Александр Левкин - Адаптированный текст повести А. К. Дойла «Знак четырех» на английском языке с транскрипцией и видеопрезентацией. Учебное пособие

04_026

The landscape is a genuine Corot, and, though a connoisseur might perhaps throw a doubt upon that Salvator Rosa, there cannot be the least question about the Bouguereau. I am partial to the modern French school.»

04_027

«You will excuse me, Mr. Sholto,» said Miss Morstan, «but I am here at your request to learn something which you desire to tell me. It is very late, and I should desire the interview to be as short as possible.»

04_028

«At the best it must take some time,» he answered; «for we shall certainly have to go to Norwood and see Brother Bartholomew. We shall all go and try if we can get the better of Brother Bartholomew.

04_029

He is very angry with me for taking the course which has seemed right to me. I had quite high words with him last night. You cannot imagine what a terrible fellow he is when he is angry.»

04_030

«If we are to go to Norwood it would perhaps be as well to start at once,» I ventured to remark.

04_031

He laughed until his ears were quite red. «That would hardly do,» he cried. «I don’t know what he would say if I brought you in that sudden way. No, I must prepare you by showing you how we all stand to each other.

04_032

In the first place, I must tell you that there are several points in the story of which I am myself ignorant. I can only lay the facts before you as far as I know them myself.

04_033

«My father was, as you may have guessed, Major John Sholto, once of the Indian army. He retired some eleven years ago, and came to live at Pondicherry Lodge in Upper Norwood.

04_034

He had prospered in India, and brought back with him a considerable sum of money, a large collection of valuable curiosities, and a staff of native servants. With these advantages he bought himself a house, and lived in great luxury. My twin-brother Bartholomew and I were the only children.

04_035

«I very well remember the sensation which was caused by the disappearance of Captain Morstan. We read the details in the papers, and, knowing that he had been a friend of our father’s, we discussed the case freely in his presence. He used to join in our speculations as to what could have happened.

04_036

Never for an instant did we suspect that he had the whole secret hidden in his own breast, – that of all men he alone knew the fate of Arthur Morstan.

04_037

«We did know, however, that some mystery – some positive danger – overhung our father. He was very fearful of going out alone, and he always employed two prize-fighters to act as porters at Pondicherry Lodge. Williams, who drove you to-night, was one of them. He was once light-weight champion of England.

04_038

Our father would never tell us what it was he feared, but he had a most marked aversion to men with wooden legs. On one occasion he actually fired his revolver at a wooden-legged man, who proved to be a harmless tradesman canvassing for orders. We had to pay a large sum to hush the matter up.

04_039

My brother and I used to think this a mere whim of my father’s, but events have since led us to change our opinion.

04_040

«Early in 1882 my father received a letter from India which was a great shock to him. He nearly fainted at the breakfast-table when he opened it, and from that day he sickened to his death.

04_041

What was in the letter we could never discover, but I could see as he held it that it was short and written in a scrawling hand.

04_042

He had suffered for years from an enlarged spleen, but he now became rapidly worse, and towards the end of April we were informed that he was beyond all hope, and that he wished to make a last communication to us.

04_043

«When we entered his room he was propped up with pillows and breathing heavily. He besought us to lock the door and to come upon either side of the bed.

04_044

Then, grasping our hands, he made a remarkable statement to us, in a voice which was broken as much by emotion as by pain. I shall try and give it to you in his own very words.

04_045