A sudden idea occurred to me (внезапная мысль пришла мне в голову; to occur — происходить; приходить на ум), and I took the candle from the window-sill (и я взял свечу с подоконника), where the butler had placed it (где ее поставил дворецкий).
"He must have been holding it as a signal (он, должно быть, держал ее как сигнал)," said I. "Let us see if there is any answer (давайте посмотрим, не будет ли какого ответа)." I held it as he had done (я держал ее так, как он это делал), and stared out into the darkness of the night (и всматривался в темноту ночи). Vaguely I could discern the black bank of the trees (я едва мог разглядеть темную линию деревьев) and the lighter expanse of the moor (и более светлую ширь болот), for the moon was behind the clouds (так как луна спряталась за тучи: «была позади туч»). And then I gave a cry of exultation (и тут я издал торжествующий крик), for a tiny pin-point of yellow light (потому что крошечная точечка желтого света; pin-point — острие булавки; что-либо очень маленькое) had suddenly transfixed the dark veil (внезапно пронизала темную пелену), and glowed steadily in the centre of the black square framed by the window (и ровно засияла в центре черного квадрата, обрамленного оконной рамой).
agitation [ˌædʒɪˈteɪʃ(ǝ)n], truth [tru:Ɵ], discern [dɪˈsǝ:n]
"What are you doing here, Barrymore?"
"Nothing, sir." His agitation was so great that he could hardly speak, and the shadows sprang up and down from the shaking of his candle. "It was the window, sir. I go round at night to see that they are fastened."
"On the second floor?"
"Yes, sir, all the windows."
"Look here, Barrymore," said Sir Henry, sternly; "we have made up our minds to have the truth out of you, so it will save you trouble to tell it sooner rather than later. Come, now! No lies! What were you doing at that window?"
The fellow looked at us in a helpless way, and he wrung his hands together like one who is in the last extremity of doubt and misery.
"I was doing no harm, sir. I was holding a candle to the window."
"And why were you holding a candle to the window?"
"Don't ask me, Sir Henry — don't ask me! I give you my word, sir, that it is not my secret, and that I cannot tell it. If it concerned no one but myself I would not try to keep it from you."
A sudden idea occurred to me, and I took the candle from the window-sill, where the butler had placed it.
"He must have been holding it as a signal," said I. "Let us see if there is any answer." I held it as he had done, and stared out into the darkness of the night. Vaguely I could discern the black bank of the trees and the lighter expanse of the moor, for the moon was behind the clouds. And then I gave a cry of exultation, for a tiny pin-point of yellow light had suddenly transfixed the dark veil, and glowed steadily in the centre of the black square framed by the window.
"There it is!" I cried (вот оно, — воскликнул я).
"No, no, sir, it is nothing — nothing at all!" the butler broke in (нет-нет, сэр, это ничего, совсем ничего, — вмешался дворецкий; to break in — врываться; вмешиваться, прерывать); "I assure you, sir (уверяю вас, сэр) ——"
"Move your light across the window, Watson (переместите свечу с одной стороны окна на другую; across — поперек; от края до края)!" cried the baronet. "See, the other moves also (смотрите, та другая тоже движется)! Now, you rascal, do you deny that it is a signal (ну, мошенник, будете теперь отрицать, что это сигнал)? Come, speak up (давайте, признавайтесь; to speak up — говорить громко и отчетливо)! Who is your confederate out yonder (кто этот ваш сообщник), and what is this conspiracy that is going on (и что это здесь за тайный заговор; to go on — продолжать; происходить, иметь место)?"
The man's face became openly defiant (лицо дворецкого стало откровенно дерзким; openly — открыто, публично; откровенно).
"It is my business, and not yours. I will not tell (это мое дело, а не ваше, и я /ничего/ не скажу)."
"Then you leave my employment right away (значит вы покидаете службу у меня прямо сейчас)."
"Very good, sir. If I must I must (очень хорошо, сэр, если надо, так надо)."
"And you go in disgrace (и вы уйдете с позором). By thunder, you may well be ashamed of yourself (Боже мой, вы могли бы стыдиться). Your family has lived with mine (ваш род жил вместе с моим) for over a hundred years under this roof (больше ста лет под одной крышей), and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me (и вот я обнаруживаю, что вы серьезно /замешаны/ в каком-то заговоре против меня; plot — интрига, заговор)."
"No, no, sir; no, not against you (нет-нет, сэр, не против вас)!" It was a woman's voice (это был женский голос), and Mrs. Barrymore, paler and more horror-struck than her husband (и миссис Бэрримор, еще более бледная и перепуганная, чем ее муж; to strike — ударять; вселять /страх/; horror — ужас), was standing at the door (стояла в дверях). Her bulky figure in a shawl and skirt might have been comic (ее дородная фигура в шали и юбке могла бы показаться комичной) were it not for the intensity of feeling upon her face (не будь на лице ее такой глубины чувств; intensity — интенсивность; яркость, глубина).
butler [ˈbʌtlǝ], defiant [dɪˈfaɪǝnt], shawl [ʃɔ:l]
"There it is!" I cried.
"No, no, sir, it is nothing — nothing at all!" the butler broke in; "I assure you, sir —"
"Move your light across the window, Watson!" cried the baronet. "See, the other moves also! Now, you rascal, do you deny that it is a signal? Come, speak up! Who is your confederate out yonder, and what is this conspiracy that is going on?"
The man's face became openly defiant.
"It is my business, and not yours. I will not tell."
"Then you leave my employment right away."
"Very good, sir. If I must I must."
"And you go in disgrace. By thunder, you may well be ashamed of yourself. Your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under this roof, and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me."
"No, no, sir; no, not against you!" It was a woman's voice, and Mrs. Barrymore, paler and more horror-struck than her husband, was standing at the door. Her bulky figure in a shawl and skirt might have been comic were it not for the intensity of feeling upon her face.
"We have to go, Eliza (нам придется уехать, Элайза). This is the end of it (вот тебе результат; end — конец; итог, результат). You can pack our things (можешь паковать наши вещи)," said the butler.
"Oh, John, John, have I brought you to this (о, Джон, я довела тебя до этого)? It is my doing, Sir Henry — all mine (это все моя вина, сэр Генри; doing — действие, деятельность). He has done nothing except for my sake (он сделал это все ради меня), and because I asked him (и потому что я его просила)."
"Speak out, then! What does it mean (тогда расскажите, что /все/ это значит)?"
"My unhappy brother is starving on the moor (мой несчастный брат умирает с голоду на болотах). We cannot let him perish at our very gates (мы не можем позволить ему погибнуть у самых наших ворот = у нашего порога). The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him (свет — это сигнал ему, что еда для него готова), and his light out yonder is to show the spot (а он своим светом должен показать место) to which to bring it (куда ее принести)."
"Then your brother is (значит, ваш брат) ——"
"The escaped convict, sir — Selden, the criminal (беглый каторжник, убийца Сэлдэн)."
"That's the truth, sir (это правда, сэр)," said Barrymore. "I said that it was not my secret (я говорил, что это не моя тайна) and that I could not tell it to you (и что я не могу ее вам рассказать = раскрыть). But now you have heard it (но сейчас вы все услышали), and you will see that if there was a plot (и вы видите, что если и был заговор) it was not against you (то не против вас)."
except [ɪkˈsept], signal [sɪɡnl], perish [ˈperɪʃ]
"We have to go, Eliza. This is the end of it. You can pack our things," said the butler.
"Oh, John, John, have I brought you to this? It is my doing, Sir Henry — all mine. He has done nothing except for my sake, and because I asked him."
"Speak out, then! What does it mean?"
"My unhappy brother is starving on the moor. We cannot let him perish at our very gates. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it."
"Then your brother is ——"
"The escaped convict, sir — Selden, the criminal."
"That's the truth, sir," said Barrymore. "I said that it was not my secret and that I could not tell it to you. But now you have heard it, and you will see that if there was a plot it was not against you."
This, then, was the explanation of the stealthy expeditions at night (вот это и было объяснением тайных хождений по ночам) and the light at the window (и света в окне). Sir Henry and I both stared at the woman in amazement (мы с сэром Генри оба уставились на женщину в изумлении). Was it possible that this stolidly respectable person (могло ли такое быть, что эта флегматичная, почтенная особа) was of the same blood (была тех же кровей) as one of the most notorious criminals in the country (что и один из самых отъявленных преступников в графстве)?
"Yes, sir, my name was Selden (да, сэр, у меня была фамилия Сэлдэн), and he is my younger brother (и он мой младший брат). We humoured him too much when he was a lad (мы слишком баловали его в детстве: «когда он был мальчиком»), and gave him his own way in everything (и разрешали делать все, что ему в голову взбредет; one’s own way — по-своему, как заблагорассудится) until he came to think that the world was made for his pleasure (пока он не пришел к мысли, что мир создан для его удовольствия), and that he could do what he liked in it (и что он может делать в нем все, что ему нравится). Then, as he grew older (потом, когда он стал старше; to grow — расти; становиться), he met wicked companions (он встретил плохих товарищей = попал в дурную компанию), and the devil entered into him (и дьявол/бес вселился: «вошел» в него) until he broke my mother's heart (пока он не разбил материнское сердце) and dragged our name in the dirt (и не вывалял наше имя в грязи; to drag — тащить, волочить). From crime to crime he sank lower and lower (от преступления к преступлению он опускался все ниже и ниже; to sink — тонуть; опускаться, падать), until it is only the mercy of God which has snatched him from the scaffold (и только милость Божия уберегла его от виселицы; to snatch — хватать; похитить); but to me, sir, he was always the little curly-headed boy (но для меня, сэр, он был всегда маленьким кудрявым мальчиком) that I had nursed and played with (с которым я нянчилась и играла), as an elder sister would (как это обычно /делает/ старшая сестра). That was why he broke prison, sir (вот почему он убежал из тюрьмы; to break — ломать; преодолевать). He knew that I was here (он знал, что я /живу/ здесь) and that we could not refuse to help him (и что мы не откажемся ему помочь).
