Английский язык с Конан Дойлем. Этюд в багровых тонах

Дойл Артур Конан

wound [wu:nd], exhibit ['zbt], hatred ['hetrd]

"On entering the house this last inference was confirmed. My well-booted man lay before me. The tall one, then, had done the murder, if murder there was. There was no wound upon the dead man's person, but the agitated expression upon his face assured me that he had foreseen his fate before it came upon him. Men who die from heart disease, or any sudden natural cause, never by any chance exhibit agitation upon their features. Having sniffed the dead man's lips I detected a slightly sour smell, and I came to the conclusion that he had had poison forced upon him. Again, I argued that it had been forced upon him from the hatred and fear expressed upon his face. By the method of exclusion, I had arrived at this result, for no other hypothesis would meet the facts. Do not imagine that it was a very unheard of idea. The forcible administration of poison is by no means a new thing in criminal annals. The cases of Dolsky in Odessa, and of Leturier in Montpellier, will occur at once to any toxicologist.

"And now came the great question as to the reason why (а теперь вставал главный вопрос: почему: «а теперь приходил великий вопрос относительно причины — почему»). Robbery had not been the object of the murder (ограбление не было целью убийства), for nothing was taken (так

как ничего не было взято). Was it politics, then, or was it a woman (тогда по политическим мотивам или из-за женщины: «тогда была это политика или это была женщина»)? That was the question which confronted me (вот вопрос, который встал передо мной; to confront — противостоять, смотреть в лицо /опасности и т. п./; сталкиваться лицом к лицу). I was inclined from the first to the latter supposition (я с самого начала склонялся к последнему предположению; to suppose — предполагать). Political assassins are only too glad to do their work and to fly (убийцы по политическим мотивам делают свое дело и рады улизнуть поскорее; to fly — улепетывать, удирать). This murder had, on the contrary, been done most deliberately (это же убийство, напротив, было совершено не спеша; deliberately — медленно, не торопясь), and the perpetrator had left his tracks all over the room (и убийца оставил свои следы по всей комнате), showing that he had been there all the time (что показывало, что он был там до самого конца: «все время»). It must have been a private wrong (должно быть, обида была личного порядка; private — частный, личный, персональный; wrong — зло, несправедливость), and not a political one (а не политического), which called for such a methodical revenge (что и вызвало такую обдуманную месть; to call for — требовать; methodical — систематический; методический). When the inscription was discovered upon the wall (когда была обнаружена надпись на стене) I was more inclined than ever to my opinion (я еще больше: «больше чем когда-либо» укрепился в своем мнении). The thing was too evidently a blind (это слишком очевидно была уловка для отвода глаз; blind — уловка; to blind — ослеплять; пускать пыль в глаза). When the ring was found, however, it settled the question (однако, когда было обнаружено кольцо, вопрос полностью решился; to settle — урегулировать, разрешить). Clearly the murderer had used it to remind his victim of some dead or absent woman (очевидно, убийца использовал его, чтобы напомнить жертве о какой-то мертвой или находящейся далеко: «отсутствующей» женщине). It was at this point that I asked Gregson (в этот момент я и спросил Грегсона) whether he had enquired in his telegram to Cleveland as to any particular point in Mr. Drebber's former career (не поинтересовался ли он в своей телеграмме в Кливленд о каких-либо особых обстоятельствах в жизни: «прежней карьере» Дреббера). He answered, you remember, in the negative (он ответил, как вы помните, отрицательно).

revenge [r'ven], blind [bland], career [k'r]

"And now came the great question as to the reason why. Robbery had not been the object of the murder, for nothing was taken. Was it politics, then, or was it a woman? That was the question which confronted me. I was inclined from the first to the latter supposition. Political assassins are only too glad to do their work and to fly. This murder had, on the contrary, been done most deliberately, and the perpetrator had left his tracks all over the room, showing that he had been there all the time. It must have been a private wrong, and not a political one, which called for such a methodical revenge. When the inscription was discovered upon the wall I was more inclined than ever to my opinion. The thing was too evidently a blind. When the ring was found, however, it settled the question. Clearly the murderer had used it to remind his victim of some dead or absent woman. It was at this point that I asked Gregson whether he had enquired in his telegram to Cleveland as to any particular point in Mr. Drebber's former career. He answered, you remember, in the negative.

"I then proceeded to make a careful examination of the room (я тогда приступил к тщательному осмотру комнаты), which confirmed me in my opinion as to the murderer's height (что подтвердило мое мнение о росте убийцы), and furnished me with the additional details as to the Trichinopoly cigar (и снабдило меня дополнительными деталями — трихинопольской сигарой) and the length of his nails (и длиной его ногтей). I had already come to the conclusion (я уже пришел к заключению), since there were no signs of a struggle (так как там не было следов борьбы), that the blood which covered the floor had burst from the murderer's nose in his excitement (что кровь, которой был закапан пол, пошла у убийцы носом из-за его сильного волнения; to burst — лопаться; прорываться). I could perceive that the track of blood coincided with the track of his feet (я смог заметить, что следы крови совпадали с отпечатками его обуви: «ног»). It is seldom that any man, unless he is very full-blooded (для любого редкость: «редко, что любой человек», если только он не страдает полнокровием), breaks out in this way through emotion (чтобы у него так хлынула кровь из-за эмоций; to break out — начинаться внезапно или бурно), so I hazarded the opinion (поэтому я рискнул предположить; opinion — мнение) that the criminal was probably a robust and ruddy-faced man (что убийца, вероятно, был крепкого сложения и краснолицый). Events proved that I had judged correctly (события доказали, что я рассудил правильно).

"Having left the house, I proceeded to do what Gregson had neglected (выйдя из дома, я приступил к тому, что упустил сделать Грегсон). I telegraphed to the head of the police at Cleveland (я телеграфировал главе полиции Кливленда), limiting my enquiry to the circumstances connected with the marriage of Enoch Drebber (ограничивая свой запрос обстоятельствами, связанными с браком Инока Дреббера). The answer was conclusive (ответ был исчерпывающим). It told me that Drebber had already applied for the protection of the law (в нем говорилось, что Дреббер уже прибегал к защите полиции: «закона») against an old rival in love, named Jefferson Hope (от старого соперника в любви по имени Джефферсон Хоуп), and that this same Hope was at present in Europe (и что этот самый Хоуп в настоящее время находился

в Европе). I knew now that I held the clue to the mystery in my hand (я теперь знал, что ключ к разгадке был у меня в руках), and all that remained was to secure the murderer (и все, что мне оставалось сделать — поймать убийцу; to secure — охранять; защищать; оберегать; гарантировать, обеспечивать; заключать в тюрьму, брать под стражу).

hazard ['haezd], robust [ru'bst], conclusive [kn'klu:sv], secure [s'kju]

"I then proceeded to make a careful examination of the room, which confirmed me in my opinion as to the murderer's height, and furnished me with the additional details as to the Trichinopoly cigar and the length of his nails. I had already come to the conclusion, since there were no signs of a struggle, that the blood which covered the floor had burst from the murderer's nose in his excitement. I could perceive that the track of blood coincided with the track of his feet. It is seldom that any man, unless he is very full-blooded, breaks out in this way through emotion, so I hazarded the opinion that the criminal was probably a robust and ruddy-faced man. Events proved that I had judged correctly.

"Having left the house, I proceeded to do what Gregson had neglected. I telegraphed to the head of the police at Cleveland, limiting my enquiry to the circumstances connected with the marriage of Enoch Drebber. The answer was conclusive. It told me that Drebber had already applied for the protection of the law against an old rival in love, named Jefferson Hope, and that this same Hope was at present in Europe. I knew now that I held the clue to the mystery in my hand, and all that remained was to secure the murderer.

"I had already determined in my own mind that the man who had walked into the house with Drebber (я уже пришел к выводу: «решил в моем собственном уме», что человек, который вошел в дом с Дреббером), was none other than the man who had driven the cab (был не кто иной, как тот, что правил кебом). The marks in the road showed me that the horse had wandered on in a way (следы на дороге показали мне, что лошадь бродила по мостовой таким образом) which would have been impossible had there been anyone in charge of it (что за ней явно никто не присматривал: «который был бы невозможен, если бы кто-нибудь за ней присматривал бы»; to be in charge — руководить, отвечать, нести ответственность). Where, then, could the driver be (где же тогда быть кучеру), unless he were inside the house (если только он не вошел в дом)? Again, it is absurd to suppose that any sane man (опять же, было бы абсурдно предположить, что любой человек в здравом уме) would carry out a deliberate crime (совершил бы обдуманное убийство) under the very eyes, as it were, of a third person (практически на виду: «под самыми глазами» третьего человека), who was sure to betray him (который наверняка бы его выдал). Lastly, supposing one man wished to dog another through London (и наконец, если предположить, что один человек хотел проследить за другим по Лондону), what better means could he adopt than to turn cabdriver (к какому более удобному способу: «лучшему средству» он мог бы прибегнуть, если только не превратиться в кебмена; to adopt — принимать). All these considerations led me to the irresistible conclusion (все эти соображения привели меня к неопровержимому выводу; irresistible — неотразимый; неопровержимый; to resist — сопротивляться, противостоять) that Jefferson Hope was to be found among the jarveys of the Metropolis (что Джефферсона Хоупа следует искать среди кебменов столицы; jarvey = jarvie — /брит., уст./ наемный кучер).

"If he had been one there was no reason to believe that he had ceased to be (если он таковым был, не было оснований считать, что он перестал им быть). On the contrary, from his point of view (наоборот, с его точки зрения), any sudden change would be likely to draw attention to himself (любая внезапная перемена могла привлечь к нему внимание). He would, probably, for a time at least, continue to perform his duties (он бы, вероятно, по крайней мере, временно, продолжал исполнять свои обязанности). There was no reason to suppose that he was going under an assumed name (не было оснований предполагать, что он скрывался под вымышленным именем; to assume — брать на себя). Why should he change his name in a country where no one knew his original one (к чему ему изменять имя в стране, где никто не знает его настоящего имени)? I therefore organized my Street Arab detective corps (поэтому я прибег к помощи своего детективного отряда беспризорников), and sent them systematically to every cab proprietor in London (и послал их систематически обходить всех владельцев кебов в Лондоне) until they ferreted out the man that I wanted (пока они не разыскали того человека, что был мне нужен; ferret — хорек /которого держат для отлова кроликов из нор, уничтожения крыс и т. п./; to ferret — выгонять из норы; разнюхивать; рыться, шарить, выискивать). How well they succeeded (насколько хорошо им это удалось), and how quickly I took advantage of it (и как быстро я этим воспользовался), are still fresh in your recollection (еще свежо в вашей памяти). The murder of Stangerson was an incident which was entirely unexpected (убийство Стенджерсона было совершенно неожиданным происшествием), but which could hardly in any case have been prevented (которое в любом случае трудно было бы предотвратить). Through it, as you know, I came into possession of the pills (в результате, как вы знаете, мне в руки попали пилюли; to come into possession — вступать во владение; получать), the existence of which I had already surmised (о существовании которых я уже догадывался). You see the whole thing is a chain of logical sequences without a break or flaw (как вы видите, это все — логическая цепочка без недостающих звеньев: «цепочка логических последствий без разрывов» или изъянов)."

driven ['drvn], absurd [b's:d], cease [si:s], corps [k:], surmise [s'maz]

"I had already determined in my own mind that the man who had walked into the house with Drebber, was none other than the man who had driven the cab. The marks in the road showed me that the horse had wandered on in a way which would have been impossible had there been anyone in charge of it. Where, then, could the driver be, unless he were inside the house? Again, it is absurd to suppose that any sane man would carry out a deliberate crime under the very eyes, as it were, of a third person, who was sure to betray him. Lastly, supposing one man wished to dog another through London, what better means could he adopt than to turn cabdriver. All these considerations led me to the irresistible conclusion that Jefferson Hope was to be found among the jarveys of the Metropolis.