."
"Well, I don't know why not," said the inspector. "He doesn't look a credit to the Bow Street cells, does he?" He slipped his key into the lock, and we all very quietly entered the cell. The sleeper half turned, and then settled down once more into a deep slumber. Holmes stooped to the water jug, moistened his sponge, and then rubbed it twice vigorously across and down the prisoner's face.
"Let me introduce you," he shouted, "to Mr. Neville St. Clair, of Lee, in the county of Kent."
Never in my life have I seen such a sight (никогда в жизни не видел я такого зрелища). The man's face peeled off under the sponge like the bark from a tree (лицо снялось под /действием/ губки, как кора с дерева; peel — кожица, корка; to peel — снимать кожицу, кору). Gone was the coarse brown tint (исчез грубый коричневый оттенок = загар)! Gone, too, the horrid scar (исчез также ужасный шрам) which had seamed it across (который бороздил /все лицо/; seam — шов), and the twisted lip (разрезанная: «скрученная, изогнутая» губа) which had given the repulsive sneer to the face (которая придавала отталкивающую ухмылку лицу)! A twitch brought away the tangled red hair (резкое движение /Холмса/ убрало спутанные рыжие волосы), and there, sitting up in his bed (сидя в кровати), was a pale (бледный), sad-faced (печальный), refined-looking man (утонченно выглядящий человек), black-haired and smooth-skinned (черноволосый и с гладкой кожей), rubbing his eyes and staring about him with sleepy bewilderment (протирающий глаза и глядящий вокруг себя с сонным недоумением). Then suddenly realizing the exposure (внезапно осознав «выставление на вид» = что его раскрыли), he broke into a scream (вскрикнул) and threw himself down with his face to the pillow (и зарылся головой в подушку).
sneer [snI@], tangled [t&Ngld], bewilderment [bI'wIld@m@nt], exposure [Ik'sp@uZ@]
Never in my life have I seen such a sight. The man's face peeled off under the sponge like the bark from a tree. Gone was the coarse brown tint! Gone, too, the horrid scar which had seamed it across, and the twisted lip which had given the repulsive sneer to the face! A twitch brought away the tangled red hair, and there, sitting up in his bed, was a pale, sad-faced, refined-looking man, black-haired and smooth-skinned, rubbing his eyes and staring about him with sleepy bewilderment. Then suddenly realizing the exposure, he broke into a scream and threw himself down with his face to the pillow.
"Great heavens (о Господи)!" cried the inspector, "it is, indeed, the missing man (пропавший человек). I know him from the photograph (я узнаю его благодаря фотографии)."
The prisoner turned with the reckless air of a man (заключенный повернулся с безнадежным видом человека; reckless — бездумный; безразличный) who abandons himself to his destiny (который предает себя своей судьбе = не противится судьбе). "Be it so (будь что будет)," said he. "And pray what am I charged with (пожалуйста /объясните/, в чем я обвиняюсь)?"
abandon [@'b&nd@n], destiny ['destInI], charged [tSA:dZd]
"With making away with Mr. Neville St. (в убийстве мистера Невилла Сент—…). Oh, come (ну), you can't be charged with that (вы не можете быть обвинены в этом) unless they make a case of attempted suicide of it (если только они не заведут дело о попытке самоубийства)," said the inspector with a grin (с усмешкой). "Well, I have been twenty-seven years in the force (я двадцать семь лет /служу/ в полиции), but this really takes the cake (но действительно занимает первое место: «берет пирог» = ничего подобного не видел)."
suicide ['su:IsaId], cake [keIk]
"Great heavens!" cried the inspector, "it is, indeed, the missing man. I know him from the photograph."
The prisoner turned with the reckless air of a man who abandons himself to his destiny. "Be it so," said he. "And pray what am I charged with?"
"With making away with Mr. Neville St.— Oh, come, you can't be charged with that unless they make a case of attempted suicide of it," said the inspector with a grin. "Well, I have been twenty-seven years in the force, but this really takes the cake."
"If I am Mr. Neville St. Clair, then it is obvious (очевидно) that no crime has been committed (что никакого преступления не было совершено), and that, therefore (следовательно), I am illegally detained (я незаконно задержан)."
obvious ['ObvI@s], therefore ['De@fO:], detained [dI'teInd]
"No crime, but a very great error (очень большая ошибка) has been committed," said Holmes. "You would have done better to have trusted you wife (вы сделали бы лучше, если = зря вы не доверились вашей жене)."
"It was not the wife (это была не жена = дело не в жене); it was the children (а в детях)," groaned the prisoner (простонал заключенный). "God help me (да поможет мне Бог), I would not have them ashamed of their father (я не хотел /бы/, чтобы они стыдились своего отца). My God! What an exposure (какой позор)! What can I do?"
"If I am Mr. Neville St. Clair, then it is obvious that no crime has been committed, and that, therefore, I am illegally detained."
"No crime, but a very great error has been committed," said Holmes. "You would have done better to have trusted you wife."
"It was not the wife; it was the children," groaned the prisoner. "God help me, I would not have them ashamed of their father. My God! What an exposure! What can I do?"
Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on the couch (сел рядом с ним на койку) and patted him kindly on the shoulder (похлопал его ласково по плечу).
"If you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up (если вы предоставите /это/ суду /общей юрисдикции/ разбираться в этом деле)," said he, "of course you can hardly avoid publicity (едва ли избежите огласки). On the other hand (с другой стороны), if you convince the police authorities (если вы убедите полицейские органы) that there is no possible case against you (что нет возможного дела против вас = нет никакой вины), I do not know that there is any reason (я не знаю, какое есть основание) that the details should find their way into the papers (чтобы подробности нашли путь в газеты = то газеты ничего не узнают). Inspector Bradstreet would, I am sure (уверен), make notes upon anything which you might tell us (сделает записи всего того = запишет все, что вы можете рассказать нам) and submit it to the proper authorities (и предоставить это надлежащим властям). The case would then never go into court at all (дело тогда никогда не попадет в суд вообще)."
court [kO:t], publicity [pV'blIsItI], authorities [O:'TOrItIz], proper ['prOp@]
Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on the couch and patted him kindly on the shoulder.
"If you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up," said he, "of course you can hardly avoid publicity. On the other hand, if you convince the police authorities that there is no possible case against you, I do not know that there is any reason that the details should find their way into the papers. Inspector Bradstreet would, I am sure, make notes upon anything which you might tell us and submit it to the proper authorities. The case would then never go into court at all."
"God bless you (благослови вас Бог)!" cried the prisoner passionately (воскликнул узник горячо). "I would have endured imprisonment (я бы вынес заключение), aye (да), even execution (даже казнь), rather than have left my miserable secret as a family blot to my children (вместо того, чтобы = только бы не оставить моей жалкой тайны как семейное бесчестье моим детям = лишь бы не опозорить детей; blot — пятно).
passionately ['p&S@nItlI], endured [In'dju@d], execution [eksI'kju:Sn]
"You are the first (вы первые) who have ever heard my story (кто когда-либо слышал = кто услышит мою историю). My father was a schoolmaster (мой отец был школьным учителем) in Chesterfield, where I received an excellent education (где я получил превосходное образование). I travelled in my youth (я путешествовал в молодости), took to the stage (поступил в театр), and finally became a reporter (наконец стал репортером) on an evening paper in London (в вечерней газете в Лондоне). One day my editor (редактор) wished to have a series of articles upon begging in the metropolis (заказал серию статей о нищенстве в столице), and I volunteered to supply them (вызвался добровольно написать: «поставить» их). There was the point from which all my adventures started (точка, с которой все мои приключения начались). It was only by trying begging as an amateur (только пробовав попрошайничать как любитель) that I could get the facts upon which to base my articles (я мог добыть факты, на которых /можно/ построить: «основать» мои статьи). When an actor (как актер) I had, of course, learned all the secrets of making up (изучил все секреты гримирования), and had been famous in the greenroom (славился в артистической среде /грим-уборной/) for my skill (за мое умение). I took advantage now of my attainments (извлек выгоду из моих знаний; attainment — достижение, приобретение; attainments — образованность, знание). I painted my face (раскрасил лицо), and to make myself as pitiable as possible (и чтобы сделать себя таким жалким, как только возможно = для большей жалости) I made a good scar