Adventure IV. THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY (8)

"But how did you gain them?"

"You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles."

"His height I know that you might roughly judge from the length of his stride. His boots, too, might be told from their traces."

"Yes, they were peculiar boots."

"But his lameness?"

"The impression of his right foot was always less distinct than his left. He put less weight upon it. Why? Because he limped--he was lame."

"But his left-handedness."

"You were yourself struck by the nature of the injury as recorded by the surgeon at the inquest. The blow was struck from immediately behind, and yet was upon the left side. Now, how can that be unless it were by a left-handed man? He had stood behind that tree during the interview between the father and son. He had even smoked there. I found the ash of a cigar, which my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enables me to pronounce as an Indian cigar. I have, as you know, devoted some attention to this, and written a little monograph on the ashes of 140 different varieties of pipe, cigar, and cigarette tobacco. Having found the ash, I then looked round and discovered the stump among the moss where he had tossed it. It was an Indian cigar, of the variety which are rolled in Rotterdam."

"And the cigar-holder?"

"I could see that the end had not been in his mouth. Therefore he used a holder. The tip had been cut off, not bitten off, but the cut was not a clean one, so I deduced a blunt pen-knife."

"Holmes," I said, "you have drawn a net round this man from which he cannot escape, and you have saved an innocent human life as truly as if you had cut the cord which was hanging him. I see the direction in which all this points. The culprit is--"

"Mr. John Turner," cried the hotel waiter, opening the door of our sitting-room, and ushering in a visitor.

The man who entered was a strange and impressive figure. His slow, limping step and bowed shoulders gave the appearance of decrepitude, and yet his hard, deep-lined, craggy features, and his enormous limbs showed that he was possessed of unusual strength of body and of character. His tangled beard, grizzled hair, and outstanding, drooping eyebrows combined to give an air of dignity and power to his appearance, but his face was of an ashen white, while his lips and the corners of his nostrils were tinged with a shade of blue. It was clear to me at a glance that he was in the grip of some deadly and chronic disease.

"Pray sit down on the sofa," said Holmes gently. "You had my note?"

"Yes, the lodge-keeper brought it up. You said that you wished to see me here to avoid scandal."

"I thought people would talk if I went to the Hall."

"And why did you wish to see me?" He looked across at my companion with despair in his weary eyes, as though his question was already answered.

"Yes," said Holmes, answering the look rather than the words. "It is so. I know all about McCarthy."

The old man sank his face in his hands. "God help me!" he cried. "But I would not have let the young man come to harm. I give you my word that I would have spoken out if it went against him at the Assizes."

"I am glad to hear you say so," said Holmes gravely.

"I would have spoken now had it not been for my dear girl. It would break her heart--it will break her heart when she hears that I am arrested."

"It may not come to that," said Holmes.

"What?"

"I am no official agent. I understand that it was your daughter who required my presence here, and I am acting in her interests. Young McCarthy must be got off, however."

"I am a dying man," said old Turner. "I have had diabetes for years. My doctor says it is a question whether I shall live a month. Yet I would rather die under my own roof than in a jail."

Holmes rose and sat down at the table with his pen in his hand and a bundle of paper before him. "Just tell us the truth," he said. "I shall jot down the facts. You will sign it, and Watson here can witness it. Then I could produce your confession at the last extremity to save young McCarthy. I promise you that I shall not use it unless it is absolutely needed."

"It's as well," said the old man; "it's a question whether I shall live to the Assizes, so it matters little to me, but I should wish to spare Alice the shock. And now I will make the thing clear to you; it has been a long time in the acting, but will not take me long to tell.

"You didn't know this dead man, McCarthy. He was a devil incarnate. I tell you that. God keep you out of the clutches of such a man as he. His grip has been upon me these twenty years, and he has blasted my life. I'll tell you first how I came to be in his power.

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Adventure IV. The Boscombe Valley Mystery (8) (с подсказками)

"But how did you gain them?"

"You know my method. It is founded ['faundId] (основан) upon the observation of trifles [traIf(q)lz] (мелочи)."

"His height [haIt] (рост) I know that you might roughly [rAfli] (грубо) judge from the length of his stride [straId] (большой шаг). His boots [bHts] (сапоги), too, might be told from their traces ['treIsIz] (следы)."

"Yes, they were peculiar [pI'kjHliq] (странные) boots [bHts] (сапоги)."

"But his lameness ['leImnIs] (хромота)?"

"The impression of his right foot was always less distinct ['dIstINkt] (отчетливый) than his left. He put less weight upon it. Why? Because he limped [lImpt] (хромал) -- he was lame [leIm] (хромой)."

"But his left-handedness."

"You were yourself struck by the nature of the injury as recorded by the surgeon ['sE:Gqn] (хирург) at the inquest ['Inkwest] (следствие). The blow was struck from immediately behind, and yet was upon the left side. Now, how can that be unless it were by a left-handed man? He had stood behind that tree during the interview between the father and son. He had even smoked [smqukt] (курил) there. I found the ash [xS] (пепел) of a cigar [sI'gR] (сигара), which my special knowledge of tobacco [tq'bxkqu] (табак) ashes ['xSIz] (пепел) enables me to pronounce [prq'nauns] (объявлять) as an Indian ['Indjqn] (индийский) cigar [sI'gR] (сигара). I have, as you know, devoted [dI'vqutId] (посвятил) some attention to this, and written a little monograph ['mPnqgrRf] (монография) on the ashes ['xSIz] (пеплы) of 140 different varieties of pipe [paIp] (трубка), cigar [sI'gR] (сигара), and cigarette ["sIgq'ret] (сигарета) tobacco [tq'bxkqu] (табак). Having found the ash [xS] (пепел), I then looked round and discovered the stump [stAmp] (пень) among the moss [mPs] (мох) where he had tossed [tPst] (бросил) it. It was an Indian ['Indjqn] (индийский) cigar [sI'gR] (сигара), of the variety which are rolled in Rotterdam."

"And the cigar-holder [sI'gR 'hquldq] (мундштук)?"

"I could see that the end had not been in his mouth. Therefore he used a holder ['hquldq] (мундштук). The tip [tIp] (конец) had been cut off, not bitten [bItn] off (откушен ? кусать), but the cut was not a clean one, so I deduced [dI'djHst] (сделал вывод) a blunt [blAnt] (тупой) pen?knife (перочинный нож)."

"Holmes," I said, "you have drawn [drLn] (растянули) a net [net] (сеть) round this man from which he cannot ['kxnqt, -nPt] (не может) escape, and you have saved an innocent ['Inqsqnt] (невиновный) human life as truly ['trHlI] (верно) as if you had cut the cord [kLd] (веревка) which was hanging him. I see the direction in which all this points. The culprit ['kAlprIt] (преступник) is--"

"Mr. John Turner," cried the hotel waiter ['weItq] (официант), opening the door of our sitting-room ['sItINrum] (гостиная), and ushering ['ASqrIN] (впуская) in a visitor.

The man who entered was a strange and impressive [Im'presIv] (производящий впечатление) figure. His slow, limping ['lImpIN] (хромающий) step and bowed [baud] (согнутые) shoulders gave the appearance of decrepitude [dI'krepItju:d] (дряхлость), and yet his hard, deep-lined [laInd] (морщинистый), craggy ['krxgi] (резко очерченные) features, and his enormous [I'nLmqs] (огромный) limbs [lImz] (конечности) showed [Squd] (показывали) that he was possessed [pq'zest] (обладал) of unusual [An'jHZql] (необычной) strength of body and of character. His tangled ['txNg(q)ld] (запутанная) beard [bIqd] (борода), grizzled ['grIzld] (седой) hair, and outstanding [aut'stxndIN] (выдающийся), drooping ['drHpIN] (нависшие) eyebrows ['aIbrauz] (брови) combined to give an air of dignity ['dIgnIti] (достоинство) and power to his appearance, but his face was of an ashen ['xSn] (пепельный) white, while his lips and the corners of his nostrils ['nPstrIlz] (ноздри) were tinged [tInGd] (были окрашены) with a shade [SeId] (оттенок) of blue. It was clear to me at a glance [glRns] (взгляд) that he was in the grip [grIp] (объятия) of some deadly ['dedlI] (смертельный) and chronic ['krPnIk] (хронический) disease.

"Pray [preI] (прошу) sit down on the sofa ['squfq] (диван)," said Holmes gently [Gen'tlI] (мягко). "You had my note?"

"Yes, the lodge [lPG] (сторожка)-keeper brought it up. You said that you wished to see me here to avoid scandal ['skxndl]."

"I thought people would talk if I went to the Hall."

"And why did you wish to see me?" He looked across at my companion [kqm'pxnjqn] (товарищ) with despair [dIs'peq] (отчаяние) in his weary ['wIqri] (усталые) eyes, as though his question was already answered.

"Yes," said Holmes, answering the look rather than the words. "It is so. I know all about McCarthy."

The old man sank [sxNk] (опустил) his face in his hands. "God help me!" he cried. "But I would not have let the young man come to harm [hRm] (вред). I give you my word that I would have spoken out if it went against him at the Assizesљ [q?saIzIz] (выездная сессия суда присяжных)."

"I am glad [glxd] (рад) to hear you say so," said Holmes gravely ['greIvli] (серьезно).

"I would have spoken now had it not been for my dear [dIq] (дорогая) girl. It would break her heart -- it will break her heart when she hears that I am arrested [q'restId] (арестован)."

"It may not come to that," said Holmes.

"What?"

"I am no official agent. I understand that it was your daughter who required my presence here, and I am acting in her interests. Young McCarthy must be got off, however."

"I am a dying man," said old Turner. "I have had diabetes ["daIq'bi:ti:z] (диабет) for years. My doctor says it is a question whether I shall live a month. Yet I would rather die under my own roof than in a jail [GeIl] (тюрьма)."

Holmes rose and sat down at the table with his pen [pen] (ручка) in his hand and a bundle [bAndl] (связка) of paper before him. "Just tell us the truth," he said. "I shall jot [GPt] (кратко запишу) down the facts. You will sign it, and Watson here can witness ['wItnIs] (быть свидетелем) it. Then I could produce your confession [kqn'feSqn] (признание) at the last extremity [Iks'tremItI] (в случае крайней необходимости) to save young McCarthy. I promise you that I shall not use it unless it is absolutely needed."

"It's as well," said the old man; "it's a question whether I shall live to the Assizes [q?saIzIz] (выездная сессия присяжных), so it matters little to me, but I should wish to spare [speq] (освободить) Alice the shock [SPk] (шок). And now I will make the thing clear to you; it has been a long time in the acting, but will not take me long to tell.

"You didn't know this dead man, McCarthy. He was a devil ['dev(q)l] (дьявол) incarnate [In'kRnIt] (во плоти). I tell you that. God keep you out of the clutches ['klACIz] (клещи) of such a man as he. His grip [grIp] (тиски) has been upon me these twenty ['twentI] (двадцать) years, and he has blasted ['blRstId] (разрушил) my life. I'll tell you first how I came to be in his power.

To be concluded...

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

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