?"
splutter ['splVt@], rare ['rE@], mutilate ['mju:tIleIt]
"How in the world can you say that?"
"If you examine it carefully you will see that both the pen and the ink have given the writer trouble. The pen has spluttered twice in a single word, and has run dry three times in a short address, showing that there was very little ink in the bottle. Now, a private pen or ink-bottle is seldom allowed to be in such a state, and the combination of the two must be quite rare. But you know the hotel ink and the hotel pen, where it is rare to get anything else. Yes, I have very little hesitation in saying that could we examine the waste-paper baskets of the hotels round Charing Cross until we found the remains of the mutilated Times leader we could lay our hands straight upon the person who sent this singular message. Halloa! Halloa! What's this?"
He was carefully examining the foolscap (он внимательно разглядывал листок; foolscap — лист писчей бумаги /стандартного размера/), upon which the words were pasted (на котором были приклеены слова), holding it only an inch or two from his eyes (держа его всего лишь в паре дюймов от глаз).
"Well (ну что)?"
"Nothing," said he, throwing it down (ничего, — ответил он, бросая /листок на стол/). "It is a blank half-sheet of paper (это обычные пол-листа бумаги), without even a watermark upon it (даже без водяных знаков). I think we have drawn as much as we can from this curious letter (полагаю, мы выудили: «вытащили» из этого любопытного письма все, что возможно; to draw — тащить); and now, Sir Henry (а теперь, сэр Генри, /скажите/), has anything else of interest happened to you (еще что-нибудь интересное произошло с вами) since you have been in London (с тех пор, как вы приехали в Лондон)?"
"Why, no, Mr. Holmes. I think not (да вроде бы нет, мистер Холмс, думаю, нет)."
"You have not observed anyone follow or watch you (вы не замечали никого, кто шел бы или следил за вами)?"
"I seem to have walked (кажется, я попал) right into the thick of a dime novel (прямо в гущу /событий/ какого-то дешевого романа; dime — монета в 10 центов /в Америке и Канаде/)," said our visitor (сказал наш посетитель). "Why in thunder should anyone follow or watch me (какого черта кому-то преследовать меня или следить за мной)?"
"We are coming to that (мы /как раз/ к этому подходим). You have nothing else to report to us (у вас нет ничего больше, /чтобы/ сообщить нам) before we go into this matter (прежде чем мы /продолжим/ рассмотрение этого вопроса; to go into — войти; изучать, исследовать)?"
"Well, it depends upon (ну, это зависит от того) what you think worth reporting (что вы считаете стоящим упоминания)."
"I think anything out of the ordinary routine of life well worth reporting (я считаю все, что выходит /за рамки/ привычного жизненного уклада, стоящим упоминания; ordinary — обычный)."
curious ['kju@rI@s], London ['lVnd@n], routine [ru:'ti:n]
He was carefully examining the foolscap, upon which the words were pasted, holding it only an inch or two from his eyes.
"Well?"
"Nothing," said he, throwing it down. "It is a blank half-sheet of paper, without even a watermark upon it. I think we have drawn as much as we can from this curious letter; and now, Sir Henry, has anything else of interest happened to you since you have been in London?"
"Why, no, Mr. Holmes. I think not."
"You have not observed anyone follow or watch you?"
"I seem to have walked right into the thick of a dime novel," said our visitor. "Why in thunder should anyone follow or watch me?"
"We are coming to that. You have nothing else to report to us before we go into this matter?"
"Well, it depends upon what you think worth reporting."
"I think anything out of the ordinary routine of life well worth reporting."
Sir Henry smiled (сэр Генри улыбнулся).
"I don't know much of British life yet (я еще многого не знаю о жизни в Британии), for I have spent nearly all my time in the States and in Canada (поскольку провел почти всю свою жизнь: «все свое время» в Штатах и Канаде). But I hope that to lose one of your boots (но я надеюсь, что пропажа одного из ваших ботинков; to lose — терять, лишаться) is not part of the ordinary routine of life over here (не является здесь частью привычного жизненного уклада)."
"You have lost one of your boots (у вас пропал один ботинок)?"
"My dear sir," cried Dr. Mortimer (мой дорогой сэр, — воскликнул доктор Мортимер), "it is only mislaid (да он просто /где-то/ затерялся; to mislay — положить не на место; затерять). You will find it (вы /обязательно/ его найдете) when you return to the hotel (когда вернетесь в гостиницу). What is the use of troubling Mr. Holmes with trifles of this kind (какой смысл беспокоить мистера Холмса такого рода пустяками; use — употребление; польза, смысл)?"
"Well, he asked me for anything outside the ordinary routine (ну, он спросил меня о чем-нибудь неординарном)."
"Exactly," said Holmes (совершенно верно, — сказал Холмс), "however foolish the incident may seem (каким бы глупым происшествие не казалось). You have lost one of your boots, you say (у вас пропал ботинок, вы сказали)?"
"Well, mislaid it, anyhow (ну, он /где-то/ затерялся, не иначе; anyhow — так или иначе). I put them both outside my door last night (вчера вечером я выставил их оба за дверь), and there was only one in the morning (а утром там оказался только один). I could get no sense out of the chap (я не смог получить осмысленного ответа у парня; to get out — раскрывать /правду/; sense — чувство; смысл) who cleans them (который их чистит). The worst of it is (худшее из этого /то/) that I only bought the pair last night in the Strand (что я только накануне вечером купил эту пару на Стренде; to buy; Strand — одна из главных улиц в центральной части Лондона), and I have never had them on (и ни разу: «никогда» их не надевал)."
routine [ru:'ti:n], however [hau'ev@], pair [pE@]
Sir Henry smiled.
"I don't know much of British life yet, for I have spent nearly all my time in the States and in Canada. But I hope that to lose one of your boots is not part of the ordinary routine of life over here."
"You have lost one of your boots?"
"My dear sir," cried Dr. Mortimer, "it is only mislaid. You will find it when you return to the hotel. What is the use of troubling Mr. Holmes with trifles of this kind?"
"Well, he asked me for anything outside the ordinary routine."
"Exactly," said Holmes, "however foolish the incident may seem. You have lost one of your boots, you say?"
"Well, mislaid it, anyhow. I put them both outside my door last night, and there was only one in the morning. I could get no sense out of the chap who cleans them. The worst of it is that I only bought the pair last night in the Strand, and I have never had them on."
"If you have never worn them (если вы их никогда не носили; to wear), why did you put them out to be cleaned (зачем вы их выставили для чистки)?"
"They were tan boots (ботинки были желто-коричневые), and had never been varnished (и не начищены; to varnish — лакировать). That was why I put them out (вот почему я их выставил)."
"Then I understand that on your arrival in London yesterday (насколько я понимаю, вчера по приезде в Лондон) you went out at once and bought a pair of boots (вы сразу же пошли и купили пару ботинок)?"
"I did a good deal of shopping (я сделал много покупок). Dr. Mortimer here went round with me (вот доктор Мортимер меня сопровождал; to go round — появляться вместе /в обществе/). You see, if I am to be squire down there (понимаете, если мне суждено стать там видной фигурой; squire — сквайр /помещик, особенно главный землевладелец прихода/) I must dress the part (я должен соответствующе одеваться: «одеваться в соответствии с ролью»; part — часть; роль), and it may be that I have got a little careless in my ways out West (а я, возможно, стал несколько небрежен в этом смысле там на Западе; way — путь; аспект). Among other things I bought these brown boots (среди прочих вещей я купил эти коричневые ботинки) — gave six dollars for them (отдал за них шесть долларов) — and had one stolen before ever I had them on my feet (и один украли, прежде чем я их хоть раз надел на ноги; to steal)."
"It seems a singularly useless thing to steal (/один ботинок/ кажется совершенно бесполезной вещью, чтоб его красть; singularly — в единственном числе; особенно)," said Sherlock Holmes. "I confess that I share Dr. Mortimer's belief (сознаюсь, что разделяю мнение доктора Мортимера; belief — вера; мнение, убеждение) that it will not be long before the missing boot is found (что не много времени пройдет, прежде чем пропавший ботинок найдется)."
varnish ['vA:nIS], arrival [@'raIv(@)l], careless ['kE@lIs]
"If you have never worn them, why did you put them out to be cleaned?"
"They were tan boots, and had never been varnished. That was why I put them out."
"Then I understand that on your arrival in London yesterday you went out at once and bought a pair of boots?"
"I did a good deal of shopping. Dr. Mortimer here went round with me. You see, if I am to be squire down there I must dress the part, and it may be that I have got a little careless in my ways out West. Among other things I bought these brown boots — gave six dollars for them — and had one stolen before ever I had them on my feet."