roused [rauzd], chivalrous [ˈʃɪv(ǝ)lrǝs], misjudged [mɪsˈʤʌʤd]
“Is it possible?” gasped the banker.
“You then roused his anger by calling him names at a moment when he felt that he had deserved your warmest thanks. He could not explain the true state of affairs without betraying one who certainly deserved little enough consideration at his hands. He took the more chivalrous view, however, and preserved her secret.”
“And that was why she shrieked and fainted when she saw the coronet,” cried Mr. Holder. “Oh, my God! what a blind fool I have been! And his asking to be allowed to go out for five minutes! The dear fellow wanted to see if the missing piece were at the scene of the struggle. How cruelly I have misjudged him!’
“When I arrived at the house (когда я прибыл в этот дом),” continued Holmes (продолжал Холмс), “I at once went very carefully round it to observe (я сразу же очень тщательно его обошел = осмотрел его, чтобы проверить) if there were any traces in the snow which might help me (нет ли на снегу каких-либо следов, которые могут мне помочь). I knew that none had fallen since the evening before (я знал, что со вчерашнего вечера снега не выпадало; to fall-fell-fallen), and also that there had been a strong frost to preserve impressions (и что сильный мороз, должно быть, сохранил следы). I passed along the tradesmen’s path (я прошел по дорожке, по которой подвозят продукты), but found it all trampled down and indistinguishable (но она вся была утоптана, и /следы на ней/ были неразличимы; to distinguish — различать). Just beyond it, however, at the far side of the kitchen door (однако сразу за ней, на противоположной стороне от кухонной двери; far side — дальняя сторона: at the far side of the garden — в дальнем углу сада), a woman had stood and talked with a man (стояла женщина и разговаривала с мужчиной), whose round impressions on one side showed that he had a wooden leg (чьи круглые отпечатки с одной стороны показывали, что у него деревянная нога).
“I could even tell that they had been disturbed (я даже смог определить, что их побеспокоили), for the woman had run back swiftly to the door (поскольку женщина быстро побежала обратно к двери), as was shown by the deep toe and light heel marks (что видно по глубоким отпечаткам носков и слабым отпечаткам пяток), while Wooden-leg had waited a little, and then had gone away (в то время как «Деревянная нога» подождал немного, а затем ушел). I thought at the time that this might be the maid and her sweetheart (тогда я подумал, что это, должно быть, горничная и ее возлюбленный), of whom you had already spoken to me (о которых вы уже говорили мне), and inquiry showed it was so (и расследование показало, что так оно и есть). I passed round the garden without seeing anything more than random tracks (я обошел сад, но больше ничего не нашел, кроме беспорядочных следов; random — случайный; произвольный; беспорядочный), which I took to be the police (которые я посчитал следами полиции); but when I got into the stable lane (но когда я вышел на дорожку, ведущую к конюшне) a very long and complex story was written in the snow in front of me (очень длинная и запутанная история была написана на снегу передо мной).
preserve [prɪˈzǝ:v], path [pɑ:Ɵ], random [ˈrændǝm]
“When I arrived at the house,” continued Holmes, “I at once went very carefully round it to observe if there were any traces in the snow which might help me. I knew that none had fallen since the evening before, and also that there had been a strong frost to preserve impressions. I passed along the tradesmen’s path, but found it all trampled down and indistinguishable. Just beyond it, however, at the far side of the kitchen door, a woman had stood and talked with a man, whose round impressions on one side showed that he had a wooden leg.
“I could even tell that they had been disturbed, for the woman had run back swiftly to the door, as was shown by the deep toe and light heel marks, while Wooden-leg had waited a little, and then had gone away. I thought at the time that this might be the maid and her sweetheart, of whom you had already spoken to me, and inquiry showed it was so. I passed round the garden without seeing anything more than random tracks, which I took to be the police; but when I got into the stable lane a very long and complex story was written in the snow in front of me.
“There was a double line of tracks of a booted man (одна двойная линия следов, /принадлежавших/ обутому человеку), and a second double line which I saw with delight belonged to a man with naked feet (а вторая, как я с удовлетворением заметил, принадлежала человеку с босыми ногами). I was at once convinced from what you had told me (я сразу же понял, /вспомнив/, что вы мне говорили) that the latter was your son (что вторым человеком был ваш сын). The first had walked both ways (первый человек прошел туда и обратно), but the other had run swiftly (а второй быстро пробежал), and as his tread was marked in places over the depression of the boot (и, так как его следы кое-где остались поверх отпечатков ботинок), it was obvious that he had passed after the other (было ясно, что он преследовал другого = что второй преследовал первого). I followed them up and found they led to the hall window (я пошел по следам и обнаружил, что они ведут к окну гостиной), where Boots had worn all the snow away while waiting (где этот «Ботинки» истоптал весь снег, ожидая /кого-то/; to wear away — стирать, изнашивать).
“Then I walked to the other end (затем я пошел к другому концу /следов/), which was a hundred yards or more down the lane (они тянулись по дорожке на сотню ярдов или больше). I saw where Boots had faced round (я увидел, где «Ботинки» развернулся), where the snow was cut up as though there had been a struggle (в том месте снег был сильно истоптан, словно там произошла борьба; to cut up — разрезать, разрубать на куски; разбивать, уничтожать), and, finally, where a few drops of blood had fallen (и наконец /я нашел место/, где упало несколько капель крови), to show me that I was not mistaken (и это свидетельствовало о том, что я не ошибся). Boots had then run down the lane (человек в ботинках затем побежал по дорожке), and another little smudge of blood showed (а еще одно небольшое пятно крови говорило о том) that it was he who had been hurt (что ранен был именно он). When he came to the highroad at the other end (когда он вышел на главную дорогу; highroad — большая/столбовая дорога; главный путь), I found that the pavement had been cleared (я обнаружил, что /снег/ с тротуара был счищен), so there was an end to that clew (и там следы обрывались; clew = clue — путеводная нить; улика).
naked [ˈneɪkɪd], blood [blʌd], pavement [ˈpeɪvmǝnt]
“There was a double line of tracks of a booted man, and a second double line which I saw with delight belonged to a man with naked feet. I was at once convinced from what you had told me that the latter was your son. The first had walked both ways, but the other had run swiftly, and as his tread was marked in places over the depression of the boot, it was obvious that he had passed after the other. I followed them up and found they led to the hall window, where Boots had worn all the snow away while waiting.
“Then I walked to the other end, which was a hundred yards or more down the lane. I saw where Boots had faced round, where the snow was cut up as though there had been a struggle, and, finally, where a few drops of blood had fallen, to show me that I was not mistaken. Boots had then run down the lane, and another little smudge of blood showed that it was he who had been hurt. When he came to the highroad at the other end, I found that the pavement had been cleared, so there was an end to that clew.
“On entering the house, however, I examined, as you remember (войдя в дом, я осмотрел, как вы помните), the sill and framework of the hall window with my lens (подоконник и раму окна гостиной с помощью лупы), and I could at once see that someone had passed out (и сразу обнаружил, что кто-то вылезал из окна; to pass — идти, проходить, переходить). I could distinguish the outline of an instep (я смог разглядеть очертания следа /там/; outline — очертание, контур, абрис; instep — подъем /ноги, ботинка/) where the wet foot had been placed in coming in (где /кто-то/ поставил мокрую ногу, залезая внутрь). I was then beginning to be able to form an opinion as to what had occurred (тогда я был в состоянии составить мнение относительно того, что произошло). A man had waited outside the window (какой-то человек ждал на улице у окна); someone had brought the gems (кто-то принес /и передал ему/ камни); the deed had been overseen by your son (это действие случайно увидел ваш сын); he had pursued the thief (он погнался за вором); had struggled with him (вступил с ним в борьбу); they had each tugged at the coronet (каждый из них тянул диадему /к себе/), their united strength causing injuries which neither alone could have effected (их общее усилие вызвало такие повреждения, которые ни один из них не смог бы причинить /диадеме/ в одиночку). He had returned with the prize (Артур вернулся с диадемой: «наградой»), but had left a fragment in the grasp of his opponent (но оставил кусок в руках у противника; grasp — схватывание; крепкое сжатие; хватка). So far I was clear (пока все было понятно). The question now was (но возникал вопрос), who was the man and who was it brought him the coronet (кто же тот человек, и кто принес ему диадему)?
opinion [ǝˈpɪnjǝn], brought [brɔ:t], pursued [pǝˈsju:d], grasp [ɡrɑ:sp]
“On entering the house, however, I examined, as you remember, the sill and framework of the hall window with my lens, and I could at once see that someone had passed out. I could distinguish the outline of an instep where the wet foot had been placed in coming in. I was then beginning to be able to form an opinion as to what had occurred. A man had waited outside the window; someone had brought the gems; the deed had been overseen by your son; he had pursued the thief; had struggled with him; they had each tugged at the coronet, their united strength causing injuries which neither alone could have effected. He had returned with the prize, but had left a fragment in the grasp of his opponent. So far I was clear. The question now was, who was the man and who was it brought him the coronet?
“It is an old maxim of mine that (мой старый принцип /расследования состоит в том, что/; maxim — афоризм, изречение; правило поведения, принцип) when you have excluded the impossible (когда исключаешь невозможное), whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth (то, что остается, каким бы неправдоподобным оно ни казалось, является истиной). Now, I knew that it was not you who had brought it down (итак, я знал, что это не вы отдали диадему), so there only remained your niece and the maids (значит, оставались только ваша племянница и горничные). But if it were the maids (если это горничные), why should your son allow himself to be accused in their place (то ради чего вашему сыну позволять себя обвинить вместо них: «на их месте» = зачем тогда ваш сын согласился взять вину на себя)? There could be no possible reason (для этого не было возможных оснований). As he loved his cousin, however, there was an excellent explanation (однако поскольку он любит свою кузину, то появлялось великолепное объяснение) why he should retain her secret (почему он сохранил ее тайну) — the more so as the secret was a disgraceful one (тем более, что это была позорная тайна; disgrace — позор, бесчестье; унижение). When I remembered that you had seen her at that window (когда я вспомнил, что вы видели ее у окна), and how she had fainted on seeing the coronet again (и что она упала в обморок, увидев диадему снова), my conjecture became a certainty (мое предположение превратилось в уверенность).
