Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек

Франк Илья

"I lost my way (я заблудился: «потерял мой путь»; to lose — терять)," Martins said.

"Yes, sir. We thought that was what had happened (мы подумали, что случилось именно это; to think — думать)."

collect [kq'lekt], delight [dI'laIt], compliment ['kOmplImqnt], curtsey ['kq:tsI], distinct [dIs'tINkt], irritation ["IrI'teIS(q)n], complacent [kqm'pleIs(q)nt], speculative ['spekjulqtIv], argument ['Rgjumqnt], relic ['relIk], lavatory ['lxvqt(q)rI], impede [Im'pi:d], breath [breT], continuous [kqn'tInjuqs], monologue ['mOn(q)lOg]

Martins took his pen and wrote: "From B. Dexter, author of The Lone Rider of Santa F'e," and the young man read the sentence and blotted it with a puzzled expression. As Martins sat down and started signing Benjamin Dexter's title pages, he could see in a mirror the young man showing the inscription to Crabbin. Crabbin smiled weakly and stroked his chin, up and down, up and down. "B. Dexter, B. Dexter, B. Dexter." Martins wrote rapidly—it was not after all a lie. One by one the books were collected by their owners: little half sentences of delight and compliment were dropped like curtseys—was this what it was to be a writer? Martins began to feel distinct irritation towards Benjamin Dexter. The complacent tiring pompous ass, he thought, signing the twenty-seventh copy of The Curved Prow. Every time he looked up and took another book he saw Crabbin's worried speculative gaze. The members of the Institute were beginning to go home with their spoils: the room was emptying. Suddenly in the mirror Martins saw a military policeman. He seemed to be having an argument with one of Crabbin's young henchmen. Martins thought he caught the sound of his own name. It was then he lost his nerve and with it any relic of commonsense. There was only one book left to sign: he dashed off a last "B. Dexter" and made for the door. The young man, Crabbin and the policeman stood together at the entrance.

"And this gentleman?" the policeman asked.

"It's Mr. Benjamin Dexter," the young man said.

"Lavatory. Is there a lavatory?" Martins said.

"I understood a Mr. Rollo Martins came here in one of your cars."

"A mistake. An obvious mistake."

"Second door on the left," the young man said.

Martins grabbed his coat from the cloakroom as he went and made down the stairs. On the first floor landing he heard someone mounting the stairs and looking over saw Paine—whom I had sent to identify him. He opened a door at random and shut it behind him. He could hear Paine going by. The room where he stood was in darkness: a curious moaning sound made him turn and face whatever room it was.

He could see nothing and the sound had stopped. He made a tiny movement and once more it started, like an impeded breath. He remained still and the sound died away. Outside somebody called "Mr. Dexter, Mr. Dexter." Then a new sound started. It was like somebody whispering—a long continuous monologue in the darkness. Martins said, "Is anybody there?" and the sound stopped again. He could stand no more of it. He took out his lighter. Footsteps went by and down the stairs. He scraped and scraped at the little wheel and no light came. Somebody shifted in the dark and something rattled in mid-air like a chain. He asked once more with the anger of fear, "Is anybody there?" and only the click click of metal answered him.

Martins felt desperately for a light switch first to his right hand and then to his left. He did not dare go farther because he could no longer locate his fellow occupant: the whisper, the moaning, the click had all stopped. Then he was afraid that he had lost the door and felt wildly for the knob. He was far less afraid of the police than he was of the darkness, and he had no idea of the noise he was making.

Paine heard it from the bottom of the stairs and came back. He switched on the landing light, and the glow under the door gave Martins his direction. He opened the door and smiling weakly as Paine turned back to take a second look at the room. The eyes of a parrot chained to a perch stared beadily back at him. Paine said respectfully, "We were looking for you, sir. Colonel Calloway wants a word with you."

"I lost my way," Martins said.

"Yes, sir. We thought that was what had happened."

10

I HAD KEPT A very careful record of Martins' movements (я

вел очень тщательную запись передвижений Мартинса; to keep — хранить) from the moment I knew (с того момента, как я узнал) that he had not caught the plane home (что он не сел на самолет домой; to catch — ловить; успеть, попасть /на поезд и т. п./). He had been seen with Kurtz (он был увиден = его видели с Куртцем), and at the Josefstadt Theatre (и в Йозефштадтском театре): I knew about his visit to Dr. Winkler and to Cooler (я знал о его визите к доктору Винклеру и к Кулеру), his first return to the block where Harry had lived (его первом возвращении к дому, где жил Гарри). For some reason my man lost him between Cooler's and Anna Schmidt's flats (по какой-то причине мой человек потерял его между квартирами Кулера и Анны Шмидт): he reported that Martins had wandered widely (он сообщил, что Мартинс бродил далеко: «широко»), and the impression we both got (и впечатление,

которое мы оба получили; to get — получить) was that he had deliberately thrown off his shadower (было, что он нарочно оторвался от своего преследователя; to throw — бросать; to throw off — сбросить, отбросить). I tried to pick him up at Sacher's Hotel and just missed him (я старался подобрать его в Отеле Захера и только-только пропустил его = разминулся с ним на совсем небольшое время).

Events had taken a disquieting turn (события приняли тревожный поворот; to disquiet — беспокоить, волновать, тревожить; quiet — тихий, спокойный), and it seemed to me that the time had come for another interview (и мне показалось, что время пришло для еще одной: «другой» беседы). He had a lot to explain (ему надо было: «он имел» много объяснить).

I put a good wide desk between us (я поставил хороший широкий письменный стол между нами) and gave him a cigarette (и дал ему сигарету): I found him sullen but ready to talk (я нашел его угрюмым, но готовым разговаривать), within strict limits (внутри строгих пределов = не выходя за определенные рамки). I asked him about Kurtz (я спросил его о Куртце) and he seemed to me to answer satisfactorily (и он показался мне ответить удовлетворительно = кажется, он ответил удовлетворительно). I then asked him about Anna Schmidt (затем я спросил его об Анне Шмидт) and I gathered from his reply that he must have been with her after visiting Cooler (и я понял: «собрал» из его ответа, что он должен был быть с ней после посещения Кулера = должно быть, был…): that filled in one of the missing points (это заполнило одно из недостающих мест; point — точка). I tried him with Dr. Winkler (я попробовал его с доктором Винклером), and he answered readily enough (и он ответил достаточно охотно). "You've been getting around (вы слонялись вокруг)," I said, "quite a bit (довольно много). And have you found out anything about your friend (и обнаружили ли вы что-либо о вашем друге)?"

"Oh yes," he said. "It was under your nose but you didn't see it (это было под вашим носом, но вы не видели этого)."

"What (что /именно/)?"

"That he was murdered (что он был убит)." That took me by surprise (это удивило меня: «захватило меня врасплох»): I had at one time played with the idea of suicide (я одно время играл с идеей самоубийства), but I had ruled even that out (но я исключил даже это; to rule out — вычеркивать; исключать).

"Go on (продолжайте: «идите дальше»)," I said. He tried to eliminate from his story all mention of Koch (он постарался убрать из своей истории всякое упоминание о Кохе), talking about an informant who had seen the accident (говоря об информанте, который видел несчастный случай). This made his story rather confusing (это сделало его историю довольно путаной), and I couldn't grasp at first (и я не мог понять: «ухватить» сперва) why he attached so much importance to the third man (почему он приписывал так много важности третьему человеку; to attach — прикреплять /клеем и т. п./; прилагать, прикладывать /to/; прикреплять, связывать /о чем-л. нематериальном/; придавать, приписывать).

"He didn't turn up at the inquest (он не объявился при расследовании; to turn up — внезапно появляться: «поворачивать, выворачиваться наверх»), and the others lied to keep him out (и другие лгали, чтобы не впутывать его: «сохранить его снаружи»)."

"Nor did your man turn up (но и ваш человек не появился)—I don't see much importance in that (я не вижу большой важности в этом). If it was a genuine accident (если это был настоящий несчастный случай; genuine — истинный, подлинный, неподдельный), all the evidence needed was there (все нужные данные были там; to need — нуждаться). Why get the other chap in trouble (зачем втягивать другого парня в неприятности)? Perhaps his wife thought he was out of town (возможно, его жена думала, что он был не в городе): perhaps he was an official absent without leave (возможно, он был чиновником, находящимся в самовольной отлучке: «отсутствующий без позволения»)—people sometimes take unauthorised trips to Vienna from places like Klagenfurt (люди иногда совершают недозволенные путешествия в Вену из таких мест, как Клагенфурт). The delights of the great city (радости большого города), for what they are worth (чего бы они ни стоили; worth — стоящий /сколько-либо/)."

"There was more to it than that (в этом было больше, чем /только/ это = тут крылось нечто большее). The little chap who told me about it (маленький человек, который рассказал мне об этом)—they've murdered him (они убили его). You see (вы видите) they obviously didn't know what else he had seen (они очевидно не знали, что еще он видел)."

"Now we have it (теперь мы имеем это = теперь понятно; to have it — найти решение, ответ, догадаться)," I said. "You mean Koch (вы имеете в виду Коха)."