Илья Франк - Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек

DO YOU BELIEVE in ghosts?" Martins said to me.

"Do you?"

"I do now."

"I also believe that drunk men see things—sometimes rats, sometimes worse."

He hadn't come to me at once with his story—only the danger to Anna Schmidt tossed him back into my office, like something the sea washed up, tousled, unshaven, haunted by an experience he couldn't understand. He said, "If it had been just the face, I wouldn't have worried. I'd been thinking about Harry, and I might easily have mistaken a stranger. The light was turned off again at once, you see, I only got one glimpse, and the man made off down the street—if he was a man. There was no turning for a long way, but I was so startled I gave him another thirty yards' start. He came to one of those newspaper kiosks and for a moment moved out of sight. I ran after him. It only took me ten seconds to reach the kiosk, and he must have heard me running, but the strange thing was he never appeared again. I reached the kiosk. There wasn't anybody there. The street was empty. He couldn't have reached a doorway without my meeting him. He'd simply vanished."

"A natural thing for ghosts—or illusions."

"But I can't believe I was as drunk as all that!"

"What did you do then?"

"I had to have another drink. My nerves were all to pieces."

"Didn't that bring him back?"

"No, but it sent me back to Anna's."

I think he would have been ashamed to come to me with his absurd story if it had not been for the attempt on Anna Schmidt. My theory when he did tell me his story was that there had been a watcher—though it was drink and hysteria that had pasted on the man's face the features of Harry Lime. That watcher had noted his visit to Anna and the member of the ring—the penicillin ring—had been warned by telephone. Events that night moved fast. You remember that Kurtz lived in the Russian zone—in the second bezirk to be exact, in a wide empty desolate street that runs down to the Prater Platz. A man like that had probably obtained his influential contacts. The original police agreement in Vienna between the allies confined the military police (who had to deal with crimes involving allied personnel) to their particular zones, unless permission was given to them to enter the zone of another power. I only had to get on the phone to my opposite number in the American or French zones before I sent in my men to make an arrest or pursue an investigation. Perhaps forty-eight hours would pass before I received permission from the Russians, but in practice there are a few occasions when it is necessary to work quicker than that. Even at home it is not always possible to obtain a search warrant or permission from one's superiors to detain a suspect with any greater speed.

This meant that if I wanted to pick up Kurtz (это означало, что если я хотел взять Куртца) it would be as well to catch him in the British zone (его стоило, пожалуй, поймать в британской зоне).

When Rollo Martins went drunkenly back at four o'clock in the morning (когда Ролло Мартинс пошел пьяным назад в четыре часа утра) to tell Anna that he had seen the ghost of Harry (чтобы рассказать Анне, что он видел призрак Гарри; ghost — привидение, призрак; дух ), he was told by a frightened porter (ему сказал испуганный портье) who had not yet gone back to sleep (который еще не ушел обратно спать) that she had been taken away by the International Patrol (что она была забрана интернациональным патрулем).

What happened was this (что случилось, было вот что). Russia, you remember (Россия, как вы помните), was in the chair as far as the Inner Stadt was concerned (была у власти: «председательствовала» в том, что касалось Внутреннего Города), and the Russians had information that Anna Schmidt was one of their nationals (и русские получили информацию что Анна Шмидт была одной из их соотечественников) living with false papers (живущей по фальшивым документам). On this occasion (по этому случаю), halfway through the patrol (на полпути при обходе), the Russian policeman directed the car to the street where Anna Schmidt lived (русский полицейский направил машину к улице, где жила Анна Шмидт).

Outside Anna Schmidt's block (у дома Анны Шмидт) the American took a hand in the game (американец вступил в игру: «взял руку в игре») and demanded in German (и спросил на немецком) what it was all about (в чем было дело). The Frenchman leant against the bonnet (француз оперся на капот; to lean — прислоняться, опираться ) and lit a stinking Caporal (и запалил вонючую махорку; to light — зажигать; to stink — вонять ). France wasn't concerned (Франция была ни при чем: «не была затронута) and nothing that didn't concern France had any genuine importance to him (и ничто, что не затрагивало Францию, не имело какой-либо настоящей важности для него). The Russian dug out a few words of German (русский выкопал наружу = с трудом вспомнил несколько слов немецкого; to dig — копать ) and flourished some papers (и помахал какими-то бумажками; to flourish — цвести, расцветать; пышно расти, разрастаться; размахивать оружием в знак триумфа, победы, потрясать оружием, салютовать ). As far as they could tell (насколько: «так далеко как» они могли сказать = понять), a Russian national wanted by the Russian police (русский гражданин, искомый русской полицией) was living there without proper papers (жил там без настоящих документов; proper — присущий, свойственный; правильный, должный; надлежащий; подходящий ). They went upstairs (они пошли вверх по лестнице) and found Anna in bed (и нашли Анну в постели), though I don't suppose (хотя я не предполагаю), after Martins' visit (после визита Мартинса), that she was asleep (что она была спящей = спала).

There is a lot of comedy in these situations (есть много комического в этих ситуациях) if you are not directly concerned (если ты не прямо затронут = если они не касаются непосредственно тебя). You need a background of general European terror (тебе нужен фон общего европейского ужаса), of a father who belonged to a losing side (отца, который принадлежал к проигравшей стороне; to lose — терять; проигрывать ), of house searches (домашних обысков) and disappearances (и исчезновений) before the fear outweighs the comedy (прежде чем страх перевесит: «перевешивает» комедию; to weigh — взвешивать ). The Russian, you see, refused to leave the room (русский, вы видите, отказался покидать комнату): the American wouldn't leave a girl unprotected (американец не хотел оставлять девушку незащищенной), and the Frenchman (а француз)—well, I think the Frenchman must have thought it was fun (ну, я полагаю, что француз должен был думать, что это было забавно). Can't you imagine the scene (можете ли вы вообразить эту сцену)? The Russian was just doing his duty and watched the girl all the time (русский просто исполнял свой долг и смотрел на девушку все время), without a flicker of sexual interest (без единого проблеска сексуального интереса): the American stood with his back chivalrously turned (американец стоял, по-рыцарски отвернувшись: «с его спиной по-рыцарски повернутой»): the Frenchman smoked his cigarette (француз курил свою сигарету) and watched with detached amusement the reflection of the girl dressing (и смотрел с невозмутимым весельем на отражение одевающейся девушки; detached — отдельный, обособленный; бесстрастный, невозмутимый /о взгляде, выражении лица/; amusement — развлечение; to amuse — развлекать; увеселять ) in the mirror of the wardrobe (в зеркале гардероба), and the Englishman stood in the passage (а англичанин стоял в коридоре) wondering what to do next (недоумевая, что делать дальше: «следующим»).

I don't want you to think the English policeman came too badly out of the affair (я не хочу, чтобы вы подумали, что английский полицейский вышел слишком плохо из этого дела = плохо проявил себя в этом деле). In the passage (в коридоре), undistracted by chivalry (неотвлекаемый рыцарством), he had time to think (он имел время подумать), and his thoughts led him to the telephone in the next flat (и его мысли привели его к телефону в соседней квартире; to lead — вести ). He got straight through to me at my flat (он дозвонился прямо ко мне в мою квартиру) and woke me out of that deepest middle sleep (и разбудил меня из того = из так называемого самого глубокого среднего сна). That was why when Martins rang up an hour later (поэтому когда Мартинс позвонил часом позже), I already knew what was exciting him (я уже знал, что /именно/ волновало его)—it gave him an undeserved but very useful belief in my efficiency (это дало ему незаслуженную, но очень полезную веру в мою эффективность). I never had another crack from him (я никогда больше не получал саркастического замечания от него; crack — треск, хруст, скрежет; щелчок хлыста; трещина, щель /особенно в полу/; амер. разг. острота, шутка; шпилька, едкое замечание, наезд ) about policemen or sheriffs after that night (насчет полицейских и шерифов после той ночи).

direct [dI'rekt], demand [dI'mRnd], lean ['li:n], leant [lent], bonnet ['bOnIt], flourish ['flArIS], outweigh [aut'weI], sexual ['seksjuql], chivalrous ['SIv(q)lrqs], amusement [q'mju:zmqnt], detached [dI'txtSt], belief [bI'li:f], efficiency [I'fIS(q)nsI]