Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Знак четырех
Шрифт:
expound [k'spaund], hinge [hn]
"Surely," said he, with something of the air of a clinical professor expounding to his class. "Just sit in the corner there, that your footprints may not complicate matters. Now to work! In the first place, how did these folk come, and how did they go? The door has not been opened since last night. How of the window?" He carried the lamp across to it, muttering his observations aloud the while, but addressing them to himself rather than to me. "Window is snibbed on the inner side. Framework is solid. No hinges at the side. Let us open it. No water-pipe near. Roof quite out of reach. Yet a man has mounted by the window. It rained a little last night. Here is the print of a foot in mould upon the sill. And here is a circular muddy mark, and here again upon the floor, and here again by the table. See here, Watson! This is really a very pretty demonstration."
I looked at the round, well-defined muddy discs (я
"It is something much more valuable to us (это нечто гораздо более ценное для нас). It is the impression of a wooden stump (это отпечаток деревянного протеза; impression — впечатление; отпечаток; stump — обрубок; культя; деревянный протез). You see here on the sill is the boot-mark (видите здесь, на подоконнике, отпечаток ботинка), a heavy boot with a broad metal heel (тяжелый башмак с широкой металлической подковой; heel — пятка; каблук), and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe (а рядом отметина этой деревяшки; toe — палец ноги; нижний конец, нижняя часть)."
"It is the wooden-legged man (это человек на деревянной ноге)."
"Quite so (совершенно верно). But there has been some one else (но здесь был кто-то еще), — a very able and efficient ally (очень ловкий и умелый сообщник; ally — друг, союзник, сторонник; пособник). Could you scale that wall, doctor (могли бы вы взобраться по этой стене, доктор; to scale — определять масштаб; подниматься, взбираться)?"
efficient ['fnt], ally ['aela]
I looked at the round, well-defined muddy discs. "This is not a footmark," said I.
"It is something much more valuable to us. It is the impression of a wooden stump. You see here on the sill is the boot-mark, a heavy boot with a broad metal heel, and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe."
"It is the wooden-legged man."
"Quite so. But there has been some one else, — a very able and efficient ally. Could you scale that wall, doctor?"
I looked out of the open window (я выглянул из открытого окна). The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house (луна все еще ярко освещала эту сторону дома; to shine — сиять, светить; angle — угол; сторона). We were a good sixty feet from the ground (мы находились на высоте добрых шестидесяти футов над землей), and, look where I would, I could see no foothold (и куда бы я ни смотрел, я не замечал ни опоры для ноги), nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work (ни хотя бы щели в кирпичной кладке; crevice — трещина, расщелина, щель).
"It is absolutely impossible," I answered (это абсолютно невозможно, — сказал я).
"Without aid it is so (без помощи — да). But suppose you had a friend up here (но, предположим, у вас есть друг здесь наверху) who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner (который спустил вам эту добрую прочную веревку, которую я вижу в углу), securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall (закрепив один конец ее на этом большом крюке в стене; to secure — охранять; обеспечивать; закреплять). Then, I think, if you were an active man (тогда, я думаю, если вы тренированный человек; active — активный; живой; деятельный), you might swarm up, wooden leg and all (вы могли бы забраться наверх, даже с деревянной ногой; to swarm — лезть, карабкаться). You would depart, of course, in the same fashion (уйдете вы, конечно, таким же образом; to depart — отправляться; уходить), and your ally would draw up the rope (а ваш сообщник затянет обратно веревку; to draw рисовать; чертить; тащить; тянуть), untie it from the hook (отвяжет ее от крюка; to tie — завязывать), shut the window (закроет окно), snib it on the inside (запрет его изнутри), and get away in the way that he originally came (и уйдет так, как он первоначально и пришел). As a minor point it may be noted," he continued, fingering the rope (как несущественную деталь можно добавить, — продолжал он, перебирая веревку; minor — незначительный, несущественный; point — точка; пункт, момент; to note —
shone [n], lower ['lu], stout [staut], climber ['klam]
I looked out of the open window. The moon still shone brightly on that angle of the house. We were a good sixty feet from the ground, and, look where I would, I could see no foothold, nor as much as a crevice in the brick-work.
"It is absolutely impossible," I answered.
"Without aid it is so. But suppose you had a friend up here who lowered you this good stout rope which I see in the corner, securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall. Then, I think, if you were an active man, you might swarm up, wooden leg and all. You would depart, of course, in the same fashion, and your ally would draw up the rope, untie it from the hook, shut the window, snib it on the inside, and get away in the way that he originally came. As a minor point it may be noted," he continued, fingering the rope, "that our wooden-legged friend, though a fair climber, was not a professional sailor. His hands were far from horny. My lens discloses more than one blood-mark, especially towards the end of the rope, from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hand."
"This is all very well," said I, "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever (все это очень хорошо, — сказал я, — но все становится еще более непонятным, чем раньше; intelligible — вразумительный, понятный). How about this mysterious ally (что это за таинственный сообщник)? How came he into the room (как он попал в комнату)?"
"Yes, the ally!" repeated Holmes, pensively (да, сообщник! — повторил Холмс задумчиво; pensive — размышляющий, задумчивый). "There are features of interest about this ally (у него есть интересные черты: «есть черты интереса у этого сообщника»). He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace (его участие делает случай уникальным: «он поднимает дело из сферы обыденного»; to lift — поднимать; возвышать; region — пространство, территория; зона; сфера, область; commonplace — общее место, банальность; обычное явление, типичный случай). I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country (я полагаю, что этот сообщник откроет новую страницу в истории преступности в этой стране; to fancy — очень хотеть; думать, считать; to break fresh ground — найти новый путь; сказать новое слово; annals — анналы, летописи), — though parallel cases suggest themselves from India (хотя напрашиваются: «предлагают себя» аналогичные случаи в Индии), and, if my memory serves me, from Senegambia (и, если мне не изменяет память, в Сенегамбии)."
"How came he, then?" I reiterated (но все же как он сюда попал? — повторил я; to reiterate — повторять; делать снова и снова). "The door is locked, the window is inaccessible (дверь заперта, окно недоступно; access — доступ). Was it through the chimney (через дымоход)?"
"The grate is much too small," he answered (камин слишком узкий, — ответил он; grate — решетка; камин). "I had already considered that possibility (об этом я уже подумал: «я уже рассмотрел эту возможность»)."
unintelligible [nn'telbl], reiterate [r'tret], chimney ['mn]
"This is all very well," said I, "but the thing becomes more unintelligible than ever. How about this mysterious ally? How came he into the room?"
"Yes, the ally!" repeated Holmes, pensively. "There are features of interest about this ally. He lifts the case from the regions of the commonplace. I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground in the annals of crime in this country, — though parallel cases suggest themselves from India, and, if my memory serves me, from Senegambia."