Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Второй сборник рассказов (ASCII-IPA)
Шрифт:
“But for two of them, and one a woman (но для двух /человек/, /особенно если/ один из них женщина), it must have been heavy work the raising of that stone (поднять камень, должно быть, явилось нелегкой работой). A burly Sussex policeman and I had found it no light job (мне и дюжему суссекскому полисмену это не показалось легкой работой). What would they do to assist them (что же они сделали, чтобы помочь себе)? Probably what I should have done myself (вероятно, /то же/, что сделал бы я сам). I rose and examined carefully the different billets of wood (я встал и внимательно осмотрел поленья; to rise; different — различный) which were scattered round the floor (валявшиеся на полу). Almost at once I came upon what I expected (почти сразу же я нашел то, что ожидал /найти/). One piece, about three feet in length (одно
accomplice [@'kOmplIs], burly ['b@:lI], several ['sev(@)r@l], weight [weIt]
“He would try by a few attentions to make his peace with the girl Howells, and then would engage her as his accomplice. Together they would come at night to the cellar, and their united force would suffice to raise the stone. So far I could follow their actions as if I had actually seen them.
“But for two of them, and one a woman, it must have been heavy work the raising of that stone. A burly Sussex policeman and I had found it no light job. What would they do to assist them? Probably what I should have done myself. I rose and examined carefully the different billets of wood which were scattered round the floor. Almost at once I came upon what I expected. One piece, about three feet in length, had a very marked indentation at one end, while several were flattened at the sides as if they had been compressed by some considerable weight.
“Evidently, as they had dragged the stone up (по-видимому, приподняв плиту) they had thrust the chunks of wood into the chink (они просовывали эти поленья в щель; chunk — колода, чурбан), until at last, when the opening was large enough to crawl through (пока наконец отверстие не стало достаточно большим, чтобы протиснуться: «проползти» через него), they would hold it open by a billet placed lengthwise (они держали его открытым = подперли плиту поленом, поставленным вертикально; lengthwise — продольный, направленный в длину), which might very well become indented at the lower end (которое вполне могло получить вмятину на нижнем конце; indented — вдавленный, вогнутый), since the whole weight of the stone (так как весь вес плиты) would press it down on to the edge of this other slab (прижимал его к краю другой плиты; slab — плита; лист, пластина). So far I was still on safe ground (пока у меня по-прежнему были обоснованные предположения: «я был на надежной почве»).
“And now how was I to proceed to reconstruct this midnight drama (как же я должен был теперь восстанавливать /картину/ той полуночной драмы; to proceed — продолжать движение; действовать, поступать)? Clearly, only one could fit into the hole, and that one was Brunton (ясно, что только один /из них/ мог пролезть в отверстие, и это был Брантон; to fit — подходить, быть впору; умещаться). The girl must have waited above (девушка, должно быть, ждала наверху). Brunton then unlocked the box (затем Брантон отпер сундук), handed up the contents presumably (и, вероятно, передал наверх его содержимое) — since they were not to be found (поскольку его /содержимое/ не нашли) — and then — and then what happened (а потом… что же произошло потом)?
crawl [krO:l], reconstruct [,ri:k@n'strVkt], presumably [prI'zju:m@blI]
Evidently, as they had dragged the stone up they had thrust the chunks of wood into the chink, until at last, when the opening was large enough to crawl through, they would hold it open by a billet placed lengthwise, which might very well become indented at the lower end, since the whole weight of the stone would press it down on to the edge of this other slab. So far I was still on safe ground.
“And now how was I to proceed to reconstruct this midnight drama? Clearly, only one could fit into the hole, and that one was Brunton. The girl must have waited above. Brunton then unlocked the box, handed up the contents presumably — since they were not to be found — and then — and then what happened?
“What smouldering fire of vengeance (какой тлеющий огонь мести) had suddenly sprung into flame (внезапно вспыхнул; flame — пламя) in this passionate Celtic woman’s soul (в пылкой душе этой кельтской женщины) when she saw the man who had wronged her (когда она увидела, что мужчина, который обидел ее; to wrong — причинять зло, обижать; поступать несправедливо, подло; wrong — вред, зло; обида) — wronged her, perhaps, far more than we suspected (обидел, возможно, намного сильнее, чем мы подозревали) — in her power (находится в ее власти)? Was it a chance that the wood had slipped (случайно ли полено соскользнуло), and that the stone had shut Brunton into what had become his sepulcher (и плита замуровала Брантона в /комнатке/, которая стала его могилой; sepulcher — склеп, могила, гробница)? Had she only been guilty of silence as to his fate (виновна ли она только в молчании относительно его судьбы = только в том, что умолчала о его судьбе)? Or had some sudden blow from her hand dashed the support away (или внезапный удар ее руки выбил подпорку) and sent the slab crashing down into its place (и плита упала с грохотом на свое /прежнее/ место: «и послал плиту грохнуться…»)? Be that as it might (как бы то ни было: «пусть будет так, как это могло бы»), I seemed to see that woman’s figure still clutching at her treasure trove (я словно видел, как эта женщина прижимает к себе сокровище; treasure trove — найденный клад /не имеющий владельца/; trove — находка) and flying wildly up the winding stair (и летит = стремительно бежит вверх по винтовой лестнице), with her ears ringing perhaps with the muffled screams from behind her (а в ее ушах звучат приглушенные крики, /раздающиеся/ ей вслед; from behind — из-за, позади) and with the drumming of frenzied hands against the slab of stone (отчаянный стук рук по каменной плите; drum — барабан; to drum — барабанить, стучать, колотить; frenzied — бешеный, яростный; лихорадочный) which was choking her faithless lover’s life out (под которой задыхался ее неверный возлюбленный; to choke — душить; задыхаться; заглушать; faithless — вероломный, неверный).
vengeance ['vendZ(@)ns], sepulchre ['sep(@)lk@], guilty ['gIltI], treasure ['treZ@]
“What smouldering fire of vengeance had suddenly sprung into flame in this passionate Celtic woman’s soul when she saw the man who had wronged her — wronged her, perhaps, far more than we suspected — in her power? Was it a chance that the wood had slipped, and that the stone had shut Brunton into what had become his sepulchre? Had she only been guilty of silence as to his fate? Or had some sudden blow from her hand dashed the support away and sent the slab crashing down into its place? Be that as it might, I seemed to see that woman’s figure still clutching at her treasure trove and flying wildly up the winding stair, with her ears ringing perhaps with the muffled screams from behind her and with the drumming of frenzied hands against the slab of stone which was choking her faithless lover’s life out.
“Here was the secret of her blanched face (вот в чем была загадка ее бледного лица), her shaken nerves (расшатанных нервов), her peals of hysterical laughter on the next morning (приступов истерического смеха на следующее утро; peal — звон; раскат /грома/; взрыв /смеха/). But what had been in the box (но что же было в сундуке)? What had she done with that (что она с этим сделала)? Of course, it must have been the old metal and pebbles (несомненно, это были те /обломки/ старого металла и галька) which my client had dragged from the mere (которые мой клиент вытащил из пруда). She had thrown them in there at the first opportunity (горничная бросила их туда при первой возможности) to remove the last trace of her crime (чтобы скрыть последний след = все следы своего преступления).
“For twenty minutes I had sat motionless (двадцать минут я сидел неподвижно), thinking the matter out (раздумывая над этим делом). Musgrave still stood with a very pale face (Месгрейв все еще стоял с очень бледным лицом), swinging his lantern and peering down into the hole (раскачивая фонарь и заглядывая в яму).
“‘These are coins of Charles the First (это монеты /эпохи/ Карла Первого; Карл Первый Стюарт /1600-1649/ — английский король; казнен во время Английской буржуазной революции),’ said he, holding out the few which had been in the box (сказал он, протягивая несколько /кружков/, находившихся в сундуке); ‘you see we were right in fixing our date for the Ritual (видите, мы правильно определили время /записи/ «Обряда»).’
laughter ['lA:ft@], opportunity [,Op@'tju:nItI], lantern ['l&nt@n]
“Here was the secret of her blanched face, her shaken nerves, her peals of hysterical laughter on the next morning. But what had been in the box? What had she done with that? Of course, it must have been the old metal and pebbles which my client had dragged from the mere. She had thrown them in there at the first opportunity to remove the last trace of her crime.
“For twenty minutes I had sat motionless, thinking the matter out. Musgrave still stood with a very pale face, swinging his lantern and peering down into the hole.