Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек

Франк Илья

I didn't want to make a fuss and stir in the neighbourhood with a police car, so we took trams—several trams, changing here and there, and came into the district on foot. I didn't wear my uniform, and I doubted anyway after the failure of the attempt on Anna, whether they would risk a watcher. "This is the turning," Martins said and led me down a side street. We stopped at the kiosk. "You see he passed behind here and simply vanished—into the ground."

"That was exactly where he did vanish to," I said.

"How do you mean?"

An ordinary passer-by would never have noticed that the kiosk had a door, and of course it had been dark when the man disappeared. I pulled the door open and showed to Martins the little curling iron staircase that disappeared into the ground. He said, "Good God, then I didn't imagine him ..."

"It's one of the entrances to the main sewer."

"And anyone can go down?"

"Anyone."

"How far can one go?"

"Right across Vienna. People used them in air raids: some of our prisoners hid for two years down there. Deserters have used them—and burglars. If you know your way about you can emerge again almost anywhere in the city through a manhole or a kiosk like this one. The Austrians have to have special police for patrolling these sewers." I closed the door of the kiosk again. I said, "So that's how your friend Harry disappeared."

"You really believe it was Harry?"

"The evidence points that way."

"Then whom did they bury?"

"I don't know yet, but we soon shall, because we are digging him up again. I've got a shrewd idea, though, that Koch wasn't the only inconvenient man they murdered."

Martins said, "It's a bit of a shock."

"Yes."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. You can bet he's hiding out now in another zone. We have no line now on Kurtz, for Harbin's blown—he must have been blown or they wouldn't have staged that mock death and funeral."

"But it's odd, isn't it, that Koch didn't recognize the dead man's face from the window."

"The window was a long way up and I expect the face had been damaged before they took the body out of the car."

He said thoughtfully (он

сказал задумчиво), "I wish I could speak to him (хотел бы я поговорить с ним). You see (понимаете), there's so much I simply can't believe (есть так много того, чему я просто не могу поверить)."

"Perhaps you are the only one who could speak to him (возможно, вы единственный человек, кто мог бы поговорить с ним). It's risky though (это, впрочем, рискованно), because you do know too much (потому что вы действительно знаете слишком много)."

"I still can't believe (я все еще не могу поверить)... I only saw the face for a moment (я только видел это лицо один момент)." He said, "What shall I do (что я должен делать)?"

"He won't leave his zone now (он не покинет свою зону теперь). The only person who could persuade him to come over would be you (единственный человек, который мог бы убедить его перейти на другую сторону: «прийти через», были бы вы)—or her (или она), if he still believes you are his friend (если он все еще верит, что вы его друг). But first you've got to speak to him (но сперва вы должны поговорить с ним). I can't see the line (я не могу видеть нить: «линию»)."

"I could go and see Kurtz (я мог бы пойти и встретиться с Куртцем). I have the address (у меня есть адрес)."

I said, "Remember (помните). Lime may not want you to leave the Russian zone when once you are there (Лайм может не захотеть, чтобы вы покидали русскую зону, когда вы там окажетесь: «когда один раз вы есть там»), and I can't protect you there (и я не могу защитить вас там)."

"I want to clear the whole damned thing up (я хочу прояснить все это: «это целое» проклятое дело)," Martins said, "but I'm not going to act as a decoy (но я не собираюсь действовать как приманка; decoy — приманка; манок /для птиц/; западня, ловушка). I’ll talk to him (я поговорю с ним). That's all (это все = и на этом все)."

thoughtfully ['TO:tfulI], persuade [pq'sweId], protect [prq'tekt], decoy [dI'kOI]

He said thoughtfully, "I wish I could speak to him. You see, there's so much I simply can't believe."

"Perhaps you are the only one who could speak to him. It's risky though, because you do know too much."

"I still can't believe ... I only saw the face for a moment." He said, "What shall I do?"

"He won't leave his zone now. The only person who could persuade him to come over would be you —or her, if he still believes you are his friend. But first you've got to speak to him. I can't see the line."

"I could go and see Kurtz. I have the address."

I said, "Remember. Lime may not want you to leave the Russian zone when once you are there, and I can't protect you there."

"I want to clear the whole damned thing up," Martins said, "but I'm not going to act as a decoy. I’ll talk to him. That's all."

14

SUNDAY HAD laid its false peace over Vienna (воскресенье

положило свой фальшивый мир над Веной = покрыло Вену своим фальшивым миром; to lay): the wind had dropped (ветер стих) and no snow had fallen for twenty-four hours (и никакого снега не выпало за двадцать четыре часа). All the morning trams had been full (все утро трамваи были полны), going out to Grinzing where the young wine was drunk (идущие наружу /за город/ = выезжающие в Гринцинг, где было выпиваемо = где пили молодое вино) and to the slopes of snow on the hills outside (и к склонам снега на холмах снаружи = на загородных холмах). Walking over the canal by the makeshift military bridge (идя через канал по временному военному мосту; makeshift — замена; паллиатив; временное или самодельное приспособление; кустарный; самодельный; импровизированный; временный), Martins was aware of the emptiness of the afternoon (Мартинс сознавал: «был сознающим» пустоту этого вечера): the young were out with their toboggans and their skis (молодые были за городом: «снаружи» с их санками и их лыжами), and all around him was the after-dinner sleep of age (а все вокруг него было послеобеденным сном /преклонного/ возраста). A notice-board told him (доска объявлений сказала ему) that he was entering the Russian zone (что он входил в русскую зону), but there were no signs of occupation (но не было никаких знаков = признаков оккупации). You saw more Russian soldiers in the Inner City than here (вы видели = можно было видеть больше русских солдат во Внутреннем Городе, чем здесь).

Deliberately he had given Mr. Kurtz no warning of his visit (он нарочно не дал господину Куртцу никакого предупреждения о своем визите). Better to find him out than a reception prepared for him (лучше не застать его дома, чем /встретить/ прием, приготовленный /специально/ для него). He was careful to carry with him all his papers (он был осторожен носить с собой все свои документы = предусмотрительно захватил…), including the laissez-passer of the four powers (включая пропуск от четырех властей; laissez-passer — пропустить: «дать пройти» /франц./) that on the face of it allowed him to move freely through all the zones of Vienna (который позволял ему передвигаться свободно через все зоны Вены). It was extraordinarily quiet over here on the other side of the canal (было необычайно тихо здесь, на другой стороне канала), and a melodramatic journalist had painted a picture of silent terror (и мелодраматичный журналист написал бы картину тихого ужаса): but the truth was simply the wide streets (но правда была просто = заключалась просто в широких улицах), the greater shell damage (б'oльших артиллерийских повреждениях), the fewer people (меньшем количестве людей)—and Sunday afternoon (и воскресном дне). There was nothing to fear (было нечего бояться), but all the same (но все равно) in this huge empty street (на этой огромной пустой улице) where all the time you heard your own feet moving (где все время ты слышал твои собственные ноги двигающимися = шум собственных шагов), it was difficult not to look behind (было трудно не оборачиваться назад; difficult — трудный, сложный; тяжелый).

He had no difficulty in finding Mr. Kurtz's block (ему было вовсе не сложно: «он не имел никакой сложности в» найти дом господина Куртца), and when he rang the bell (и когда он позвонил в колокольчик) the door was opened quickly (дверь была открыта быстро = дверь тут же была открыта), as though Mr. Kurtz expected a visitor (как будто господин Куртц ожидал посетителя), by Mr. Kurtz himself (самим господином Куртцем).

"Oh," Mr. Kurtz said, "it's you, Rollo (это вы, Ролло)," and made a perplexed motion with his hand to the back of his head (и сделал смущенное движение своей рукой к затылку: «к задней стороне своей головы»; to perplex — ставить в тупик, приводить в недоумение; смущать; ошеломлять, сбивать с толку). Martins had been wondering why he looked so different (Мартинс удивлялся/задавался вопросом, почему он выглядел настолько иначе), and now he knew (и теперь он понял: «знал»). Mr. Kurtz was not wearing the toupee (господин Куртц не носил /сейчас/ паричок = на господине Курце не было паричка), and yet his head was not bald (и все же его голова не была лысой). He had a perfectly normal head (у него была совершенно нормальная голова) of hair cut close (с волосами, подстриженными коротко: «близко»). He said, "It would have been better to have telephoned to me (было бы лучше позвонить мне): you nearly missed me (вы чуть было не упустили меня): I was going out (я /как раз/ выходил = собирался уходить)." "May I come in a moment (могу я зайти на минутку)?"