Arthur Conan Doyle - Английский язык с Конан Дойлем. Этюд в багровых тонах
Outside all was calm and quiet (снаружи все было тихо и спокойно). The night was fine (была ясная ночь), and the stars were twinkling brightly overhead (и звезды ярко мерцали над головой). The little front garden lay before the farmer's eyes bounded by the fence and gate (перед его глазами был маленький огороженный садик перед домом и калитка; to bound — ограничивать; fence — забор, изгородь), but neither there nor on the road was any human being to be seen (но ни там, ни на дороге не было видно ни одной живой души). With a sigh of relief, Ferrier looked to right and to left (облегченно вздохнув: «со вздохом облегчения», Феррьер посмотрел направо и налево), until happening to glance straight down at his own feet he saw to his astonishment a man (пока, не глянув случайно прямо вниз, он к удивлению своему обнаружил у самых своих ног человека) lying flat upon his face upon the ground, with arms and legs all asprawl (распластавшегося лицом к земле, раскинув руки и ноги; to lie — лежать; flat — распростертый, растянувшийся во всю длину; asprawl = sprawled out; to sprawl out — разбрасывать, раскидывать; вытягивать).
distinct [dɪˈstɪŋkt], insidious [ɪnˈsɪdɪǝs], assassin [ǝˈsæsɪn], relief [rɪˈli:f]
What was that? In the silence he heard a gentle scratching sound — low, but very distinct in the quiet of the night. It came from the door of the house. Ferrier crept into the hall and listened intently. There was a pause for a few moments, and then the low insidious sound was repeated. Someone was evidently tapping very gently upon one of the panels of the door. Was it some midnight assassin who had come to carry out the murderous orders of the secret tribunal? Or was it some agent who was marking up that the last day of grace had arrived? John Ferrier felt that instant death would be better than the suspense which shook his nerves and chilled his heart. Springing forward he drew the bolt and threw the door open.
Outside all was calm and quiet. The night was fine, and the stars were twinkling brightly overhead. The little front garden lay before the farmer's eyes bounded by the fence and gate, but neither there nor on the road was any human being to be seen. With a sigh of relief, Ferrier looked to right and to left, until happening to glance straight down at his own feet he saw to his astonishment a man lying flat upon his face upon the ground, with arms and legs all asprawl.
So unnerved was he at the sight (его так напугало это зрелище; to unnerve — лишать присутствия духа, лишать мужества) that he leaned up against the wall with his hand to his throat to stifle his inclination to call out (что он прислонился к стене с рукой к горлу, чтобы подавить готовый вырваться возглас; inclination — склонность; тенденция; to call out — воскликнуть, издать восклицание). His first thought was that the prostrate figure was that of some wounded or dying man (его первой мыслью было, что эта распростертая фигура — раненый или умирающий человек), but as he watched it he saw it writhe along the ground and into the hall (но на его глазах человек заскользил: «но пока он наблюдал за ней /фигурой/, он увидел, как она, извиваясь, поползла» по земле и в дом; to writhe — извиваться; изгибаться) with the rapidity and noiselessness of a serpent (проворно и бесшумно, как змея: «с быстротой и бесшумностью змеи»). Once within the house the man sprang to his feet (оказавшись внутри, человек вскочил на ноги), closed the door (закрыл дверь), and revealed to the astonished farmer the fierce face and resolute expression of Jefferson Hope (и перед изумленным фермером предстало пылкое, решительное лицо Джефферсона Хоупа; to reveal — открывать; обнаруживать, показывать; expression — выражение лица; fierce — свирепый; пылкий).
"Good God!" gasped John Ferrier (Боже милостивый, — перевел дух Джон Феррьер; to gasp — дышать с трудом, задыхаться; ловить воздух). "How you scared me (как ты меня напугал)! Whatever made you come in like that (что это ты вздумал: «что это заставило тебя» пробираться в такой манере)."
"Give me food," the other said, hoarsely (дайте мне чего-нибудь поесть: «дай мне пищи», — хрипло сказал тот). "I have had no time for bite or sup for eight-and-forty hours (у меня не было времени чего-нибудь поесть или попить на протяжении сорока восьми часов; bite — кусок пищи; sup — глоток; bite and sup — небольшое количество еды и питья; without bite or sup — не евши не пивши)." He flung himself upon the cold meat and bread (он набросился на холодное мясо и хлеб; to fling — бросаться, решительно приниматься) which were still lying upon the table from his host's supper (которые остались лежать на столе после ужина хозяина дома), and devoured it voraciously (и принялся жадно их поглощать; to devour — жадно есть; глотать, давясь; voraciously — прожорливо; жадно). "Does Lucy bear up well?" he asked, when he had satisfied his hunger (с Люси все хорошо? — спросил он, когда утолил свой голод; to bear up — выносить, выдерживать испытания).
stifle [staɪfl], wound [wu:nd], devour [dɪˈvauǝ]
So unnerved was he at the sight that he leaned up against the wall with his hand to his throat to stifle his inclination to call out. His first thought was that the prostrate figure was that of some wounded or dying man, but as he watched it he saw it writhe along the ground and into the hall with the rapidity and noiselessness of a serpent. Once within the house the man sprang to his feet, closed the door, and revealed to the astonished farmer the fierce face and resolute expression of Jefferson Hope.
"Good God!" gasped John Ferrier. "How you scared me! Whatever made you come in like that."
"Give me food," the other said, hoarsely. "I have had no time for bite or sup for eight-and-forty hours." He flung himself upon the cold meat and bread which were still lying upon the table from his host's supper, and devoured it voraciously. "Does Lucy bear up well?" he asked, when he had satisfied his hunger.
"Yes. She does not know the danger (она не знает об опасности)," her father answered.
"That is well (это хорошо). The house is watched on every side (за домом следят со всех сторон). That is why I crawled my way up to it (вот почему я пробрался ползком). They may be darned sharp (может, они и чертовски хитры), but they're not quite sharp enough to catch a Washoe hunter (но не настолько хитры, чтобы поймать охотника из Вошоу)."
John Ferrier felt a different man now that he realized that he had a devoted ally (Джон Феррьер чувствовал себя другим человеком теперь, когда он понял, что у него есть преданный союзник). He seized the young man's leathery hand and wrung it cordially (он схватил жесткую руку молодого человека и сердечно ее пожал; leathery — кожистый; жесткий, твердый; to wring — выкручивать; пожимать /руку/). "You're a man to be proud of (тобой можно гордиться; to be proud of smb. — гордиться: «быть гордым» кем-либо)," he said. "There are not many who would come to share our danger and our troubles (немногие бы пришли, чтобы разделить наши беды и опасности)."
"You've hit it there, pard (попал в точку, друг; to hit — попадать в цель; pard = pardner = partner — партнер, друг)," the young hunter answered (ответил молодой охотник). "I have a respect for you (я вас уважаю), but if you were alone in this business (но если бы вы один попали в такой переплет: «были один в этом деле») I'd think twice before I put my head into such a hornet's nest (я дважды бы подумал, прежде чем сунуть голову в такое осиное гнездо; to put —поместить). It's Lucy that brings me here (я здесь из-за Люси: «Люси — вот что принесло меня сюда»), and before harm comes on her (и прежде чем с ней случится беда; harm — вред; ущерб; зло) I guess there will be one less o' the Hope family in Utah (я думаю, что одним человеком из семьи Хоупов в Юте станет меньше)."
crawl [krɔ:l], ally [ˈælaɪ], trouble [trʌbl]
"Yes. She does not know the danger," her father answered.
"That is well. The house is watched on every side. That is why I crawled my way up to it. They may be darned sharp, but they're not quite sharp enough to catch a Washoe hunter."
John Ferrier felt a different man now that he realized that he had a devoted ally. He seized the young man's leathery hand and wrung it cordially. "You're a man to be proud of," he said. "There are not many who would come to share our danger and our troubles."
