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

“And the catalepsy (а как же каталепсия) ?”

walking ['wO:kIN], errand ['er@nd], ingenious [In'dZi:nI@s]

“And no advice for me?” cried Blessington, in a breaking voice.

“My advice to your, sir, is to speak the truth.”

A minute later we were in the street and walking for home. We had crossed Oxford Street and were half way down Harley Street before I could get a word from my companion.

“Sorry to bring you out on such a fool’s errand, Watson,” he said at last. “It is an interesting case, too, at the bottom of it.”

“I can make little of it,” I confessed.

“Well, it is quite evident that there are two men — more, perhaps, but at least two — who are determined for some reason to get at this fellow Blessington. I have no doubt in my mind that both on the first and on the second occasion that young man penetrated to Blessington’s room, while his confederate, by an ingenious device, kept the doctor from interfering.”

“And the catalepsy?”

“A fraudulent imitation, Watson (чистая имитация, Ватсон; fraudulent — обманный, мошеннический; fraud — обман; мошенничество; подделка) , though I should hardly dare to hint as much to our specialist (хотя я вряд ли осмелюсь намекнуть на это нашему специалисту) . It is a very easy complaint to imitate (это очень легкая для имитации болезнь; complaint — жалоба, недовольство; болезнь, недуг) . I have done it myself (я и сам это делал) .”

“And then (ну а дальше) ?”

“By the purest chance Blessington was out on each occasion (по чистой случайности Блессингтон оба раза отсутствовал) . Their reason for choosing so unusual an hour for a consultation (причина, по которой они выбрали столь необычный час для консультации) was obviously to insure (очевидно была обеспечить/гарантировать; to insure — страховать/ся/; обеспечивать, гарантировать; уберечь) that there should be no other patient in the waiting-room (чтобы в приемной не было других пациентов) . It just happened, however, that this hour coincided with Blessington’s constitutional (однако случилось так, что этот час совпал со /временем/ прогулки Блессингтона; constitutional — конституционный; прогулка, моцион: to take a constitutional — совершить моцион, прогуляться) , which seems to show that they were not very well acquainted with his daily routine (что показывает, что они были не очень хорошо знакомы с его распорядком дня; routine — заведенный порядок; определенный режим) . Of course, if they had been merely after plunder (разумеется, если бы им было нужно всего лишь его добро; to be after — преследовать кого-либо; стараться получить что-либо; plunder — грабеж, ограбление; добыча, награбленное) they would at least have made some attempt to search for it (они по крайней мере предприняли бы попытки его найти) .

fraudulent ['frO:djul@nt], coincided [,k@uIn'saIdId], routine [ru:'ti:n]

“A fraudulent imitation, Watson, though I should hardly dare to hint as much to our specialist. It is a very easy complaint to imitate. I have done it myself.”

“And then?”

“By the purest chance Blessington was out on each occasion. Their reason for choosing so unusual an hour for a consultation was obviously to insure that there should be no other patient in the waiting-room. It just happened, however, that this hour coincided with Blessington’s constitutional, which seems to show that they were not very well acquainted with his daily routine. Of course, if they had been merely after plunder they would at least have made some attempt to search for it.

“Besides, I can read in a man’s eye (кроме того, я могу прочитать по глазам) when it is his own skin that he is frightened for (когда человек боится за собственную шкуру) . It is inconceivable that this fellow could have made two such vindictive enemies as these appear to be without knowing of it (/просто/ невозможно, чтобы этот субъект нажил себе таких мстительных врагов, не зная об этом) . I hold it, therefore, to be certain that he does know who these men are (поэтому я считаю, что он наверняка знает, кто эти люди) , and that for reasons of his own he suppresses it (и по каким-то своим причинам это скрывает; to suppress — подавлять, сдерживать; скрывать, замалчивать /правду и т. п./) . It is just possible that to-morrow may find him in a more communicative mood (вполне возможно, что завтра мы найдем его в более общительном настроении) .”

“Is there not one alternative (а нет ли другого варианта = версии) ,” I suggested (предположил я) , “grotesquely improbably, no doubt, but still just conceivable (несомненно, неправдоподобной до абсурда, но все-таки возможной) ? Might the whole story of the cataleptic Russian and his son be a concoction of Dr. Trevelyan’s (что, если вся эта история о каталептическом русском и его сыне — выдумка доктора Тревельяна) , who has, for his own purposes, been in Blessington’s rooms (который — по каким-то своим причинам — побывал в комнате Блессингтона) ?”

inconceivable [,Ink@n'si:v@bl], vindictive [vIn'dIktIv], concoction [k@n'kOkS(@)n]

“Besides, I can read in a man’s eye when it is his own skin that he is frightened for. It is inconceivable that this fellow could have made two such vindictive enemies as these appear to be without knowing of it. I hold it, therefore, to be certain that he does know who these men are, and that for reasons of his own he suppresses it. It is just possible that to-morrow may find him in a more communicative mood.”

“Is there not one alternative,” I suggested, “grotesquely improbably, no doubt, but still just conceivable? Might the whole story of the cataleptic Russian and his son be a concoction of Dr. Trevelyan’s, who has, for his own purposes, been in Blessington’s rooms?”

“I saw in the gaslight that Holmes wore an amused smile at this brilliant departure of mine (в свете газового фонаря я увидел, что Холмс весело улыбается моему блестящему умозаключению; to wear — носить /одежду/; иметь вид: to wear a troubled look — иметь встревоженный вид; to wear a sad smile — печально улыбаться; departure — отъезд, уход; отправная точка) .