Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Знак четырех
Шрифт:
diaphanous [da'aefns], metallic [m'taelk], luxuriant [l'zjurnt, l'urnt], melancholy ['melnkl]
She was seated by the open window, dressed in some sort of white diaphanous material, with a little touch of scarlet at the neck and waist. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair, playing over her sweet, grave face, and tinting with a dull, metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair. One white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair, and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet, however, and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure coloured her pale cheeks.
"I heard a cab drive up," she said. "I thought that Mrs. Forrester had come back very early, but I never dreamed that it might be you. What news have you brought me?"
"I have brought something better than news," said I, putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously, though my heart was heavy within me. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world. I have brought you a fortune."
She glanced at the iron box (она
"Yes, this is the great Agra treasure (да, это баснословные: «великие» сокровища Агры). Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's (половина их ваши, а половина — Тадеуша Шолто). You will have a couple of hundred thousand each (у каждого из вас будет по паре сотен тысяч). Think of that (только представьте)! An annuity of ten thousand pounds (ежегодный доход в десять тысяч фунтов). There will be few richer young ladies in England (в Англии немного найдется молодых леди богаче вас). Is it not glorious (разве не великолепно; glorious — знаменитый, прославленный, выдающийся; славный; восхитительный, великолепный, замечательный; glory — слава)?"
I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight (наверное, я несколько переиграл, изображая свой восторг: «я думаю, что я наверняка несколько переиграл свой восторг»), and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations (и она заметила неискренний тон моих поздравлений; to detect — замечать, открывать, обнаруживать; hollow — пустой, полый; неискренний; ring — дребезжание, звон; отзвук, отголосок), for I saw her eyebrows rise a little (так как я увидел, что ее брови немного приподнялись), and she glanced at me curiously (и она с удивлением посмотрела на меня; curiously — любопытно, странно; необычно).
"If I have it," said she, "I owe it to you (если они у меня, — ответила она, — я обязана этим вам)."
"No, no," I answered, "not to me, but to my friend Sherlock Holmes (нет, нет, — ответил я, — не мне, а моему другу Шерлоку Холмсу). With all the will in the world (при всем желании; will — воля; желание), I could never have followed up a clue (я никогда бы не сумел разгадать загадку: «распутать улики»; to follow — следовать, идти за; to follow up — доводить до конца, завершать; выяснять, прояснять, распутывать; clue — клубок, моток; ключ; улика) which has taxed even his analytical genius (с которой с трудом справился даже его аналитический ум: «которая подвергла испытанию даже его аналитический гений»; to tax — облагать налогом; чрезмерно напрягать; подвергать испытанию). As it was, we very nearly lost it at the last moment (фактически мы едва не потерпели фиаско: «потеряли его = сокровище» в последний момент)."
annuity ['nju:t]
She glanced at the iron box. "Is that the treasure, then?" she asked, coolly enough.
"Yes, this is the great Agra treasure. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. There will be few richer young ladies in England. Is it not glorious?"
I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight, and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations, for I saw her eyebrows rise a little, and she glanced at me curiously.
"If I have it," said she, "I owe it to you."
"No, no," I answered, "not to me, but to my friend Sherlock Holmes. With all the will in the world, I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius. As it was, we very nearly lost it at the last moment."
"Pray sit down and tell me all about it, Dr. Watson," said she (пожалуйста,
I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last (я кратко рассказал, что случилось, с тех пор как я видел ее в последний раз), — Holmes's new method of search (новый метод поиска Холмса), the discovery of the Aurora (обнаружение «Авроры»), the appearance of Athelney Jones (появление Этелни Джонса), our expedition in the evening (наша вечерняя вылазка), and the wild chase down the Thames (и дикая гонка вниз по Темзе; chase — преследование, погоня). She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures (она слушала, приоткрыв рот и с сияющими глазами, мое изложение наших приключений; to part — разделять/ся/, расходиться; lip — губа; recital — подробное изложение; рассказ, изложение). When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us (когда я рассказывал о стреле, которая чуть не попала в нас; narrowly — тесно, узко; чуть; to miss — потерпеть неудачу; промахнуться; не достичь цели), she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint (она так побледнела, что я испугался, не упадет ли она в обморок).
"It is nothing," she said, as I hastened to pour her out some water (это ничего, — сказала она, когда я поспешил налить ей воды). "I am all right again (я уже пришла в себя). It was a shock to me to hear that I had placed my friends in such horrible peril (для меня было шоком услышать, что я подвергла своих друзей такой ужасной опасности; to place — помещать, размещать; класть, ставить; поставить в /определенное/ положение)."
"That is all over," I answered (все позади, — ответил я). "It was nothing (это все пустяки). I will tell you no more gloomy details (я больше не буду рассказывать вам о мрачных деталях). Let us turn to something brighter (давайте обратимся к чему-нибудь более радостному; bright — яркий; блестящий; радостный). There is the treasure (вот сокровища). What could be brighter than that (что может быть радостнее)? I got leave to bring it with me (я получил разрешение принести их с собой; leave — позволение, разрешение), thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it (думая, что вам будет интересно первой их увидеть)."
recital [r'satl], hasten ['hesn]
"Pray sit down and tell me all about it, Dr. Watson," said she.
I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last, — Holmes's new method of search, the discovery of the Aurora, the appearance of Athelney Jones, our expedition in the evening, and the wild chase down the Thames. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures. When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us, she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint.