Приключения Шерлока Холмса: Человек с рассеченной губой / The Man with the Twisted Lip
Шрифт:
“Yes, I have one waiting.”
“Then I should go in it. But I must owe something. Find what I owe, Watson. I am all off colour. [5] I can do nothing for myself.”
I walked down the narrow passage between the double row of sleepers, trying not to breath in the disgusting, stupefying fumes of the drug, and looking about for the manager. As I passed the tall man who sat by the brazier I felt a sudden pluck, and a low voice said, “Walk past me, and then look back at me.” I heard the words quite distinctly. I glanced down. They could only have come from the old man at my side, and yet he sat now as absorbed as ever, very thin, very wrinkled, crooked, an opium pipe between his knees. It seemed that he had dropped it in absolute tiredness from his fingers. I took two steps forward and looked back. It took all my self-control not to cry with astonishment. He had turned his back so that nobody could see him but me. His form had filled out, his wrinkles were gone, the fire had lit up in his dull eyes, and there, sitting by the fire and smiling at my surprise, was none other than Sherlock Holmes. He gave me a sign to approach him, and immediately, as he turned his face half round to the company once more, changed back into a weak old man.
5
I am all of colour –
“Holmes!” I said in low voice, “what on earth are you doing in this den? [6] ”
“As low as you can,” he answered; “I have excellent ears. If you would be so kind to get rid [7] of your friend I’ll be very glad to have a little talk with you.”
“I have a cab outside.”
“Then please send him home in it. You may safely trust him, because he looks too weak to get in any trouble. I recommend you also to send a note by the cabman to your wife to say that you have thrown in your lot with me. [8] If you wait outside, I will be with you in five minutes.”
6
What on earth are you doing in this den? – Что, черт возьми, вы делаете в этом притоне?
7
to get rid of – избавиться
8
you have thrown your lot with me – вы пошли со мной
It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock Holmes’s requests, for they were always very definite, and put forward [9] in such imperative manner. I felt, however, that when Whitney was put in the cab my mission was practically over; and for the rest, I could not wish anything better than to be together with my friend in one of those adventures, which were the normal condition of his existence. In a few minutes I had written my note, paid Whitney’s bill, led him out to the cab, and seen him driven through the darkness. In a very short time a figure of the old man had appeared from the opium den, and I was walking down the street with Sherlock Holmes. For two streets he shuffled along with a bent back and an uncertain foot. Then, looking quickly round, he straightened himself out and burst into hearty laughter.
9
put forward – высказаны
“I was certainly surprised to find you there,” I said.
“But not more so than I to find you.”
“I came to find a friend.”
“And I to find an enemy.”
“An enemy?”
“Yes; one of my natural enemies, or, shall I say, my natural prey. Briefly, Watson, I am in the middle of a very remarkable inquiry, and I have hoped to find a clew in the mumbling of these dregs, as I have done before. If I were recognized in that den my life would not have been worth an hour’s purchase; [10] for I have used it before for my own purposes, and the evil Lascar [11] who runs it has sworn to have vengeance [12] upon me. There is a trap-door at the back of that building, near the corner of Paul’s Wharf, which could tell some strange tales of what has passed through it upon the moonless nights.”
10
my life would not have been worth an hour’s purchase – я не протянул бы и часа
11
lascar – матрос-индиец
12
to have vengeance – отомстить
“What! Do you mean bodies?”
“Yes, bodies, Watson. We would be rich if we had 1000 pounds for every poor man who died in that den. It is the most dangerous murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I’m afraid that Neville St. Clair has entered it to never leave it. But our cart should be here.” He put his two fingers between his teeth and whistled a signal which was answered by a similar whistle from the distance, followed by the cart, that appeared out of the darkness.
“Now, Watson,” said Holmes “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
“If I can help you.”
“Oh, a trusty friend and a chronicler can always help. My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one.”
“The Cedars?”
“Yes; that is Mr. St. Clair’s house. I am staying there while I conduct the inquiry.”
“Where is it, then?”
“Near Lee, in Kent. It’s seven miles away from here.”
“But I am all in the dark. [13] ”
“Of course you are. You’ll know all about it presently. Jump up here. All right, John; we shall not need you. Here’s half a crown. Wait for me tomorrow, about eleven. Goodbye, then!”
13
I am all in the dark – я в полном неведении
Exercises
I. Note the use of the phrasal verb to put forward. What other phrasal verbs with put do you know? Find a synonym for each verb in the second column.
II. Fill the gaps with the words from the table. NB! You’ll need one more phrasal verb with put. Take notice of the correct word order.
Isa Whiney’s wife couldn’t … with her husband’s long absence, so she … her black veil and headed for her old friends’ in order to ask for their advice. Dr. Watson and his wife Mary were not at all … by this late visit, on the contrary, they were eager to help. This commission couldn’t have been …, so Watson had to go to the opium den, to find Isa and to … his request to return home immediately. It is possible, that Isa hadn’t … enough money to pay for the opium and Watson did it for him, but he is too modest to mention that.
III. Suggest your own examples of the use of the phrasal verbs with put.
IV. Read the phrases below. In what order do they appear in the chapter? Fill the following table.
a) “Good heavens! I thought it was Wednesday. It is Wednesday. What do you want to frighten me for?”
b) “As low as you can. I have excellent ears.”
c) “Then I should go in it. But I must owe something. Find what I owe, Watson. I am all off colour. I can do nothing for myself.”
d) “I tell you that it is Friday, man. Your wife has been waiting this two days for you. You should be ashamed of yourself!”
e) “We would be rich if we had 1000 pounds for every poor man who died in that den. It is the most dangerous murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I’m afraid that Neville St. Clair has entered it to never leave it. But our cart should be here.”