The Red-Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle (5)

"Well, Watson," said Holmes when our visitor had left us, "what do you make of it all?"

"I make nothing of it," I answered frankly. "It is a most mysterious business."

"As a rule," said Holmes, "the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt over this matter."

"What are you going to do, then?" I asked.

"To smoke," he answered. "It is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes." He curled himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to his hawk-like nose, and there he sat with his eyes closed and his black clay pipe thrusting out like the bill of some strange bird. I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and indeed was nodding myself, when he suddenly sprang out of his chair with the gesture of a man who has made up his mind and put his pipe down upon the mantelpiece.

"Sarasate plays at the St. James's Hall this afternoon," he remarked. "What do you think, Watson? Could your patients spare you for a few hours?"

"I have nothing to do to-day. My practice is never very absorbing."

"Then put on your hat and come. I am going through the City first, and we can have some lunch on the way. I observe that there is a good deal of German music on the programme, which is rather more to my taste than Italian or French. It is introspective, and I want to introspect. Come along!"

We travelled by the Underground as far as Aldersgate; and a short walk took us to Saxe-Coburg Square, the scene of the singular story which we had listened to in the morning. It was a poky, little, shabby-genteel place, where four lines of dingy two-storied brick houses looked out into a small railed-in enclosure, where a lawn of weedy grass and a few clumps of faded laurel-bushes made a hard fight against a smoke-laden and uncongenial atmosphere. Three gilt balls and a brown board with "JABEZ WILSON" in white letters, upon a corner house, announced the place where our red-headed client carried on his business. Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of it with his head on one side and looked it all over, with his eyes shining brightly between puckered lids. Then he walked slowly up the street, and then down again to the corner, still looking keenly at the houses. Finally he returned to the pawnbroker's, and, having thumped vigorously upon the pavement with his stick two or three times, he went up to the door and knocked. It was instantly opened by a bright-looking, clean-shaven young fellow, who asked him to step in.

"Thank you," said Holmes, "I only wished to ask you how you would go from here to the Strand."

"Third right, fourth left," answered the assistant promptly, closing the door.

"Smart fellow, that," observed Holmes as we walked away. "He is, in my judgment. the fourth smartest man in London, and for daring I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have known something of him before."

"Evidently," said I, "Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good deal in this mystery of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you inquired your way merely in order that you might see him."

"Not him."

"What then?"

"The knees of his trousers."

"And what did you see?"

"What I expected to see."

"Why did you beat the pavement?"

"My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We are spies in an enemy's country. We know something of Saxe-Coburg Square. Let us now explore the parts which lie behind it."

To be continued...

The Red-Headed Leaguetby Arthur Conan Doyle (5) (с подсказками)

Союз рыжих. Артур Конан Дойл

"Well, Watson," said Holmes when our visitor had left us, "what do you make of it all?"

"I make nothing of it," I answered frankly ['frxNkli] (откровенно). "It is a most mysterious [mIs'tIqrIqs] (таинственное) business (дело)."

"As a rule," said Holmes, "the more bizarre [bI'zR] (чем более странная) a thing is the less mysterious [mIs'tIqrIqs] (тем менее таинственной) it proves to be (она оказывается). It is your commonplace ['kPmqnpleIs] (заурядные), featureless ['fi:CqlIs] (бесцветные) crimes which are really puzzling ['pAzlIN] (трудно разгадать), just as a commonplace ['kPmqnpleIs] (заурядное) face is the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt [prPmpt] (действовать быстро) over this matter."

"What are you going to do, then?" I asked.

"To smoke," he answered. "It is quite a three pipe [paIp] (трубки) problem, and I beg [beg] (прошу) that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes." He curled [kE:ld] himself up (скрючился) in his chair, with his thin knees drawn [drLn] up (поднятые) to his hawk-like [hLk-laIk] (ястребиному) nose, and there he sat with his eyes closed and his black clay [kleI] (глиняной) pipe [paIp] (трубкой) thrusting ['TrAstIN] out (выставленной) like the bill (клюв) of some strange bird. I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep [q'slJp] (заснул), and indeed was nodding ['nPdIN] (начал дремать) myself, when he suddenly sprang [sprxN] (вскочил) out of his chair with the gesture ['GesCq] (видом) of a man who has made up his mind (принял решение) and put his pipe [paIp] (трубку) down upon the mantelpiece ['mxntlpJs] (каминную доску).

"Sarasate plays at the St. James's ['GeImzIz] Hall this afternoon," he remarked [rI'mRkt] (сказал). "What do you think, Watson? Could your patients spare [speq] (обойтись без) you for a few hours?"

"I have nothing to do today. My practice is never very absorbing [qb'sLbIN, -zL-] (отнимает много времени)."

"Then put on your hat and come. I am going through the City first, and we can have some lunch on the way. I observe that there is a good deal (много) of German music on the programme, which is rather more to my taste [teIst] (вкусу) than Italian or French. It is introspective ["Intrq'spektIv], and I want to introspect ["Intrqu'spekt] (=reflect on one's own thoughts and feelings). Come along!"

We travelled ['trxv(q)ld] (доехали) by the Underground ['Andqgraund] (Метро) as far as Aldersgate; and a short walk took us to Saxe-Coburg Square, the scene of the singular ['sINgjulq] (необычайной) story which we had listened to in the morning. It was a poky ['pqukI] (неприглядное), little, shabby-genteel ['Sxbi-Gqn'tJl] (с жалкими претензиями на аристократический стиль) place, where four lines of dingy ['dInGI] (грязноватых) two-storied ['tH-'stLrId] (двухэтажных) brick [brIk] (кирпичных) houses looked out into a small railed-in [reIld-In] (огороженный) enclosure [In'klquZq] (крохотный садик), where a lawn [lLn] (лужайка) of weedy ['wJdi] (сорной) grass [grRs] (травы) and a few clumps [klAmps] (групп) of faded ['feIdId] (блеклых) laurel-bushes ['lPrql-'buSIz] (лавровых кустов) made a hard fight against a smoke-laden ['smquk-'leIdqn] (пропитанной копотью) and uncongenial ['Ankqn'Gi:njql] (неблагоприятной) atmosphere. Three gilt [gIlt] (позолоченные) balls and a brown board with "JABEZ WILSON" in white letters, upon a corner house, announced (указывали) the place where our red-headed client carried on (вел) his business. Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of it with his head on one side and looked it all over, with his eyes shining ['SaININ] (блестевшие) brightly ['braItli] (ярко) between puckered ['pAkqd] (полуприкрытыми) lids [lIdz] (веками). Then he walked slowly up the street, and then down again to the corner, still looking keenly ['kJnli] (внимательно) at the houses. Finally he returned to the pawnbroker's ['pLn"brqukqz] (ссудной конторе), and, having thumped [TAmpt] (стукнув) vigorously ['vIgqrqsli] (с силой) upon the pavement ['peIvmqnt] (мостовой) with his stick two or three times, he went up to the door and knocked [nPkt] (постучал). It was instantly ['Instqntli] (тотчас же) opened by a bright-looking ['braIt-'lukIN] (расторопный), clean-shaven ["klJn-'SeIv(q)n] (чисто выбритый) young fellow ['felqu] (человек), who asked him to step in.

"Thank you," said Holmes, "I only wished to ask you how you would go from here to the Strand."

"Third right, fourth left," answered the assistant promptly ['prPmptli] (мгновенно), closing the door.

"Smart [smRt] (ловкий) fellow ['felqu] (малый), that," observed Holmes as we walked away. "He is, in my judgment ['GAGmqnt] (мнению) the fourth smartest ['smRtIst] (по ловкости) man in London, and for daring ['deqrIN] (храбрости) I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have known something of him before."

"Evidently ['evIdqntli] (очевидно)," said I, "Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good deal (большую роль) in this mystery ['mIst(q)rI] (тайне) of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you inquired [In'kwaIqd] (спросили) your way merely in order that you might see him."

"Not him."

"What then?"

"The knees of his trousers."

"And what did you see?"

"What I expected to see."

"Why did you beat the pavement ['peIvmqnt] (мостовую)?"

"My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We are spies [spaIz] (шпионы) in an enemy's ['enImiz] (врага) country. We know something of Saxe-Coburg Square. Let us now explore the parts which lie behind it."

До встречи!

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Алексей Винидиктов
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