Adventure IV. THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY (2)

"On June 3rd, that is, on Monday last, McCarthy left his house at Hatherley about three in the afternoon and walked down to the Boscombe Pool, which is a small lake formed by the spreading out of the stream which runs down the Boscombe Valley. He had been out with his serving-man in the morning at Ross, and he had told the man that he must hurry, as he had an appointment of importance to keep at three. From that appointment he never came back alive.

"From Hatherley Farm-house to the Boscombe Pool is a quarter of a mile, and two people saw him as he passed over this ground. One was an old woman, whose name is not mentioned, and the other was William Crowder, a game-keeper in the employ of Mr. Turner. Both these witnesses depose that Mr. McCarthy was walking alone. The game-keeper adds that within a few minutes of his seeing Mr. McCarthy pass he had seen his son, Mr. James McCarthy, going the same way with a gun under his arm. To the best of his belief, the father was actually in sight at the time, and the son was following him. He thought no more of the matter until he heard in the evening of the tragedy that had occurred.

"The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them. The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge. A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers. She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel. She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father. She was so frightened by their violence that she ran away and told her mother when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys quarrelling near Boscombe Pool, and that she was afraid that they were going to fight. She had hardly said the words when young Mr. McCarthy came running up to the lodge to say that he had found his father dead in the wood, and to ask for the help of the lodge-keeper. He was much excited, without either his gun or his hat, and his right hand and sleeve were observed to be stained with fresh blood. On following him they found the dead body stretched out upon the grass beside the pool. The head had been beaten in by repeated blows of some heavy and blunt weapon. The injuries were such as might very well have been inflicted by the butt-end of his son's gun, which was found lying on the grass within a few paces of the body. Under these circumstances the young man was instantly arrested, and a verdict of 'wilful murder' having been returned at the inquest on Tuesday, he was on Wednesday brought before the magistrates at Ross, who have referred the case to the next Assizes. Those are the main facts of the case as they came out before the coroner and the police-court."

"I could hardly imagine a more damning case," I remarked. "If ever circumstantial evidence pointed to a criminal it does so here."

"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing," answered Holmes thoughtfully. "It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different. It must be confessed, however, that the case looks exceedingly grave against the young man, and it is very possible that he is indeed the culprit. There are several people in the neighborhood, however, and among them Miss Turner, the daughter of the neighboring landowner, who believe in his innocence, and who have retained Lestrade, whom you may recollect in connection with 'A Study in Scarlet', to work out the case in his interest. Lestrade, being rather puzzled, has referred the case to me, and hence it is that two middle-aged gentlemen are flying westward at fifty miles an hour instead of quietly digesting their breakfasts at home."

"I am afraid," said I, "that the facts are so obvious that you will find little credit to be gained out of this case."

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact," he answered, laughing. "Besides, we may chance to hit upon some other obvious facts which may have been by no means obvious to Mr. Lestrade. You know me too well to think that I am boasting when I say that I shall either confirm or destroy his theory by means which he is quite incapable of employing, or even of understanding. To take the first example to hand, I very clearly perceive that in your bedroom the window is upon the right-hand side, and yet I question whether Mr. Lestrade would have noted even so self-evident a thing as that."

"How on earth--"

"My dear fellow, I know you well. I know the military neatness which characterizes you. You shave every morning, and in this season you shave by the sunlight; but since your shaving is less and less complete as we get farther back on the left side, until it becomes positively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw, it is surely very clear that that side is less illuminated than the other. I could not imagine a man of your habits looking at himself in an equal light and being satisfied with such a result. I only quote this as a trivial example of observation and inference. Therein lies my metier, and it is just possible that it may be of some service in the investigation which lies before us. There are one or two minor points which were brought out in the inquest, and which are worth considering."

Adventure IV. The Boscombe Valley Mystery (2) (с подсказками)

"On June [Gu:n] (июнь) 3rd, that is, on Monday ['mAndI] (понедельник) last, McCarthy left his house at Hatherley about three in the afternoon and walked down to the Boscombe Pool, which is a small lake [leIk] (озеро) formed by the spreading out (разлив) of the stream [strJm] (ручей) which runs down the Boscombe Valley ['vxlI] (долина). He had been out with his serving-man ['sE:vINmqn] (слуга) in the morning at Ross, and he had told the man that he must hurry ['hAri] (торопиться), as he had an appointment (встреча) of importance to keep at three. From that appointment he never came back alive [q'laIv] (живой).

"From Hatherley Farm-house ['fRmhaus] (ферма) to the Boscombe Pool is a quarter of a mile, and two people saw him as he passed over this ground. One was an old woman, whose name is not mentioned, and the other was William ['wIliqm] (Вильям) Crowderљ(Краудер), a game-keeper ['geIm-"kJpq] (лесник) in the employ of Mr. Turner. Both these witnesses ['wItnIsIz] (свидетели) depose [dI'pquz] (давать показания) that Mr. McCarthy was walking alone. The game-keeper ['geIm-"kJpq] (лесник) adds that within a few minutes of his seeing Mr. McCarthy pass he had seen his son, Mr. James McCarthy, going the same way with a gun under his arm. To the best of his belief, the father was actually in sight at the time, and the son was following him. He thought no more of the matter until he heard in the evening of the tragedy ['trxGIdI] (трагедия) that had occurred.

"The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William ['wIliqm] (Вильям) Crowderљ(Краудер), the game-keeper ['geIm-"kJpq] (лесник), lost sight of them. The Boscombe Pool is thickly ['TIkli] (густо) wooded ['wudId] (лесистый) round, with just a fringe [frInG] (кайма) of grass [grRs] (трава) and of reeds [rJdz] (тростник) round the edge. A girl of fourteen ["fL'tJn] (четырнадцать), Patience ['peISqns] (Пэшенс) Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge [lPG] (сторожка)-keeper of the Boscombe Valley ['vxlI] (долина) estate (поместье), was in one of the woods picking flowers. She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake [leIk] (озеро), Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent ['vaIqlqnt] (яростная) quarrel ['kwPrql] (ссора). She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder ['eldq] (старший) using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter (последний) raise up his hand as if to strike his father. She was so frightened ['fraItnd] (была так напугана) by their violence (насилие) that she ran away and told her mother when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys quarrelling ['kwPr(q)lIN] (ссорящиеся) near Boscombe Pool, and that she was afraid that they were going to fight. She had hardly (едва) said the words when young Mr. McCarthy came running up to the lodge [lPG] (сторожка) to say that he had found his father dead in the wood, and to ask for the help of the lodge [lPG] (сторожка)-keeper. He was much excited [Ik'saItId] (был очень возбужден), without either his gun or his hat [hxt] (шляпа), and his right hand and sleeve [slJv] (рукав) were observed to be stained [steInd] (испачкан) with fresh blood. On following him they found the dead body stretched [streCt] out (распростертый) upon the grass [grRs] (трава) beside the pool. The head had been beaten [bJtn] in (была размозжена) by repeated blows of some heavy and blunt [blAnt] (тупое) weapon. The injuries were such as might very well have been inflicted [In'flIktId] (быть нанесены) by the butt-end [bAt-end] (приклад) of his son's gun, which was found lying on the grass [grRs] (трава) within a few paces ['peIsIz] (шаги) of the body. Under these circumstances the young man was instantly ['Instqntli] ( был немедленно) arrested [q'restId] (арестован), and a verdict ['vE:dIkt] (приговор) of 'wilful murder' ['mE:dq] (преднамеренное убийство) having been returned at the inquest ['Inkwest] (следствие) on Tuesday ['tju:zdI] (вторник), he was on Wednesday ['wenzdI] (среда) brought before the magistrates ['mxGIstreIts] (судьи) at Ross, who have referred the case to the next Assizes [q'saIzIz] (выездная сессия суда присяжных). Those are the main facts of the case as they came out before the coroner ['kPrqnq] (следователь) and the police-court [pq'li:s'kLt] (полицейский суд)."

"I could hardly imagine a more damning ['dxmIN] (гнусное) case," I remarked [rI'mRkt] (отметил). "If ever circumstantial ["sE:kqm'stxnS(q)l] evidence (косвенные улики) pointed to a criminal it does so here."

"Circumstantial ["sE:kqm'stxnS(q)l] evidence (косвенные улики) is a very tricky ['trIkI] (обманчивый) thing," answered Holmes thoughtfully ['TLtf(q)li] (задумчиво). "It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift [SIft] (измените) your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising [An'kPmprqmaIzIN] (непреклонные) manner to something entirely different. It must be confessed [kqn'fest] (признано), however, that the case looks exceedingly [Ik'si:dINlI] (чрезвычайно) grave [greIv] (серьезный) against the young man, and it is very possible that he is indeed the culprit ['kAlprIt] (виновник). There are several people in the neighborhood ['neIbqhud] (соседство), however, and among them Miss Turner, the daughter of the neighboring ['neIbqrIN] (соседний) landowner ['lxnd'qunq] (землевладелец), who believe in his innocence ['Inqsqns] ( невиновность), and who have retained Lestrade, whom you may recollect ["rekq'lekt] (помнить) in connection with 'A Study in Scarlet' [skRlIt] (багровые тона), to work out the case in his interest. Lestrade, being rather puzzled [pAzld] (озадачен), has referred (передал) the case to me, and hence (вот) it is that two middle-aged ['mIdl'eIGd] (средних лет) gentlemen are flying westward ['westwqd] (на запад) at fifty ['fIfti] (пятьдесят) miles an hour instead of quietly ['kwaIqtli] (спокойно) digesting [daI'GestIN] (переваривать) their breakfasts ['brekfqsts] (завтраки) at home."

"I am afraid," said I, "that the facts are so obvious that you will find little credit to be gained out of this case."

"There is nothing more deceptive [dI'septIv] (обманчиво) than an obvious (очевидный) fact," he answered, laughing. "Besides [bI'saIdz] (кроме того), we may chance to hit upon some other obvious (очевидные) facts which may have been by no means (совершенно не) obvious to Mr. Lestrade. You know me too well to think that I am boasting ['bqustIN] (хвастаюсь) when I say that I shall either confirm or destroy his theory by means (способами) which he is quite incapable [In'keIpqb(q)l] (неспособный) of employing, or even of understanding. To take the first example to hand, I very clearly perceive [pq'si:v] (понимаю) that in your bedroom the window is upon the right-hand ['raIt-hxnd] (правая) side, and yet I question (сомневаюсь) whether Mr. Lestrade would have noted even so self-evident ["self-'evIdqnt] (очевидный) a thing as that."

"How on earth--"

"My dear [dIq]љ fellow ['felqu] (дорогой мой), I know you well. I know the military neatness ['ni:tnIs] (аккуратность) which characterizes ['kxrqktqraIzIz] you. You shave [SeIv] (бреетесь) every morning, and in this season you shave [SeIv] (бреетесь) by the sunlight ['sAnlaIt] (солнечный свет); but since your shaving ['SeIvIN] (бритье) is less and less complete as we get farther ['fRDq] (дальше) back on the left side, until it becomes positively ['pPzqtIvlI] (определенно) slovenly ['slAvnlI] (неряшливо) as we get round the angle [xNgl] (угол) of the jaw [GL] (челюсть), it is surely very clear that that side is less illuminated [I'lHmIneItId] (освещенный) than the other. I could not imagine a man of your habits ['hxbIts] (привычки) looking at himself in an equal light and being satisfied with such a result. I only quote [kwqut] (привожу) this as a trivial ['trIvIql] (тривиальный) example of observation and inference ['Inf(q)rqns] (вывод). Therein [Deqr'In] (в этом) lies my metier ['metjeI] (занятие, ремесло), and it is just possible that it may be of some service in the investigation which lies before us. There are one or two minor ['maInq] (незначительный) points which were brought out in the inquest ['Inkwest] (следствие), and which are worth considering."

To be continued...

Обработка Светланы <azaballa at rambler dot ru> при технической поддержке Алексея Винидиктова

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