The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence, with his head sunk forward and his eyes bent upon the red glow of the fire. Then he lit his pipe, and leaning back in his chair he watched the blue smoke-rings as they chased each other up to the ceiling.

"I think, Watson," he remarked at last, "that of all our cases we have had none more fantastic than this."

"Save, perhaps, the Sign of Four."

"Well, yes. Save, perhaps, that. And yet this John Openshaw seems to me to be walking amid even greater perils than did the Sholtos."

"But have you," I asked, "formed any definite conception as to what these perils are?"

"There can be no question as to their nature," he answered.

"Then what are they? Who is this K. K. K., and why does he pursue this unhappy family?"

Sherlock Holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows upon the arms of his chair, with his finger-tips together. "The ideal reasoner," he remarked, "would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it. As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole animal by the contemplation of a single bone, so the observer who has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents should be able to accurately state all the other ones, both before and after. We have not yet grasped the results which the reason alone can attain to. Problems may be solved in the study which have baffled all those who have sought a solution by the aid of their senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest pitch, it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilize all the facts which have come to his knowledge; and this in itself implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all knowledge, which, even in these days of free education and encyclopaedias, is a somewhat rare accomplishment. It is not so impossible, however, that a man should possess all knowledge which is likely to be useful to him in his work, and this I have endeavored in my case to do. If I remember rightly, you on one occasion, in the early days of our friendship, defined my limits in a very precise fashion."

"Yes," I answered, laughing. "It was a singular document. Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were marked at zero, I remember. Botany variable, geology profound as regards the mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town, chemistry eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature and crime records unique, violin-player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco. Those, I think, were the main points of my analysis."

Holmes grinned at the last item. "Well," he said, "I say now, as I said then, that a man should keep his little brain-attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it. Now, for such a case as the one which has been submitted to us to-night, we need certainly to muster all our resources. Kindly hand me down the letter K of the American Encyclopaedia which stands upon the shelf beside you. Thank you. Now let us consider the situation and see what may be deduced from it. In the first place, we may start with a strong presumption that Colonel Openshaw had some very strong reason for leaving America. Men at his time of life do not change all their habits and exchange willingly the charming climate of Florida for the lonely life of an English provincial town. His extreme love of solitude in England suggests the idea that he was in fear of someone or something, so we may assume as a working hypothesis that it was fear of someone or something which drove him from America. As to what it was he feared, we can only deduce that by considering the formidable letters which were received by himself and his successors. Did you remark the postmarks of those letters?"

"The first was from Pondicherry, the second from Dundee, and the third from London."

"From East London. What do you deduce from that?"

"They are all seaports. That the writer was on board of a ship."

"Excellent. We have already a clew. There can be no doubt that the probability--the strong probability--is that the writer was on board of a ship. And now let us consider another point. In the case of Pondicherry, seven weeks elapsed between the threat and its fulfillment, in Dundee it was only some three or four days. Does that suggest anything?"

"A greater distance to travel."

"But the letter had also a greater distance to come."

"Then I do not see the point."

"There is at least a presumption that the vessel in which the man or men are is a sailing-ship. It looks as if they always send their singular warning or token before them when starting upon their mission. You see how quickly the deed followed the sign when it came from Dundee. If they had come from Pondicherry in a steamer they would have arrived almost as soon as their letter. But, as a matter of fact, seven weeks elapsed. I think that those seven weeks represented the difference between the mailboat which brought the letter and the sailing vessel which brought the writer."

"It is possible."

"More than that. It is probable. And now you see the deadly urgency of this new case, and why I urged young Openshaw to caution. The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which it would take the senders to travel the distance. But this one comes from London, and therefore we cannot count upon delay."

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Adventure V. The Five Orange Pips (6) (с подсказками)

Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence, with his head sunk [sANk] (склоненная) forward and his eyes bent [bent] (смотрящие на) upon the red glow [glqu] (пламя) of the fire. Then he lit [lIt] (зажег : light - зажигать) his pipe [paIp] (трубка), and leaning back in his chair he watched the blue smoke-rings [smquk-rINz] (колечки дыма) as they chased [CeIst] (гонялись) each other up to the ceiling ['sJlIN] (потолок).

"I think, Watson," he remarked [rI'mRkt] (заметил) at last, "that of all our cases we have had none more fantastic [fxn'txstIk] than this."

"Save (кроме), perhaps, the Sign of Four."

"Well, yes. Save (кроме), perhaps, that. And yet this John Openshaw seems to me to be walking amid [q'mId] (среди) even greater ['greItq] (большие) perils ['perIlz] (опасности) than did the Sholtos."

"But have you," I asked, "formed any definite ['defInIt] (определенное) conception [kqn'sepSqn] (представление) as to what these perils ['perIlz] (опасности) are?"

"There can be no question as to their nature," he answered.

"Then what are they? Who is this K. K. K., and why does he pursue [pq'sju:] (преследует) this unhappy [An'hxpi] (несчастная) family?"

Sherlock Holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows ['elbquz] (локти) upon the arms of his chair, with his finger-tips ['fINgq-"tIps] (кончики пальцев) together. "The ideal [aI'dIql] (истинный) reasoner ['rJzqnq] (мыслитель)," he remarked [rI'mRkt] (заметил), "would, when he had once been shown [Squn] (показали (ему)) a single fact in all its bearings ['beqrINz] (во всей своей полноте), deduce [dI'djHs] (would ~ - вывел бы) from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it. As Cuvier could correctly [kq'rektlI] (правильно) describe a whole animal by the contemplation ["kPntem'pleISqn] (изучение) of a single bone, so the observer [qb'zE:vq] (наблюдатель) who has thoroughly ['TArqli] (полностью) understood one link in a series of incidents should be able to accurately ['xkjurItlI] (точно) state (установить) all the other ones, both before and after. We have not yet grasped [grRspt] (не постигли) the results which the reason (разум) alone can attain [q'teIn] (достичь) to. Problems may be solved [sPlvd] (решены) in the study which have baffled ['bxf(q)ld] (сбило с толку) all those who have sought a solution by the aid of their senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest ['haIIst] pitch [pIC] (до высшей точки), it is necessary that the reasoner ['rJzqnq] (мыслитель) should be able to utilize ['jHtqlaIz] (использовать) all the facts which have come to his knowledge; and this in itself implies, as you will readily ['redIlI] (легко) see, a possession [pq'zeS(q)n] (обладание) of all knowledge, which, even in these days of free education and encyclopaedias [In"saIklq'pJdiqz], is a somewhat rare accomplishment [q'kAmplISmqnt] (достижение). It is not so impossible, however, that a man should possess [pq'zes] (обладать) all knowledge which is likely to be useful to him in his work, and this I have endeavored [In'devqd] (попытался) in my case to do. If I remember rightly ['raItlI] (правильно), you on one occasion, in the early days of our friendship ['frendSIp] (дружба), defined my limits in a very precise [prI'saIs] (точный) fashion."

"Yes," I answered, laughing. "It was a singular ['sINgjulq] (необыкновенный) document. Philosophy [fI'lPsqfI] , astronomy [q'strPnqmi], and politics were marked at zeroљ ['zIqrqu] (ноль), I remember. Botany ['bPtqnI] (ботаника) variable ['veqrIqbl] (колеблющиеся), geology [Gi'PlqGi] profound [prq'faund] (глубокие) as regards the mud-stains [mAd-steInz] (пятна грязи) from any region within fifty ['fIfti] (пятьдесят) miles of town, chemistry ['kemIstrI] (химия) eccentric [Ik'sentrIk] (эксцентрические), anatomy [q'nxtqmI] unsystematic [An"sIstq'mxtIk] (бессистемные), sensational [sen'seIS(q)nql] (сенсационные) literature and crime records unique [jV'nJk] (уникальные), violin ["vaIq'lIn] (скрипка)-player, boxer ['bPksq], swordsman ['sLdzmqn] (фехтовальщик), lawyer, and self-poisoner [self-'pOIznq] (отравляющий себя) by cocaine ['kqukeIn] and tobacco [tq'bxkqu]. Those, I think, were the main points of my analysis."

Holmes grinned [grInd] (усмехнулся) at the last item (пункт). "Well," he said, "I say now, as I said then, that a man should keep his little brain-attic ['xtIk] (чердак) stocked [stPkt] (набитый) with all the furniture ['fE:nICq] (утварь) that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room ['lAmbq-rum] (склад) of his library, where he can get it if he wants it. Now, for such a case as the one which has been submitted [sqb'mItId] (предложено, представлено) to us tonight, we need certainly to muster ['mAstq] (мобилизовать) all our resources. Kindly ['kaIndlI] (будьте любезны) hand me down the letter K of the American Encyclopaedia [In"saIklqu'pJdiq] which stands upon the shelf beside you. Thank you. Now let us consider the situation and see what may be deduced [dI'djHst] (досл. что может быть выведено) from it. In the first place, we may start with a strong presumption [prI'zAmpS(q)n] (предположение) that Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) Openshaw had some very strong reason for leaving America. Men at his time of life do not change all their habits ['hxbIts] (привычки) and exchange willingly ['wIlINli] (охотно) the charming ['CRmIN] (прелестный) climate ['klaImqt] of Florida ['flPrIdq] for the lonely ['lqunli] (одинокая) life of an English provincial [prq'vInSql] (провинциальный) town. His extreme [Ik'strJm] (чрезмерная) love of solitude ['sPlItju:d] (одиночество) in England suggests the idea that he was in fear of someone or something, so we may assume as a working hypothesis [haI'pPTIsIs] (гипотеза) that it was fear of someone or something which drove him from America. As to what it was he feared, we can only deduce [dI'djHs] (сделать вывод) that by considering the formidable ['fLmIdqb(q)l] (ужасные) letters which were received by himself and his successors [sqk'sesqz] (наследники). Did you remark [rI'mRk] (заметили) the postmarks ['pqustmRks] (почтовые штемпели) of those letters?"

"The first was from Pondicherry, the second from Dundee, and the third from London."

"From East London. What do you deduce [dI'djHs] (делаете вывод) from that?"

"They are all seaports ['sJpLts] (морские порты). That the writer was on board of a ship."

"Excellent. We have already a clew [klu:] (ниточка, ключ). There can be no doubt that the probability ["prPbq'bIlIti] (вероятность) -- the strong probability -- is that the writer was on board of a ship. And now let us consider another point. In the case of Pondicherry, seven weeks elapsed [I'lxpst] (прошло) between the threat [Tret] (угроза) and its fulfillment [ful'fIlmqnt] (выполнение), in Dundee it was only some three or four days. Does that suggest anything?"

"A greater ['greItq] (большее) distance to travel."

"But the letter had also a greater ['greItq] (большее) distance to come."

"Then I do not see the point."

"There is at least a presumption [prI'zAmpS(q)n] (предположение) that the vessel ['vesl] (судно) in which the man or men are is a sailing ['seIlIN]-ship (парусное судно). It looks as if they always send their singular ['sINgjulq] (old-fash странное) warning or token ['tqukqn] (знак) before them when starting upon their mission ['mIS(q)n] (миссия). You see how quickly the deed [dJd] (дело) followed the sign when it came from Dundee. If they had come from Pondicherry in a steamer ['stJmq] (пароход) they would have arrived almost as soon as their letter. But, as a matter of fact, seven weeks elapsed [I'lxpst] (прошло). I think that those seven weeks represented the difference between the mail boat ['meIl bqut] (почтовое судно) which brought the letter and the sailing ['seIlIN] (парусное) vessel ['vesl] (судно) which brought the writer."

"It is possible."

"More than that. It is probable ['prPb(q)bl] (вполне вероятно). And now you see the deadly ['dedlI] (чрезвычайная) urgency ['E:Gqnsi] (срочность) of this new case, and why I urged [E:Gd] (призвал) young Openshaw to caution ['kLS(q)n] (осторожность). The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which it would take the senders ['sendqz] (отправители) to travel the distance. But this one comes from London, and therefore we cannot count upon delay [dI'leI] (отсрочки)."

To be continued...

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

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