Adventure IV. THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY (7)

"It has been a case of considerable interest," he remarked, returning to his natural manner. "I fancy that this gray house on the right must be the lodge. I think that I will go in and have a word with Moran, and perhaps write a little note. Having done that, we may drive back to our luncheon. You may walk to the cab, and I shall be with you presently."

It was about ten minutes before we regained our cab and drove back into Ross, Holmes still carrying with him the stone which he had picked up in the wood.

"This may interest you, Lestrade," he remarked, holding it out. "The murder was done with it."

"I see no marks."

"There are none."

"How do you know, then?"

"The grass was growing under it. It had only lain there a few days. There was no sign of a place whence it had been taken. It corresponds with the injuries. There is no sign of any other weapon."

"And the murderer?"

"Is a tall man, left-handed, limps with the right leg, wears thick-soled shooting-boots and a gray cloak, smokes Indian cigars, uses a cigar-holder, and carries a blunt pen-knife in his pocket. There are several other indications, but these may be enough to aid us in our search."

Lestrade laughed. "I am afraid that I am still a sceptic," he said. "Theories are all very well, but we have to deal with a hard-headed British jury."

"Nous verrons," answered Holmes calmly. "You work your own method, and I shall work mine. I shall be busy this afternoon, and shall probably return to London by the evening train."

"And leave your case unfinished?"

"No, finished."

"But the mystery?"

"It is solved."

"Who was the criminal, then?"

"The gentleman I describe."

"But who is he?"

"Surely it would not be difficult to find out. This is not such a populous neighborhood."

Lestrade shrugged his shoulders. "I am a practical man," he said, "and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg. I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard."

"All right," said Holmes quietly. "I have given you the chance. Here are your lodgings. Good-bye. I shall drop you a line before I leave."

Having left Lestrade at his rooms, we drove to our hotel, where we found lunch upon the table. Holmes was silent and buried in thought with a pained expression upon his face, as one who finds himself in a perplexing position.

"Look here, Watson," he said when the cloth was cleared "just sit down in this chair and let me preach to you for a little. I don't know quite what to do, and I should value your advice. Light a cigar and let me expound."

"Pray do so."

"Well, now, in considering this case there are two points about young McCarthy's narrative which struck us both instantly, although they impressed me in his favor and you against him. One was the fact that his father should, according to his account, cry 'Cooee!' before seeing him. The other was his singular dying reference to a rat. He mumbled several words, you understand, but that was all that caught the son's ear. Now from this double point our research must commence, and we will begin it by presuming that what the lad says is absolutely true."

"What of this 'Cooee!' then?"

"Well, obviously it could not have been meant for the son. The son, as far as he knew, was in Bristol. It was mere chance that he was within earshot. The 'Cooee!' was meant to attract the attention of whoever it was that he had the appointment with. But 'Cooee' is a distinctly Australian cry, and one which is used between Australians. There is a strong presumption that the person whom McCarthy expected to meet him at Boscombe Pool was someone who had been in Australia."

"What of the rat, then?"

Sherlock Holmes took a folded paper from his pocket and flattened it out on the table. "This is a map of the Colony of Victoria," he said. "I wired to Bristol for it last night." He put his hand over part of the map. "What do you read?"

"ARAT," I read.

"And now?" He raised his hand.

"BALLARAT."

"Quite so. That was the word the man uttered, and of which his son only caught the last two syllables. He was trying to utter the name of his murderer. So and so, of Ballarat."

"It is wonderful!" I exclaimed.

"It is obvious. And now, you see, I had narrowed the field down considerably. The possession of a gray garment was a third point which, granting the son's statement to be correct, was a certainty. We have come now out of mere vagueness to the definite conception of an Australian from Ballarat with a gray cloak."

"Certainly."

"And one who was at home in the district, for the pool can only be approached by the farm or by the estate, where strangers could hardly wander."

"Quite so."

"Then comes our expedition of to-day. By an examination of the ground I gained the trifling details which I gave to that imbecile Lestrade, as to the personality of the criminal."

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Adventure IV. The Boscombe Valley Mystery (7) (с подсказками)

"It has been a case of considerable interest," he remarked [rI'mRkt] (заметил), returning to his natural manner. "I fancy ['fxnsI] (полагаю) that this gray [greI] (серый) house on the right must be the lodge [lPG] (сторожка). I think that I will go in and have a word with Moran, and perhaps write a little note. Having done that, we may drive back to our luncheon ['lAnCqn] (завтрак). You may walk to the cab [kxb], and I shall be with you presently ['prezntlI] (сейчас)."

It was about ten minutes before we regained [rI'geInd] (вновь вернулись) our cab [kxb] and drove back into Ross, Holmes still carrying with him the stone which he had picked up in the wood.

"This may interest you, Lestrade," he remarked [rI'mRkt] (заметил), holding it out. "The murder was done with it."

"I see no marks."

"There are none."

"How do you know, then?"

"The grass [grRs] (трава) was growing under it. It had only lain [leIn] (лежал) there a few days. There was no sign of a place whence [wens] (откуда) it had been taken. It corresponds ["kPrI'spPndz] (соответствует) with the injuries. There is no sign of any other weapon."

"And the murderer ['mE:d(q)rq] (убийца)?"

"Is a tall man, left-handed, limps [lImps] (хромать) with the right leg, wears thick-soled [TIk] (на толстых каблуках) shooting-boots [bHts] (сапоги) and a gray [greI] (серый) cloak [klquk] (плащ), smokes [smquks] (курит) Indian ['Indjqn] (индийский) cigars [sI'gRz] (сигары), uses a cigar [sI'gR] -holder ['hquldq] (мундштук), and carries a blunt [blAnt] (тупой) pen [pen]?knife (перочинный нож) in his pocket. There are several other indications ["IndI'keISqnz] (признаки), but these may be enough to aid us in our search."

Lestrade laughed. "I am afraid that I am still a sceptic ['skeptIk] (скептик)," he said. "Theories are all very well, but we have to deal with a hard-headed ['hRd'hedId] (практичные) British ['brItIS] (Британский) jury ['GuqrI] (присяжные)."

"Nous verrons (фр. посмотрим)," answered Holmes calmly ['kRmli] (спокойно). "You work your own method, and I shall work mine. I shall be busy this afternoon, and shall probably return to London ['lAndqn] by the evening train."

"And leave your case unfinished [An'fInISt] (незаконченное)?"

"No, finished."

"But the mystery ['mIst(q)rI] (тайна)?"

"It is solved [sPlvd] (решена)."

"Who was the criminal, then?"

"The gentleman I describe."

"But who is he?"

"Surely it would not be difficult to find out. This is not such a populous ['pPpjulqs] (густонаселенные) neighborhood ['neIbqhud] (окрестности)."

Lestrade shrugged [SrAgd] (пожал) his shoulders. "I am a practical man," he said, "and I really cannot ['kxnqt, -nPt] (не могу) undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg (хромоногий). I should become the laughing-stock ['lRfIN-stPk] (посмешище) of Scotland ['skPtlqnd] (Скотланд) Yard."

"All right," said Holmes quietly ['kwaIqtli] (спокойно). "I have given you the chance. Here are your lodgings ['lPGINz] (квартира). Good-bye. I shall drop you a line before I leave."

Having left Lestrade at his rooms, we drove to our hotel, where we found lunch upon the table. Holmes was silent ['saIlqnt] (молчал) and buried ['berid] (погружен) in thought with a pained ['peInd] (выражавшее страдание) expression upon his face, as one who finds himself in a perplexing [pq'pleksIN] (затруднительное) position.

"Look here, Watson," he said when the cloth [klPT] (скатерть) was cleared "just sit down in this chair and let me preach [pri:C] (изложить) to you for a little. I don't know quite what to do, and I should value your advice. Light a cigar [sI'gR] (сигара) and let me expound [Ik'spaund] (разъяснять)."

"Pray [preI] (прошу) do so."

"Well, now, in considering this case there are two points about young McCarthy's narrative ['nxrqtIv] (рассказ) which struck us both instantly ['Instqntli] (немедленно), although they impressed [Im'prest] (произвело впечатление) me in his favor ['feIvq] (расположение) and you against him. One was the fact that his father should, according to his account, cry 'Cooee!' before seeing him. The other was his singular ['sINgjulq] (странный) dying reference to a rat [rxt] (крыса). He mumbled ['mAmb(q)ld] (бормотал) several words, you understand, but that was all that caught the son's ear. Now from this double point our research must commence [kq'mens] (начинать), and we will begin it by presuming [prI'zjHmIN] (предполагая) that what the lad [lxd] (юноша) says is absolutely true."

"What of this 'Cooee!' then?"

"Well, obviously it could not have been meant for the son. The son, as far as he knew, was in Bristol. It was mere [mIq] (явный) chance that he was within earshot ['IqSPt] (близко). The 'Cooee!' was meant to attract the attention of whoever [hH'evq] (кто бы ни) it was that he had the appointment with. But 'Cooee' is a distinctly ['dIstINktli] (отчетливо) Australian [Ps'treIljqn] (австралийский) cry, and one which is used between Australians [P'streIliqnz]. There is a strong presumption [prI'zAmpS(q)n] (предположение) that the person whom McCarthy expected to meet him at Boscombe Pool was someone who had been in Australia [Ps'treIljq]."

"What of the rat [rxt] (крыса), then?"

Sherlock Holmes took a folded ['fquldId] (свернутый) paper from his pocket and flattened [flxtnd] (выровнял) it out on the table. "This is a map of the Colony ['kPlqni] (поселение) of Victoria," he said. "I wired [waIqd] (связался) to Bristol for it last night." He put his hand over part of the map. "What do you read?"

"ARATљ(АРЭТ)," I read.

"And now?" He raised his hand.

"BALLARAT."

"Quite so. That was the word the man uttered ['Atqd] (произносил), and of which his son only caught the last two syllables ['sIlqbqlz] (слоги). He was trying to utter ['Atq] (произнести) the name of his murderer ['mE:d(q)rq] (убийца). So and so, of Ballarat."

"It is wonderful!" I exclaimed [Ik'skleImd] (воскликнул).

"It is obvious. And now, you see, I had narrowed ['nxrqud] (уменьшил) the field down considerably [kqn'sId(q)rqbli] (значительно). The possession [pq'zeS(q)n] (владение) of a gray [greI] (серый) garment ['gRmqnt] (одежда) was a third [TE:d] (третье) point which, granting the son's statement to be correct, was a certainty ['sE:tnti] (уверенность). We have come now out of mere [mIq] (явный) vagueness ['veIgnIs] (неопределенность) to the definite ['defInIt] (определенное) conception [kqn'sepSqn] (представление) of an Australian [Ps'treIljqn] from Ballarat with a gray [greI] (серый) cloak [klquk] (плащ)."

"Certainly."

"And one who was at home in the district, for the pool can only be approached by the farm or by the estate (усадьба), where strangers ['streInGqz] (посторонние) could hardly wander ['wPndq] (бродить)."

"Quite so."

"Then comes our expedition ["ekspI'dISqn] (путешествие) of to-day [tq'deI] (сегодня). By an examination of the ground I gained the trifling ['traIflIN] (незначительные) details which I gave to that imbecile ['ImbIsi:l] (тупоумный) Lestrade, as to the personality ["pE:sq'nxlItI] (личность) of the criminal."

To be continued...

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

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