Adventure IV. THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY (6)

There was no rain, as Holmes had foretold, and the morning broke bright and cloudless. At nine o'clock Lestrade called for us with the carriage, and we set off for Hatherley Farm and the Boscombe Pool.

"There is serious news this morning," Lestrade observed. "It is said that Mr. Turner, of the Hall, is so ill that his life is despaired of."

"An elderly man, I presume?" said Holmes.

"About sixty; but his constitution has been shattered by his life abroad, and he has been in failing health for some time. This business has had a very bad effect upon him. He was an old friend of McCarthy's, and, I may add, a great benefactor to him, for I have learned that he gave him Hatherley Farm rent free."

"Indeed! That is interesting," said Holmes.

"Oh, yes! In a hundred other ways he has helped him. Everybody about here speaks of his kindness to him."

"Really! Does it not strike you as a little singular that this McCarthy, who appears to have had little of his own, and to have been under such obligations to Turner, should still talk of marrying his son to Turner's daughter, who is, presumably, heiress to the estate, and that in such a very cocksure manner, as if it were merely a case of a proposal and all else would follow? It is the more strange, since we know that Turner himself was averse to the idea. The daughter told us as much. Do you not deduce something from that?"

"We have got to the deductions and the inferences," said Lestrade, winking at me. "I find it hard enough to tackle facts, Holmes, without flying away after theories and fancies."

"You are right," said Holmes demurely; "you do find it very hard to tackle the facts."

"Anyhow, I have grasped one fact which you seem to find it difficult to get hold of," replied Lestrade with some warmth.

"And that is--"

"That McCarthy senior met his death from McCarthy junior and that all theories to the contrary are the merest moonshine."

"Well, moonshine is a brighter thing than fog," said Holmes, laughing. "But I am very much mistaken if this is not Hatherley Farm upon the left."

"Yes, that is it." It was a widespread, comfortable-looking building, two-storied, slate-roofed, with great yellow blotches of lichen upon the gray walls. The drawn blinds and the smokeless chimneys, however, gave it a stricken look, as though the weight of this horror still lay heavy upon it. We called at the door, when the maid, at Holmes's request, showed us the boots which her master wore at the time of his death, and also a pair of the son's, though not the pair which he had then had. Having measured these very carefully from seven or eight different points, Holmes desired to be led to the court-yard, from which we all followed the winding track which led to Boscombe Pool.

Sherlock Holmes was transformed when he was hot upon such a scent as this. Men who had only known the quiet thinker and logician of Baker Street would have failed to recognize him. His face flushed and darkened. His brows were drawn into two hard black lines, while his eyes shone out from beneath them with a steely glitter. His face was bent downward, his shoulders bowed, his lips compressed, and the veins stood out like whipcord in his long, sinewy neck. His nostrils seemed to dilate with a purely animal lust for the chase, and his mind was so absolutely concentrated upon the matter before him that a question or remark fell unheeded upon his ears, or, at the most, only provoked a quick, impatient snarl in reply. Swiftly and silently he made his way along the track which ran through the meadows, and so by way of the woods to the Boscombe Pool. It was damp, marshy ground, as is all that district, and there were marks of many feet, both upon the path and amid the short grass which bounded it on either side. Sometimes Holmes would hurry on, sometimes stop dead, and once he made quite a little detour into the meadow. Lestrade and I walked behind him, the detective indifferent and contemptuous, while I watched my friend with the interest which sprang from the conviction that every one of his actions was directed towards a definite end.

The Boscombe Pool, which is a little reed-girt sheet of water some fifty yards across, is situated at the boundary between the Hatherley Farm and the private park of the wealthy Mr. Turner. Above the woods which lined it upon the farther side we could see the red, jutting pinnacles which marked the site of the rich landowner's dwelling. On the Hatherley side of the pool the woods grew very thick, and there was a narrow belt of sodden grass twenty paces across between the edge of the trees land the reeds which lined the lake. Lestrade showed us the exact spot at which the body had been found, and, indeed, so moist was the ground, that I could plainly see the traces which had been left by the fall of the stricken man. To Holmes, as I could see by his eager face and peering eyes, very many other things were to be read upon the trampled grass. He ran round, like a dog who is picking up a scent, and then turned upon my companion.

"What did you go into the pool for?" he asked.

"I fished about with a rake. I thought there might be some weapon or other trace. But how on earth--"

"Oh, tut, tut! I have no time! That left foot of yours with its inward twist is all over the place. A mole could trace it, and there it vanishes among the reeds. Oh, how simple it would all have been had I been here before they came like a herd of buffalo and wallowed all over it. Here is where the party with the lodge-keeper came, and they have covered all tracks for six or eight feet round the body. But here are three separate tracks of the same feet." He drew out a lens and lay down upon his waterproof to have a better view, talking all the time rather to himself than to us. "These are young McCarthy's feet. Twice he was walking, and once he ran swiftly, so that the soles are deeply marked and the heels hardly visible. That bears out his story. He ran when he saw his father on the ground. Then here are the father's feet as he paced up and down. What is this, then? It is the butt-end of the gun as the son stood listening. And this? Ha, ha! What have we here? Tiptoes! tiptoes! Square, too, quite unusual boots! They come, they go, they come again--of course that was for the cloak. Now where did they come from?" He ran up and down, sometimes losing, sometimes finding the track until we were well within the edge of the wood and under the shadow of a great beech, the largest tree in the neighborhood. Holmes traced his way to the farther side of this and lay down once more upon his face with a little cry of satisfaction. For a long time he remained there, turning over the leaves and dried sticks, gathering up what seemed to me to be dust into an envelope and examining with his lens not only the ground but even the bark of the tree as far as he could reach. A jagged stone was lying among the moss, and this also he carefully examined and retained. Then he followed a pathway through the wood until he came to the highroad, where all traces were lost.

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Adventure IV. The Boscombe Valley Mystery (6) (с подсказками)

There was no rain, as Holmes had foretold [fL'tquld] (предсказывал), and the morning broke bright and cloudless ['klaudlqs] (безоблачное). At nine o'clock Lestrade called for us with the carriage ['kxrIG] (экипаж), and we set off (отправились) for Hatherley Farm and the Boscombe Pool.

"There is serious news this morning," Lestrade observed. "It is said that Mr. Turner, of the Hall, is so ill [Il] (болен) that his life is despaired [dI'speqd] (безнадежна) of."

"An elderly man, I presume [prI'zjHm] (предполагаю)?" said Holmes.

"About sixty ['sIksti] (шестьдесят); but his constitution ["kPnstI'tju:Sqn] (зд. здоровье) has been shattered ['Sxtqd] (расшатано) by his life abroad [q'brLd] (заграница), and he has been in failing (ухудшающееся) health for some time. This business has had a very bad effect upon him. He was an old friend of McCarthy's, and, I may add, a great benefactor ['benI"fxktq] (благодетель) to him, for I have learned that he gave him Hatherley Farm rent free."

"Indeed! That is interesting," said Holmes.

"Oh, yes! In a hundred ['hAndrqd] (сотня) other ways he has helped him. Everybody about here speaks of his kindness ['kaIndnIs] (доброта) to him."

"Really! Does it not strike you as a little singular ['sINgjulq] (странный) that this McCarthy, who appears to have had little of his own, and to have been under such obligations ["PblI'geIS(q)nz] (обязательства) to Turner, should still talk of marrying his son to Turner's daughter, who is, presumably [prI'zju:mqblI] (вероятно), heiress ['eqrIs] (наследница) to the estate, and that in such a very cocksure ["kPk'Suq] (самоуверенный) manner, as if it were merely a case of a proposal and all else would follow? It is the more strange, since we know that Turner himself was averse [q'vE:s] (был нерасположен) to the idea. The daughter told us as much. Do you not deduce [dI'djHs] (делаете вывод) something from that?"

"We have got to the deductions [dI'dAkS(q)nz] (заключения) and the inferences ['Inf(q)rqnsIz] (выводы)," said Lestrade, winking ['wINkIN] (подмигивая) at me. "I find it hard enough to tackle ['txkl] (заниматься) facts, Holmes, without flying away after theories and fancies ['fxnsiz] (фантазии)."

"You are right," said Holmes demurely [dI'mjuqli] (сдержанно); "you do find it very hard to tackle ['txkl] (заниматься) the facts."

"Anyhow ['enIhau] (во всяком случае), I have grasped [grRspt] (уловил) one fact which you seem to find it difficult to get hold of," replied Lestrade with some warmth [wLmT] (горячность).

"And that is--"

"That McCarthy senior met his death from McCarthy junior ['Gu:njq] (младший) and that all theories to the contrary ['kPntrqrI] (наоборот) are the merest ['mIqrIst] (всего лишь) moonshine ['mHnSaIn] (лунный свет)."

"Well, moonshine ['mHnSaIn] (лунный свет) is a brighter ['braItq] (ярче) thing than fog [fPg] (туман)," said Holmes, laughing. "But I am very much mistaken [mIs'teIk(q)n] (ошибаюсь) if this is not Hatherley Farm upon the left."

"Yes, that is it." It was a widespread ['waIdspred] (широко раскинувшееся), comfortable-looking building, two-storied ['tH-'stLrId] (двух-этажное), slate-roofed [sleIt-rHft] (покрытая шифером крыша), with great yellow ['jelqu] (желтые) blotches ['blPCIz] (пятна) of lichen ['laIkqn] (лишайник) upon the gray [greI] (серые) walls. The drawn [drLn] (задернутые) blinds [blaIndz] (шторы) and the smokeless ['smquklqs] (бездымный) chimneys ['CImnIz] (трубы), however, gave it a stricken ['strIkqn] (сраженный) look, as though the weight of this horror ['hPrq] (ужас) still lay heavy upon it. We called at the door, when the maid [meId] (горничная), at Holmes's request, showed [Squd] (показала) us the boots [bHts] (сапога) which her master wore at the time of his death, and also a pair of the son's, though not the pair which he had then had. Having measured these very carefully from seven or eight different points, Holmes desired [dI'zaIqd] (пожелал) to be led to the court-yard ['kLt-jRd] (двор), from which we all followed the winding ['waIndIN] (извивающаяся) track which led to Boscombe Pool.

Sherlock Holmes was transformed [trxns'fLmd] (менялся) when he was hot upon (напал на) such a scent [sent] (след) as this. Men who had only known the quiet thinker ['TINkq] (мыслитель) and logician [lq'GIS(q)n] (логик) of Baker ['beIkq] Street would have failed to recognize him. His face flushed ['flASt] (краснело) and darkened ['dRkqnd] (темнело). His brows [brauz] (брови) were drawn [drLn] (вытягивались) into two hard black lines, while his eyes shone [Squn] (сверкали) out from beneath them with a steely ['sti:lI] (стальной) glitter ['glItq] (блеск). His face was bent [bent] (нагибалось) downward ['daunwqd] (вниз), his shoulders bowed [baud] (согнулись), his lips compressed [kqm'prest] (сжимались), and the veins [veInz] (вены) stood out like whipcord ['wIpkLd] (бечевка) in his long, sinewy ['sInjHi] (мускулистый) neck. His nostrils ['nPstrIlz] (ноздри) seemed to dilate [daI'leIt] (расширяться) with a purely ['pjuqlI] (чисто) animal lust [lAst] (страстное желание) for the chase [CeIs] (охота), and his mind was so absolutely concentrated upon the matter before him that a question or remark ['rI'mRk] (замечание) fell unheeded ['An'hi:dId] (незамеченный) upon his ears, or, at the most, only provoked [prq'vqukt] (вызывал) a quick, impatient [Im'peISqnt] (нетерпеливое) snarl [snRl] (ворчание) in reply. Swiftly ['swIftli] (быстро) and silently ['saIlqntli] (молча) he made his way along the track (тропинка) which ran through the meadows ['medquz] (луга), and so by way of the woods to the Boscombe Pool. It was damp [dxmp] (сырая), marshy ['mRSi] (болотистая) ground, as is all that district, and there were marks of many feet, both upon the path and amid [q'mId] (среди) the short grass [grRs] (трава) which bounded ['baundId] (окаймляла) it on either side. Sometimes Holmes would hurry ['hAri] on (то спешил), sometimes stop dead, and once he made quite a little detour ['dJtuq] (крюк) into the meadow ['medqu] (луг). Lestrade and I walked behind him, the detective [dI'tektIv] (детектив) indifferent [In'dIf(q)rqnt] (равнодушный) and contemptuous [kqn'temptjuqs] (презрительный), while I watched my friend with the interest which sprang [sprxN] (прыгал) from the conviction [kqn'vIkS(q)n] (убеждение) that every one of his actions was directed towards a definite ['defInIt] (определенный) end.

The Boscombe Pool, which is a little reed-girt (окруженное тростником) sheet of water some fifty ['fIfti] (пятьдесят) yards across, is situated ['sItjueItId] (расположено) at the boundary ['baund(q)ri] (граница) between the Hatherley Farm and the private park of the wealthy ['welTi] (богатый) Mr. Turner. Above the woods which lined [laInd] (подступал к) it upon the farther ['fRDq] (дальняя) side we could see the red, jutting ['GAtIN] (выступающие) pinnacles ['pInqk(q)lz] (башенки) which marked the site of the rich landowner's ['lxnd'qunqz] (владельца) dwelling ['dwelIN] (дом). On the Hatherley side of the pool (омут) the woods grew very thick [TIk] (густой), and there was a narrow belt [belt] (полоска) of sodden ['sPdn] (сырой) grass [grRs] (трава) twenty ['twentI] (двадцать) paces ['peIsIz] (шаги) across between the edge of the trees land the reeds [rJdz] (тростник) which lined [laInd] (окаймлял) the lake [leIk] (озеро). Lestrade showed [Squd] (показал) us the exact [Ig'zxkt] (точное) spot at which the body had been found, and, indeed, so moist [mOIst] (сырой) was the ground, that I could plainly ['pleInli] (прямо) see the traces ['treIsIz] (следы) which had been left by the fall of the stricken ['strIkqn] (убитый) man. To Holmes, as I could see by his eager ['i:gq] (энергичное) face and peering ['pIqrIN] (всматривающиеся) eyes, very many other things were to be read upon the trampled ['trxmpld] (затоптанная) grass [grRs] (трава). He ran round, like a dog who is picking up a scent [sent] (след), and then turned upon my companion [kqm'pxnjqn] (спутник, попутчик).

"What did you go into the pool for?" he asked.

"I fished [fISt] (искал) about with a rake [reIk] (грабли). I thought there might be some weapon or other trace [treIs] (след). But how on earth--"

"Oh, tut [tAt] (ох ты), tut [tAt] (ох ты)! I have no time! That left foot of yours [jLz] (ваши) with its inward ['Inwqd] (внутренний) twist [twIst] (вывих) is all over the place. A mole [mqul] (крот) could trace [treIs] (проследить, обнаружить) it, and there it vanishes ['vxnISIz] (исчезает) among the reeds [rJdz] (тростник). Oh, how simple it would all have been had I been here before they came like a herd [hE:d] (стадо) of buffalo ['bAfqlqu] (буйволы) and wallowed ['wPlqud] (валялись) all over it. Here is where the party with the lodge [lPG] (сторожка)-keeper came, and they have covered all tracks for six or eight feet round the body. But here are three separate tracks of the same feet." He drew out a lens [lenz] (лупа) and lay down upon his waterproof ['wLtqprHf] (непромокаемый плащ) to have a better view, talking all the time rather to himself than to us. "These are young McCarthy's feet. Twice he was walking, and once he ran swiftly ['swIftli] (быстро), so that the soles [squlz] (подошвы) are deeply ['dJplI] (глубоко) marked and the heels [hJlz] (каблуки) hardly visible ['vIzqbl] (видимы). That bears out (подтверждает) his story. He ran when he saw his father on the ground. Then here are the father's feet as he paced [peIst] (шагал) up and down. What is this, then? It is the butt-end [bAt-end] (приклад) of the gun as the son stood listening. And this? Ha [hR], ha [hR]! What have we here? Tiptoes ['tIptquz] (кончики польцев ног)! tiptoes! Square [skweq] (квадрат), too, quite unusual [An'jHZql] (необычный) boots [bHts] (сапоги)! They come, they go, they come again -- of course that was for the cloak [klquk] (плащ). Now where did they come from?" He ran up and down, sometimes losing, sometimes finding the track until we were well within the edge of the wood and under the shadow ['Sxdqu] (тень) of a great beech [bJC] (бук), the largest tree in the neighborhood ['neIbqhud] (соседство). Holmes traced [treIst] (выслеживал) his way to the farther ['fRDq] (дальняя) side of this and lay down once more upon his face with a little cry of satisfaction [sxtIs'fxkSqn] (удовлетворение). For a long time he remained there, turning over the leaves and dried [draId] (сухой) sticks, gathering up what seemed to me to be dust [dAst] (пыль) into an envelope ['envqlqup] (конверт) and examining with his lens [lenz] (лупа) not only the ground but even the bark [bQ:k] (кора) of the tree as far as he could reach. A jagged ['GxgId] (зазубренный) stone was lying among the moss [mPs] (мох), and this also he carefully examined and retained. Then he followed a pathway ['pQ:TweI] (тропа) through the wood until he came to the highroad ['haIrqud] (главная дорога), where all traces ['treIsIz] (следы) were lost.

To be continued...

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

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