Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Собака Баскервилей
Шрифт:
intense [n'tens], intervene [nt:'vi:n], ancestral [aen'sestrl]
"We now come to that portion of his life which has proved to be of such intense interest to us. The fellow had evidently made inquiry, and found that only two lives intervened between him and a valuable estate. When he went to Devonshire his plans were, I believe, exceedingly hazy, but that he meant mischief from the first is evident from the way in which he took his wife with him in the character of his sister. The idea of using her as a decoy was clearly already in his mind, though he may not have been certain how the details of his plot were to be arranged. He meant in the end to have the estate, and he was ready to use any tool or run any risk for that end. His first act was to establish himself as near to his ancestral home as he could, and his second was to cultivate a friendship with Sir Charles Baskerville and with the neighbours.
"The Baronet himself told him about the family hound (баронет сам рассказал ему о «фамильной» собаке), and so prepared the way for his own death (и
continue [kn'tnju:], call ['k:l], guilt [lt]
"The Baronet himself told him about the family hound, and so prepared the way for his own death. Stapleton, as I will continue to call him, knew that the old man's heart was weak and that a shock would kill him. So much he had learned from Dr. Mortimer. He had heard also that Sir Charles was superstitious and had taken this grim legend very seriously. His ingenious mind instantly suggested a way by which the Baronet could be done to death, and yet it would be hardly possible to bring home the guilt to the real murderer.
"Having conceived the idea (задумав эту мысль; to conceive — забеременеть, зачать; вбить себе в голову; полагать, размышлять; постигать; представлять себе) he proceeded to carry it out with considerable finesse (он приступил к ее осуществлению со значительной /долей/ хитрости; to proceed to — приступать; браться за; to carry out — выполнять). An ordinary schemer would have been content to work with a savage hound (обычный преступник: «интриган» довольствовался бы работой со злой собакой; content — удовлетворенный). The use of artificial means (использование искусственных средств) to make the creature diabolical (чтобы сделать животное дьявольским) was a flash of genius upon his part (было вспышкой гениальности = гениальной идеей с его стороны). The dog he bought in London (собаку он купил в Лондоне) from Ross and Mangles, the dealers in Fulham Road (у Росса и Мэнглеса, торговцев на Фулхэм-роуд). It was the strongest and most savage in their possession (она была самая сильная и наиболее свирепая в их владении = из тех, что у них были). He brought it down by the North Devon line (он привез ее по Северной девонширской ветке) and walked a great distance over the moor (и прошел пешком большое расстояние по болотам) so as to get it home without exciting any remarks (так, чтобы провести ее домой, не возбуждая лишнего интереса; remark — замечание; наблюдение). He had already on his insect hunts learned (он уже узнал во время своей охоты за насекомыми) to penetrate the Grimpen Mire (как проникнуть /в сердце/ Гримпенской трясины), and so had found a safe hiding-place for the creature (и таким образом нашел безопасное потаенное место для животного). Here he kennelled it and waited his chance (здесь он держал ее в конуре и дожидался удобного случая; chance — случайность; удачное стечение обстоятельств; kennel — собачья конура).
finesse [f'nes], schemer ['ski:m], excite [k'sat]
"Having conceived the idea he proceeded to carry it out with considerable finesse. An ordinary schemer would have been content to work with a savage hound. The use of artificial means to make the creature diabolical was a flash of genius upon his part. The dog he bought in London from Ross and Mangles, the dealers in Fulham Road. It was the strongest and most savage in their possession. He brought it down by the North Devon line and walked a great distance over the moor so as to get it home without exciting any remarks. He had already on his insect hunts learned to penetrate the Grimpen Mire, and so had found a safe hiding-place for the creature. Here he kennelled it and waited his chance.
"But it was some time coming (но ему пришлось ждать, когда наступит подходящее время; to come — приходить). The old gentleman could not be decoyed outside of his grounds at night (/он/ не мог выманить пожилого джентльмена из своих владений ночью; grounds — угодья). Several times Stapleton lurked about with his hound (несколько раз Стэплтон прятался /неподалеку/ со своей собакой; to lurk — скрываться, прятаться), but without avail (но безрезультатно; avail — выгода, польза). It was during these fruitless quests (во
avail ['vel], quest [kwest], sentimental [sent'mentl]
"But it was some time coming. The old gentleman could not be decoyed outside of his grounds at night. Several times Stapleton lurked about with his hound, but without avail. It was during these fruitless quests that he, or rather his ally, was seen by peasants, and that the legend of the demon dog received a new confirmation. He had hoped that his wife might lure Sir Charles to his ruin, but here she proved unexpectedly independent. She would not endeavour to entangle the old gentleman in a sentimental attachment which might deliver him over to his enemy. Threats and even, I am sorry to say, blows refused to move her. She would have nothing to do with it, and for a time Stapleton was at a deadlock.
"He found a way out of his difficulties through the chance (он нашел выход из своих трудностей благодаря случаю) that Sir Charles, who had conceived a friendship for him (когда сэр Чарльз, который испытывал к нему дружеские /чувства/), made him the minister of his charity (сделал его своим поверенным: «исполнителем своей благотворительности») in the case of this unfortunate woman, Mrs. Laura Lyons (в деле этой несчастной женщины, миссис Лоры Лайонс). By representing himself as a single man (представившись холостяком) he acquired complete influence over her (он приобрел полное влияние над ней), and he gave her to understand (и дал ей понять) that in the event of her obtaining a divorce from her husband (что в случае получения ею развода у ее мужа) he would marry her (он на ней женится). His plans were suddenly brought to a head by his knowledge (его планы сразу же окончательно созрели, когда он узнал; to bring to a head — доводить что-либо до конца, заканчивать что-либо) that Sir Charles was about to leave the Hall (что сэр Чарльз собирается покинуть Баскервиль-холл) on the advice of Dr. Mortimer (по совету доктора Мортимера), with whose opinion he himself pretended to coincide (с чьим мнением он сам притворно соглашался; to coincide — совпадать; соглашаться). He must act at once (он должен был действовать немедленно), or his victim might get beyond his power (иначе его жертва могла выйти за пределы его влияния).
friendship ['frendp], minister ['mnst], charity ['taert]
"He found a way out of his difficulties through the chance that Sir Charles, who had conceived a friendship for him, made him the minister of his charity in the case of this unfortunate woman, Mrs. Laura Lyons. By representing himself as a single man he acquired complete influence over her, and he gave her to understand that in the event of her obtaining a divorce from her husband he would marry her. His plans were suddenly brought to a head by his knowledge that Sir Charles was about to leave the Hall on the advice of Dr. Mortimer, with whose opinion he himself pretended to coincide. He must act at once, or his victim might get beyond his power.
"He therefore put pressure upon Mrs. Lyons to write this letter (поэтому он заставил миссис Лору Лайонс написать это письмо; to put pressure upon smb. — оказывать нажим/давление на кого-либо), imploring the old man to give her an interview on the evening (умоляя старика встретиться с ней вечером) before his departure for London (перед его отъездом в Лондон). He then, by a specious argument (затем он под благовидным предлогом: «правдоподобным доводом»), prevented her from going (отговорил ее идти; to prevent — предотвращать), and so had the chance for which he had waited (и таким образом получил возможность, которой он дожидался).