Arthur Conan Doyle - Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Второй сборник рассказов (ASCII-IPA)

“‘Of course, we had the drags at once, and set to work to recover the remains, but no trace of the body could we find. On the other hand, we brought to the surface an object of a most unexpected kind. It was a linen bag which contained within it a mass of old rusted and discolored metal and several dull-colored pieces of pebble or glass. This strange find was all that we could get from the mere, and, although we made every possible search and inquiry yesterday, we know nothing of the fate either of Rachel Howells or of Richard Brunton. The county police are at their wits’ end, and I have come up to you as a last resource.’

“You can imagine, Watson, with what eagerness I listened to this extraordinary sequence of events, and endeavored to piece them together, and to devise some common thread upon which they might all hang.

“The butler was gone (дворецкий пропал) . The maid was gone (горничная пропала) . The maid had loved the butler (горничная любила дворецкого) , but had afterwards had cause to hate him (но потом получила основания ненавидеть его) . She was of Welsh blood, fiery and passionate (она была уроженка Уэльса: «уэльской крови», необузданная и горячая; passionate — страстный; вспыльчивый, горячий) . She had been terribly excited immediately after his disappearance (она была крайне возбуждена сразу после его исчезновения) . She had flung into the lake a bag containing some curious contents (она бросила в пруд мешок с довольно странным содержанием; to fling) . These were all factors which had to be taken into consideration (все эти факторы необходимо было принять во внимание) , and yet none of them got quite to the heart of the matter (однако ни один из них не раскрывал сути дела; to get to the heart of the matter — дойти до сути /дела/) . What was the starting-point of this chain of events (где была отправная точка этой цепи событий) ? There lay the end of this tangled line (/передо мной/ лежал /лишь/ конец этой запутанной веревки = цепи) .

“‘I must see that paper, Musgrave (мне необходимо увидеть ту бумагу, Месгрейв) ,’ said I, ‘which this butler of yours thought it worth his while to consult (изучение которой ваш дворецкий считал очень важным; worth one's while — стоящий затраченного времени или труда; to consult — советоваться; справляться) , even at the risk of the loss of his place (даже /несмотря на/ риск потерять место; loss — потеря, утрата) .’

fiery ['faI@rI], curious ['kju@rI@s], contents ['kOnt@nts], consult [k@n'sVlt]

“The butler was gone. The maid was gone. The maid had loved the butler, but had afterwards had cause to hate him. She was of Welsh blood, fiery and passionate. She had been terribly excited immediately after his disappearance. She had flung into the lake a bag containing some curious contents. These were all factors which had to be taken into consideration, and yet none of them got quite to the heart of the matter. What was the starting‑point of this chain of events? There lay the end of this tangled line.

“‘I must see that paper, Musgrave,’ said I, ‘which this butler of yours thought it worth his while to consult, even at the risk of the loss of his place.’

“‘It is rather an absurd business (это довольно нелепое дело/нелепая вещь) , this ritual of ours (этот наш обряд) ,’ he answered (ответил он) . ‘But it has at least the saving grace of antiquity to excuse it (единственное, что его оправдывает, — его древность; saving grace — спасительная благодать; положительное качество, перевешивающее недостатки; to excuse — извинять/ся/, прощать; оправдывать) . I have a copy of the questions and answers here (вот копия вопросов и ответов) if you care to run your eye over them (если хотите взглянуть на них; to run one's eye over something — бегло взглянуть на что-либо, пробежать глазами) .’

“He handed me the very paper which I have here, Watson (он передал мне ту самую бумагу, которую я держу /в руках/, Ватсон) , and this is the strange catechism to which each Musgrave had to submit (и это есть то странное испытание, которому должен был подвергаться каждый Месгрейв; catechism — катехизис; изложение основ чего-либо в форме вопросов и ответов; ряд вопросов и ответов; to submit — подчинять/ся/, покорять/ся/; подвергать) when he came to man’s estate (когда достигал совершеннолетия; man’s estate — возмужалость, зрелость, совершеннолетие мужчины; estate — состояние, положение) . I will read you the questions and answers as they stand (я прочитаю вам вопросы и ответы /так/, как они записаны здесь; as it stands — в данных условиях, так, как есть: «как это стоит») .

“‘Whose was it (кому это принадлежало) ?’

“‘His who is gone (тому, кто ушел) .’

“‘Who shall have it (кому это будет принадлежать) ?’

“‘He who will come (тому, кто придет) .’

“‘What was the month (в каком месяце это было) ?’

“‘The sixth from the first (в шестом, начиная с первого) .’

“‘Where was the sun (где было солнце) ?’

“‘Over the oak (над дубом) .’

antiquity [&n'tIkwItI], catechism ['k&t@kIz(@)m], submit [s@b'mIt]

“‘It is rather an absurd business, this ritual of ours,’ he answered. ‘But it has at least the saving grace of antiquity to excuse it. I have a copy of the questions and answers here if you care to run your eye over them.’

“He handed me the very paper which I have here, Watson, and this is the strange catechism to which each Musgrave had to submit when he came to man’s estate. I will read you the questions and answers as they stand.

“‘Whose was it?’

“‘His who is gone.’

“‘Who shall have it?’

“‘He who will come.’

“‘What was the month?’

“‘The sixth from the first.’

“‘Where was the sun?’

“‘Over the oak.’

“‘Where was the shadow (где была тень) ?’

“‘Under the elm (под вязом) .’

“‘How was it stepped (сколько надо было сделать шагов; to step — ступать, шагать, делать шаг; step — шаг) ?’

“‘North by ten and by ten (на север — десять и десять) , east by five and by five (на восток — пять и пять) , south by two and by two (на юг — два и два) , west by one and by one (на запад — один и один) , and so under (и затем вниз) .’

“‘What shall we give for it (что мы отдадим за это) ?’

“‘All that is ours (все, что наше = все, что у нас есть) .’

“‘Why should we give it (ради чего мы отдадим это) ?’

“‘For the sake of the trust (ради долга; trust — вера, доверие; долг) .’

“‘The original has no date (в оригинале нет даты) , but is in the spelling of the middle of the seventeenth century (но, судя по орфографии, он /относится/ к середине семнадцатого века; spelling — орфография, правописание; to spell — писать или произносить /слово/ по буквам) ,’ remarked Musgrave (заметил Месгрейв) . ‘I am afraid, however (впрочем, боюсь) , that it can be of little help to you in solving this mystery (что он мало поможет вам в раскрытии этой тайны) .’

south [sauT], century ['sentS(@)rI], remarked [rI'mA:kt]

“‘Where was the shadow?’

“‘Under the elm.’

“‘How was it stepped?’

“‘North by ten and by ten, east by five and by five, south by two and by two, west by one and by one, and so under.’

“‘What shall we give for it?’

“‘All that is ours.’

“‘Why should we give it?’

“‘For the sake of the trust.’

“‘The original has no date, but is in the spelling of the middle of the seventeenth century,’ remarked Musgrave. ‘I am afraid, however, that it can be of little help to you in solving this mystery.’

“‘At least (по крайней мере) ,’ said I, ‘it gives us another mystery (он ставит перед нами: «дает нам» другую загадку) , and one which is even more interesting than the first (даже еще более интересную, чем первая) . It may be that the solution of the one (может случиться так, что решение одной) may prove to be the solution of the other (окажется решением и другой) . You will excuse me, Musgrave, if I say (извините меня = надеюсь, вы не обидитесь, Месгрейв, если я скажу) that your butler appears to me to have been a very clever man (что ваш дворецкий кажется мне очень умным человеком) , and to have had a clearer insight (обладающим большей проницательностью; insight — проницательность; понимание) than ten generations of his masters (чем десять поколений его господ) .’

“‘I hardly follow you (я вас не понимаю; hardly — едва, вряд ли; с трудом) ,’ said Musgrave. ‘The paper seems to me to be of no practical importance (мне кажется, эта бумага не имеет никакого практического значения) .’

“‘But to me it seems immensely practical (а мне она кажется чрезвычайно практической = важной в практическом плане) , and I fancy that Brunton took the same view (и, полагаю, Брантон придерживался того же мнения) . He had probably seen it before that night on which you caught him (вероятно, он видел бумагу и до той ночи, когда вы застали его /в библиотеке/; to catch — ловить) .’