"The moment for which I had waited so long had at last come (тот момент, которого я так долго ждал, наконец наступил). I had my enemies within my power (мои враги были в моей власти). Together they could protect each other (вместе они могли защитить друг друга), but singly they were at my mercy (но по отдельности они были в моей милости). I did not act, however, with undue precipitation (но я не стал действовать с неуместной поспешностью). My plans were already formed (мой план уже созрел: «мои планы были уже сформированы»). There is no satisfaction in vengeance (в мести не найти удовлетворения) unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes him (если у обидчика нет времени осознать, кто наносит ему удар), and why retribution has come upon him (и почему возмездие настигло его). I had my plans arranged by which I should have the opportunity (по моему плану у меня должна была быть возможность; to arrange — организовывать, подготавливать) of making the man who had wronged me (заставить человека, который причинил мне зло) understand that his old sin had found him out (понять, что он расплачивается за старые грехи: «что его прошлый грех нашел его»). It chanced that some days before (случилось так, что несколько дней назад) a gentleman who had been engaged in looking over some houses in the Brixton Road (джентльмен, который осматривал несколько домов по Брикстон-роуд) had dropped the key of one of them in my carriage (обронил ключ от одного из них у меня в кебе). It was claimed that same evening, and returned (он пришел за ним в тот же вечер и получил его обратно; to claim — требовать; заявлять о своих правах на что-либо; to return — возвращать); but in the interval I had taken a moulding of it (но за это время я успел снять с него слепок; interval — интервал, промежуток), and had a duplicate constructed (и мне с него изготовили дубликат). By means of this I had access to at least one spot in this great city (теперь: «посредством этого» у меня был доступ к хотя бы одному месту в этом огромном городе) where I could rely upon being free from interruption (где я мог быть уверен в том, что нам не помешают: «где я мог положиться на то, что буду свободен от помех»). How to get Drebber to that house was the difficult problem which I had now to solve (как доставить Дреббера в этот дом, было трудной проблемой, которую мне теперь надо было решить).
vengeance [ˈvenʤ(ǝ)ns], carriage [ˈkærɪʤ], access [ˈæksǝs]
"The moment for which I had waited so long had at last come. I had my enemies within my power. Together they could protect each other, but singly they were at my mercy. I did not act, however, with undue precipitation. My plans were already formed. There is no satisfaction in vengeance unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes him, and why retribution has come upon him. I had my plans arranged by which I should have the opportunity of making the man who had wronged me understand that his old sin had found him out. It chanced that some days before a gentleman who had been engaged in looking over some houses in the Brixton Road had dropped the key of one of them in my carriage. It was claimed that same evening, and returned; but in the interval I had taken a moulding of it, and had a duplicate constructed. By means of this I had access to at least one spot in this great city where I could rely upon being free from interruption. How to get Drebber to that house was the difficult problem which I had now to solve.
"He walked down the road and went into one or two liquor shops (он пошел вниз по улице и зашел в один или парочку винных магазинчиков; liquor — спиртной напиток; liquor shop — винный магазин), staying for nearly half-an-hour in the last of them (задержавшись почти на полчаса в последнем из них). When he came out he staggered in his walk (вышел он оттуда, покачиваясь: «когда он вышел, он покачивался при ходьбе»), and was evidently pretty well on (очевидно, изрядно навеселе). There was a hansom just in front of me, and he hailed it (как раз передо мной стоял экипаж, и он его подозвал; to hail — приветствовать; звать, окликать). I followed it so close that the nose of my horse was within a yard of his driver the whole way (я поехал за ним, держась так близко, что всю дорогу нос моей лошади был всего в ярде от кучера его кеба[21]). We rattled across Waterloo Bridge and through miles of streets (мы прогрохотали по мосту Ватерлоо и проехали несколько миль по улицам), until, to my astonishment, we found ourselves back in the Terrace in which he had boarded (когда, к моему удивлению, мы оказались опять на Террес, где он жил; to board — жить и питаться у кого-либо за плату). I could not imagine what his intention was in returning there (я и вообразить не мог, с какой целью он туда вернулся; intention — намерение, цель); but I went on and pulled up my cab a hundred yards or so from the house (я проехал немного дальше и остановил свой кеб примерно в ста ярдах от его дома). He entered it, and his hansom drove away (он вошел внутрь, а экипаж уехал). Give me a glass of water, if you please (дайте мне стакан воды, пожалуйста). My mouth gets dry with the talking (у меня пересыхает во рту, когда я говорю)."
I handed him the glass, and he drank it down (я протянул ему стакан, и он его осушил; to drink down — выпивать до дна).
liquor [ˈlɪkǝ], pretty [ˈprɪtɪ], mouth [mauƟ]
"He walked down the road and went into one or two liquor shops, staying for nearly half-an-hour in the last of them. When he came out he staggered in his walk, and was evidently pretty well on. There was a hansom just in front of me, and he hailed it. I followed it so close that the nose of my horse was within a yard of his driver the whole way. We rattled across Waterloo Bridge and through miles of streets, until, to my astonishment, we found ourselves back in the Terrace in which he had boarded. I could not imagine what his intention was in returning there; but I went on and pulled up my cab a hundred yards or so from the house. He entered it, and his hansom drove away. Give me a glass of water, if you please. My mouth gets dry with the talking."
I handed him the glass, and he drank it down.
"That's better (так лучше)," he said. "Well, I waited for a quarter of an hour, or more (ну, я прождал с четверть часа или больше), when suddenly there came a noise like people struggling inside the house (как вдруг послышался шум, словно в доме кто-то дрался). Next moment the door was flung open and two men appeared (в следующее мгновение дверь распахнулась, и появились двое), one of whom was Drebber (один из которых был Дреббер), and the other was a young chap whom I had never seen before (а второй — молодой парень, которого я никогда раньше не видел). This fellow had Drebber by the collar (парень держал Дреббера за воротник), and when they came to the head of the steps (и когда он подтащил его к ступенькам: «когда они вышли на верхнюю площадку лестницы») he gave him a shove and a kick which sent him half across the road (он толкнул его и дал ему пинка, от которого тот пролетел до середины дороги: «который послал его наполовину через дорогу»). ‘You hound,’ he cried, shaking his stick at him (ты, собака, — вскричал он, угрожая ему тростью; to shake — трясти); ‘I'll teach you to insult an honest girl (я научу тебя, как оскорблять честную девушку)!’ He was so hot that I think he would have thrashed Drebber with his cudgel (он был так разозлен, что, я думаю, он бы отмочалил Дреббера своей дубинкой; hot — возбужденный, разгоряченный, раздраженный; to thrash — бить, стегать, хлестать), only that the cur staggered away down the road as fast as his legs would carry him (если бы мерзавец не умчался, пошатываясь, вниз по улице так быстро, как его могли унести ноги; cur — трус, малодушный человек; грубиян, хам; to stagger — шататься; идти шатаясь). He ran as far as the corner (он добежал до угла), and then, seeing my cab, he hailed me and jumped in (а там, увидев мой кеб, он подозвал меня и заскочил внутрь). ‘Drive me to Halliday's Private Hotel (отвезите меня к частной гостинице «Холидей»),’ said he.
"When I had him fairly inside my cab (когда я заполучил его к себе в кеб; fairly — должным образом; явно), my heart jumped so with joy (мое сердце так запрыгало от радости) that I feared lest at this last moment my aneurism might go wrong (что я испугался, как бы мой аневризм в этот решающий момент не сыграл бы со мной плохой шутки; last — последний; завершающий; to go wrong — выйти из строя; обернуться не так, как планировалось). I drove along slowly (я медленно ехал по улице), weighing in my own mind what it was best to do (взвешивая у себя в уме, как мне было лучше поступить). I might take him right out into the country (я мог бы вывезти его из города), and there in some deserted lane have my last interview with him (а там, в каком-нибудь пустынном переулке побеседовать с ним в последний раз; lane — узкая улочка, переулок). I had almost decided upon this (я почти склонился к этому; to decide — решать), when he solved the problem for me (когда он решил за меня мою проблему). The craze for drink had seized him again (жажда выпить снова охватила его), and he ordered me to pull up outside a gin palace (и он приказал мне остановиться возле сверкающей яркими огнями пивной; gin palace — уст., броское питейное заведение). He went in, leaving word that I should wait for him (он вошел внутрь, сказав мне: «оставив слово» подождать его). There he remained until closing time (там он оставался, пока они не закрылись: «до времени закрытия»), and when he came out he was so far gone that I knew the game was in my own hands (и когда он вышел, он настолько нагрузился, что я знал, что дичь сама идет мне в руки: «дичь была в моих собственных руках»; far gone — далеко зашедший, дошедший до крайней точки).
quarter [ˈkwɔ:tǝ], shove [ʃʌv], deserted [dɪˈzǝ:tɪd]
"That's better," he said. "Well, I waited for a quarter of an hour, or more, when suddenly there came a noise like people struggling inside the house. Next moment the door was flung open and two men appeared, one of whom was Drebber, and the other was a young chap whom I had never seen before. This fellow had Drebber by the collar, and when they came to the head of the steps he gave him a shove and a kick which sent him half across the road. ‘You hound,’ he cried, shaking his stick at him; ‘I'll teach you to insult an honest girl!’ He was so hot that I think he would have thrashed Drebber with his cudgel, only that the cur staggered away down the road as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran as far as the corner, and then, seeing my cab, he hailed me and jumped in. ‘Drive me to Halliday's Private Hotel,’ said he.
"When I had him fairly inside my cab, my heart jumped so with joy that I feared lest at this last moment my aneurism might go wrong. I drove along slowly, weighing in my own mind what it was best to do. I might take him right out into the country, and there in some deserted lane have my last interview with him. I had almost decided upon this, when he solved the problem for me. The craze for drink had seized him again, and he ordered me to pull up outside a gin palace. He went in, leaving word that I should wait for him. There he remained until closing time, and when he came out he was so far gone that I knew the game was in my own hands.
