sir, but the facts might be met speciously enough. Suppose that this man Boone had thrust Neville St. Clair through the window, there is no human eye which could have seen the deed. What would he do then? It would of course instantly strike him that he must get rid of the tell-tale garments. He would seize the coat, then, and be in the act of throwing it out, when it would occur to him that it would swim and not sink. He has little time, for he has heard the scuffle downstairs when the wife tried to force her way up, and perhaps he has already heard from his Lascar confederate that the police are hurrying up the street. There is not an instant to be lost. He rushes to some secret hoard, where he has accumulated the fruits of his beggary, and he stuffs all the coins upon which he can lay his hands into the pockets to make sure of the coat's sinking. He throws it out, and would have done the same with the other garments had not he heard the rush of steps below, and only just had time to close the window when the police appeared."

"It certainly sounds feasible (это звучит вполне правдоподобно)."

"Well, we will take it as a working hypothesis for want of a better (мы возьмем это = примем как рабочую гипотезу из-за отсутствия более хорошей). Boone, as I have told you (как я вам сказал), was arrested (арестован) and taken to the station (доставлен в участок), but it could not be shown that there had ever before been anything against him (но это не могло быть показано/доказано, что когда-либо раньше было что-то против него = его прошлая жизнь — безупречна). He had for years been known as a professional beggar (он в течение многих лет известен как профессиональный нищий), but his life appeared to have been a very quiet and innocent one (но его жизнь, кажется, была очень тихой и безобидной). There the matter stands at present (там дело стоит сейчас = вот в каком положении находится дело в настоящий момент), and the questions which have to be solved (вопросы, которые должны быть решены) — what Neville St. Clair was doing (что делал: «был делающим») in the opium den, what happened to him when there (что случилось с ним, когда /он был/ там), where is he now (где он сейчас), and what Hugh Boone had to do with his disappearance (какое отношение имел к его исчезновению Хью Бун) — are all as far from a solution as ever (все /эти вопросы/ так далеки от решения, как всегда = по-прежнему не решены). I confess that I cannot recall any case within my experience (признаюсь, что не могу вспомнить какое-либо дело в: «внутри, в пределах» моей практике) which looked at the first glance so simple (которое выглядело бы на первый взгляд таким простым) and yet which presented such difficulties (и, тем не менее, представляло бы такие трудности)."

hypothesis [haɪˈpɔƟɪsɪs], innocent [ˈɪnǝsǝnt], glance [ɡlɑ:ns]

"It certainly sounds feasible."

"Well, we will take it as a working hypothesis for want of a better. Boone, as I have told you, was arrested and taken to the station, but it could not be shown that there had ever before been anything against him. He had for years been known as a professional beggar, but his life appeared to have been a very quiet and innocent one. There the matter stands at present, and the questions which have to be solved — what Neville St. Clair was doing in the opium den, what happened to him when there, where is he now, and what Hugh Boone had to do with his disappearance — are all as far from a solution as ever. I confess that I cannot recall any case within my experience which looked at the first glance so simple and yet which presented such difficulties."

While Sherlock Holmes had been detailing this singular series of events (подробно рассказывал эти необычные последовательности событий), we had been whirling through the outskirts of the great town (мы мчались по предместьям большого города) until the last straggling houses had been left behind (пока последние разбросанные = одиночные дома были оставлены позади), and we rattled along with a country hedge upon either side of us (и мы мчались с грохотом мимо деревенской изгороди по обе стороны от нас). Just as he finished (когда он закончил), however, we drove through two scattered villages (мы проехали через две отдельные деревушки; to scatter — разбрасывать, раскидывать), where a few lights still glimmered in the windows (где несколько огней еще мерцали в окнах).

whirling [ˈwǝ:lɪŋ], outskirts [ˈautskǝ:ts], hedge [heʤ]

While Sherlock Holmes had been detailing this singular series of events, we had been whirling through the outskirts of the great town until the last straggling houses had been left behind, and we rattled along with a country hedge upon either side of us. Just as he finished, however, we drove through two scattered villages, where a few lights still glimmered in the windows.