The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

"My name," said he, "is John Openshaw, but my own affairs have, as far as I can understand, little to do with this awful business. It is a hereditary matter; so in order to give you an idea of the facts, I must go back to the commencement of the affair.

"You must know that my grandfather had two sons--my uncle Elias and my father Joseph. My father had a small factory at Coventry, which he enlarged at the time of the invention of bicycling. He was a patentee of the Openshaw unbreakable tire, and his business met with such success that he was able to sell it and to retire upon a handsome competence.

"My uncle Elias emigrated to America when he was a young man and became a planter in Florida, where he was reported to have done very well. At the time of the war he fought in Jackson's army, and afterwards under Hood, where he rose to be a colonel. When Lee laid down his arms my uncle returned to his plantation, where he remained for three or four years. About 1869 or 1870 he came back to Europe and took a small estate in Sussex, near Horsham. He had made a very considerable fortune in the States, and his reason for leaving them was his aversion to the negroes, and his dislike of the Republican policy in extending the franchise to them. He was a singular man, fierce and quick-tempered, very foul-mouthed when he was angry, and of a most retiring disposition. During all the years that he lived at Horsham, I doubt if ever he set foot in the town. He had a garden and two or three fields round his house, and there he would take his exercise, though very often for weeks on end he would never leave his room. He drank a great deal of brandy and smoked very heavily, but he would see no society and did not want any friends, not even his own brother.

"He didn't mind me; in fact, he took a fancy to me, for at the time when he saw me first I was a youngster of twelve or so. This would be in the year 1878, after he had been eight or nine years in England. He begged my father to let me live with him and he was very kind to me in his way. When he was sober he used to be fond of playing backgammon and draughts with me, and he would make me his representative both with the servants and with the tradespeople, so that by the time that I was sixteen I was quite master of the house. I kept all the keys and could go where I liked and do what I liked, so long as I did not disturb him in his privacy. There was one singular exception, however, for he had a single room, a lumber-room up among the attics, which was invariably locked, and which he would never permit either me or anyone else to enter. With a boy's curiosity I have peeped through the keyhole, but I was never able to see more than such a collection of old trunks and bundles as would be expected in such a room.

"One day--it was in March, 1883--a letter with a foreign stamp lay upon the table in front of the colonel's plate. It was not a common thing for him to receive letters, for his bills were all paid in ready money, and he had no friends of any sort. 'From India!' said he as he took it up, 'Pondicherry postmark! What can this be?' Opening it hurriedly, out there jumped five little dried orange pips, which pattered down upon his plate. I began to laugh at this, but the laugh was struck from my lips at the sight of his face. His lip had fallen, his eyes were protruding, his skin the color of putty, and he glared at the envelope which he still held in his trembling hand, 'K. K. K.!' he shrieked, and then, 'My God, my God, my sins have overtaken me!'

"'What is it, uncle?' I cried.

"'Death,' said he, and rising from the table he retired to his room, leaving me palpitating with horror. I took up the envelope and saw scrawled in red ink upon the inner flap, just above the gum, the letter K three times repeated. There was nothing else save the five dried pips. What could be the reason of his overpowering terror? I left the breakfast-table, and as I ascended the stair I met him coming down with an old rusty key, which must have belonged to the attic, in one hand, and a small brass box, like a cashbox, in the other.

"'They may do what they like, but I'll checkmate them still,' said he with an oath. 'Tell Mary that I shall want a fire in my room to-day, and send down to Fordham, the Horsham lawyer.'

"I did as he ordered, and when the lawyer arrived I was asked to step up to the room. The fire was burning brightly, and in the grate there was a mass of black, fluffy ashes, as of burned paper, while the brass box stood open and empty beside it. As I glanced at the box I noticed, with a start, that upon the lid was printed the treble K which I had read in the morning upon the envelope.

Adventure V. The Five Orange Pips (3) (с подсказками)

"My name," said he, "is John Openshaw, but my own affairs have, as far as I can understand, little to do with this awful ['Lf(q)l] (ужасным) business. It is a hereditary [hI'redIt(q)ri] (наследственное) matter; so in order to give you an idea of the facts, I must go back to the commencement [kq'mensmqnt] (начало) of the affair.

"You must know that my grandfather had two sonsљ- my uncle Elias and my father Joseph. My father had a small factory at Coventry ['kAvqntri, kPv-], which he enlarged [In'lRGd] (расширял) at the time of the invention [In'venSqn] (изобретения) of bicycling ['baIsIklIN] (велосипед). He was a patentee ["peItn'tJ] (владелец патента) of the Openshaw unbreakable ["An'breIkqb(q)l] (непрокалываемые) tire [taIq] (шины), and his business met with such success that he was able to sell it and to retire [rI'taIq] (уйти в отставку) upon a handsome ['hxns(q)m] (изрядным) competence ['kPmpItqns] (достаток).

"My uncle Elias emigrated ['emIgreItId] (эмигрировал) to America when he was a young man and became a planter ['plRntq] (плантатором) in Florida ['flPrIdq], where he was reported to have done very well. At the time of the war he fought in Jackson's army, and afterwards under Hood [hud] (Гуд), where he rose to be a colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник). When Lee [li:] laid down his arms my uncle returned to his plantation [plxn'teIS(q)nz] (плантация), where he remained for three or four years. About 1869 or 1870 he came back to Europe ['ju(q)rqp] and took a small estate (имение) in Sussex, near Horsham. He had made a very considerable fortune ['fLCHn] (состояние) in the States, and his reason for leaving them was his aversion [q'vE:Sqn] (отвращение) to the negroes ['nJgrquz] (негры), and his dislike [dIs'laIk] (антипатия) of the Republican [rI'pAblIkqn] (республиканская) policy in extending (предоставление) the franchise ['frxnCaIz] (право голоса, привилегии) to them. He was a singular ['sINgjulq] (странный) man, fierce [fIqs] (свирепый) and quick-tempered [kwIk-'tempqd] (вспыльчивый), very foul [faul]-mouthed (сквернословный) when he was angry, and of a most retiring [rI'taIqrIN] (замкнутый) disposition ["dIspq'zIS(q)n] (характер). During all the years that he lived at Horsham, I doubt if ever he set foot in the town. He had a garden and two or three fields round his house, and there he would take his exercise, though very often for weeks on end he would never leave his room. He drank a great deal of brandy and smokedљ very heavily ['hevIlI] (много), but he would see no society and did not want any friends, not even his own brother.

"He didn't mind me; in fact, he took a fancy ['fxnsI] (привязался) to me, for at the time when he saw me first I was a youngster ['jANstq] (подросток) of twelve [twelv] (двенадцати) or so. This would be in the year 1878, after he had been eight or nine years in England. He begged [begd] (упросил) my father to let me live with him and he was very kind to me in his way. When he was sober ['squbq] (трезв) he used to be fond [fPnd] (обычно любил) of playing backgammon [bxk'gxmqn] (триктрак) and draughts [drRfst] (шашки) with me, and he would make me his representative both with the servants and with the tradespeople ['treIdz"pJp(q)l] (торговцы), so that by the time that I was sixteen ["sIks'tJn] (шестнадцать лет) I was quite master of the house. I kept all the keys and could go where I liked and do what I liked, so long as I did not disturb [dIs'tE:b] (не мешал) him in his privacy ['prIvqsI] (уединение). There was one singular ['sINgjulq] (old-fash странное) exception [Ik'sepSqn] (исключение), however, for he had a single room, a lumber-room ['lAmbq-rum] (чулан) up among the attics ['xtIks] (чердак), which was invariably [In've(q)rIqbli] (постоянно) locked [lPkt] (заперт), and which he would never permit either me or anyone else to enter. With a boy's curiosity [kjuqrI'Ps(I)tI] (любопытство) I have peeped [pJpt] (подглядывал) through the keyhole ['kJhqul] (замочную скважину), but I was never able to see more than such a collection of old trunks [trANks] (сундуки) and bundles ['bAnd(q)lz] (узлы) as would be expected in such a room.

"One day - it was in March, 1883 - a letter with a foreign stamp [stxmp] (марка) lay upon the table in front of the colonel's ['kE:nlz] (полковника) plate. It was not a common thing for him to receive letters, for his bills were all paid in ready money, and he had no friends of any sort. 'From India!' said he as he took it up, 'Pondicherry postmark ['pqustmRk] (почтовая марка)! What can this be?' Opening it hurriedly ['hAridli] (поспешно), out there jumped five little dried [draId] (высохшие) orange pips [pIps] (зерннышки), which pattered ['pxtqd] (забарабанили) down upon his plate. I began to laugh at this, but the laugh was struck from my lips at the sight of his face. His lip had fallen, his eyes were protruding [prq'trHdIN] ("выкатились"), his skin the color ['kAlq] (цвет) of putty ['pAti] (замазки), and he glared [gleqd] (уставился) at the envelope ['envqlqup] (конверт) which he still held in his trembling ['tremb(q)lIN] (трясущаяся) hand, 'K. K. K.!' he shrieked [SrJkt] (завижжал), and then, 'My God, my God, my sins [sInz] (грехи) have overtaken [quvq'teIkqn] (настигли) me!'

"'What is it, uncle?' I cried.

"'Death,' said he, and rising from the table he retired [rI'taIqd] (удалился) to his room, leaving me palpitating ['pxlpIteItIN] (трепещущий) with horror ['hPrq] (от ужаса). I took up the envelope ['envqlqup] (конверт) and saw scrawled [skrLld] (нацарапанная) in red ink [INk] (чернилами) upon the inner ['Inq] (внутреннем) flap [flxp] (зд. сторона), just above the gum [gAm] (полоской клея), the letter K three times repeated. There was nothing else save (кроме) the five dried [draId] (сухих) pips [pIps] (зерен). What could be the reason of his overpowering ["quvq'pauqrIN] (неимоверного) terror ['terq] (ужаса)? I left the breakfast-table, and as I ascended [q'sendId] (поднялся) the stair [steq] (лестница) I met him coming down with an old rusty ['rAstI] (ржавый) key, which must have belonged to the attic ['xtIk] (чердак), in one hand, and a small brass [brRs] (медная) box, like a cashbox ['kxSbPks] (копилка), in the other.

"'They may do what they like, but I'll checkmate ['CekmeIt] them (расстрою их планы) still,' said he with an oath [quT] (проклятие). 'Tell Mary that I shall want a fire in my room today, and send down to Fordham, the Horsham lawyer.'

"I did as he ordered, and when the lawyer arrived I was asked to step up to the room. The fire was burning brightly ['braItli] (ярко), and in the grate [greIt] (решетке) there was a mass of black, fluffy ['flAfi] (досл. взбитый, пышный) ashes ['xSIz] (пепел), as of burned paper, while the brass [brRs] (медная) box stood open and empty beside it. As I glanced [glRnst] (взглянул) at the box I noticed, with a start (вздрогнув), that upon the lid [lId] (крышка) was printed ['prIntId] (напечатано) the treble ['trebl] (тройное) K which I had read in the morning upon the envelope ['envqlqup] (конверт).

To be continued...

Обработка Марины Горчаковой <mar_go at tamkon dot ru> при технической поддержке Алексея Винидиктова

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