Гилберт Честертон - Английский с Г. К. Честертоном. Рассказы об отце Брауне / Gilbert Keith Chesterton. The Innocence of Father Brown

The garden seemed to brighten, the grass to grow gayer in the strengthening sun, as the crazy truth was told. Flambeau lit a cigarette as his friend went on.

“Were taken away,” continued Father Brown; “were taken away – but not stolen. Thieves would never have left this mystery. Thieves would have taken the gold snuff-boxes, snuff and all; the gold pencil-cases, lead and all. We have to deal with a man with a peculiar conscience, but certainly a conscience. I found that mad moralist this morning in the kitchen garden yonder, and I heard the whole story.

“The late Archibald Ogilvie was the nearest approach to a good man ever born at Glengyle(покойный Арчибальд Оджилви был, пожалуй, одним из самых хороших людей: «ближайшим приближением к хорошему человеку», родившихся когда-либо /в замке/ Гленгайл; approach – приближение; to bear ) . But his bitter virtue took the turn of the misanthrope(но его скорбная добродетель превратилась в мизантропию; bitter – горький ) ; he moped over the dishonesty of his ancestors, from which, somehow, he generalised a dishonesty of all men(он находился в подавленном состоянии из-за нечестности своих предков; на основании этого он пришел к выводу о лживости всех людей; to mope – хандрить; быть в подавленном состоянии; dishonesty – нечестность; лживость ) . More especially he distrusted philanthropy or free-giving(особенно он не доверял филантропии или благотворительности) ; and he swore if he could find one man who took his exact rights he should have all the gold of Glengyle(и он поклялся, что, если встретит человека, который берет только свое: «то, что положено по праву», то тот получит все золото Гленгайлов; to swear ) . Having delivered this defiance to humanity(передав этот вызов человечеству) he shut himself up, without the smallest expectation of its being answered(он заперся, не ожидая ответа: «без малейшего ожидания получить ответ») . One day, however, a deaf and seemingly senseless lad from a distant village brought him a belated telegram(однако однажды, глухой и, по всей видимости, глуповатый парень из дальней деревни принес ему позднюю телеграмму; to bring; belated – застигнутый ночью, темнотой /в дороге/; запоздалый, поздний ) ; and Glengyle, in his acrid pleasantry, gave him a new farthing(и Гленгайл, мрачно забавляясь, дал ему новый фартинг; acrid – острый; резкий; раздражающий; ехидный; язвительный; pleasantry – любезность; шутка ).

“The late Archibald Ogilvie was the nearest approach to a good man ever born at Glengyle. But his bitter virtue took the turn of the misanthrope; he moped over the dishonesty of his ancestors, from which, somehow, he generalised a dishonesty of all men. More especially he distrusted philanthropy or free-giving; and he swore if he could find one man who took his exact rights he should have all the gold of Glengyle. Having delivered this defiance to humanity he shut himself up, without the smallest expectation of its being answered. One day, however, a deaf and seemingly senseless lad from a distant village brought him a belated telegram; and Glengyle, in his acrid pleasantry, gave him a new farthing.

At least he thought he had done so, but when he turned over his change he found the new farthing still there and a sovereign gone(вернее, он думал, что дал фартинг: «поступил так», но, перебирая монеты, он увидел, что дал по рассеянности соверен: «что фартинг все еще был на месте, а соверена не было»; sovereign – соверен /золотая монета в один фунт стерлингов/; farthing – фартинг = 1/4 пенни ) . The accident offered him vistas of sneering speculation(этот случай открыл ему простор для презрительных предположений; vista – перспектива, вид /в конце аллеи и т. п./; возможности, виды на будущее; speculation – размышление; предположение ) . Either way, the boy would show the greasy greed of the species(в любом случае, парень проявит непристойную людскую жадность; greasy – сальный, засаленный; непристойный; grease – топленое сало; жир; species – вид; порода; разновидность ) . Either he would vanish, a thief stealing a coin(либо он исчезнет – вор, укравший монету) ; or he would sneak back with it virtuously, a snob seeking a reward(либо добродетельно вернется с монеткой – ханжа – ищущий вознаграждения; virtue – добродетель; reward – награда ) . In the middle of that night Lord Glengyle was knocked up out of his bed – for he lived alone – and forced to open the door to the deaf idiot(в середине ночи лорда Гленгайла поднял с кровати стук – он жил один – и он был вынужден открыть дверь глухому дураку) . The idiot brought with him, not the sovereign, but exactly nineteen shillings and eleven-pence three-farthings in change(дурак принес не соверен, а ровно девятнадцать шиллингов одиннадцать пенсов три фартинга сдачи).

At least he thought he had done so, but when he turned over his change he found the new farthing still there and a sovereign gone. The accident offered him vistas of sneering speculation. Either way, the boy would show the greasy greed of the species. Either he would vanish, a thief stealing a coin; or he would sneak back with it virtuously, a snob seeking a reward. In the middle of that night Lord Glengyle was knocked up out of his bed – for he lived alone – and forced to open the door to the deaf idiot. The idiot brought with him, not the sovereign, but exactly nineteen shillings and eleven-pence three-farthings in change.