The Red-Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle (4)

"Well, to my surprise and delight, everything was as right as possible. The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross was there to see that I got fairly to work. He started me off upon the letter A, and then he left me; but he would drop in from time to time to see that all was right with me. At two o'clock he bade me good-day, complimented me upon the amount that I had written, and locked the door of the office after me.

"This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes, and on Saturday the manager came in and planked down four golden sovereigns for my week's work. It was the same next week, and the same the week after. Every morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I left at two. By degrees Mr. Duncan Ross took to coming in only once of a morning, and then, after a time, he did not come in at all. Still, of course, I never dared to leave the room for an instant, for I was not sure when he might come, and the billet was such a good one, and suited me so well, that I would not risk the loss of it.

"Eight weeks passed away like this, and I had written about Abbots and Archery and Armour and Architecture and Attica, and hoped with diligence that I might get on to the B's before very long. It cost me something in foolscap, and I had pretty nearly filled a shelf with my writings. And then suddenly the whole business came to an end."

"To an end?"

"Yes, sir. And no later than this morning. I went to my work as usual at ten o'clock, but the door was shut and locked, with a little square of card-board hammered on to the middle of the panel with a tack. Here it is, and you can read for yourself."

He held up a piece of white card-board about the size of a sheet of note-paper. It read in this fashion:

                THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE

                           IS

                        DISSOLVED.

                     October 9, 1890.

Sherlock Holmes and I surveyed this curt announcement and the rueful face behind it, until the comical side of the affair so completely overtopped every other consideration that we both burst out into a roar of laughter.

"I cannot see that there is anything very funny," cried our client, flushing up to the roots of his flaming head. "If you can do nothing better than laugh at me, I can go elsewhere."

"No, no," cried Holmes, shoving him back into the chair from which he had half risen. "I really wouldn't miss your case for the world. It is most refreshingly unusual. But there is, if you will excuse my saying so, something just a little funny about it. Pray what steps did you take when you found the card upon the door?"

"I was staggered, sir. I did not know what to do. Then I called at the offices round, but none of them seemed to know anything about it. Finally, I went to the landlord, who is an accountant living on the ground-floor, and I asked him if he could tell me what had become of the Red-headed League. He said that he had never heard of any such body. Then I asked him who Mr. Duncan Ross was. He answered that the name was new to him.

"'Well,' said I, 'the gentleman at No. 4.'

"'What, the red-headed man?'

"'Yes.'

"'Oh,' said he, 'his name was William Morris. He was a solicitor and was using my room as a temporary convenience until his new premises were ready. He moved out yesterday.'

"'Where could I find him?'

"'Oh, at his new offices. He did tell me the address. Yes, 17 King Edward Street, near St. Paul's.'

"I started off, Mr. Holmes, but when I got to that address it was a manufactory of artificial knee-caps, and no one in it had ever heard of either Mr. William Morris or Mr. Duncan Ross."

"And what did you do then?" asked Holmes.

"I went home to Saxe-Coburg Square, and I took the advice of my assistant. But he could not help me in any way. He could only say that if I waited I should hear by post. But that was not quite good enough, Mr. Holmes. I did not wish to lose such a place without a struggle, so, as I had heard that you were good enough to give advice to poor folk who were in need of it, I came right away to you."

"And you did very wisely," said Holmes. "Your case is an exceedingly remarkable one, and I shall be happy to look into it. From what you have told me I think that it is possible that graver issues hang from it than might at first sight appear."

"Grave enough!" said Mr. Jabez Wilson. "Why, I have lost four pound a week."

"As far as you are personally concerned," remarked Holmes, "I do not see that you have any grievance against this extraordinary league. On the contrary, you are, as I understand, richer by some 30 pounds, to say nothing of the minute knowledge which you have gained on every subject which comes under the letter A. You have lost nothing by them."

"No, sir. But I want to find out about them, and who they are, and what their object was in playing this prank--if it was a prank--upon me. It was a pretty expensive joke for them, for it cost them two and thirty pounds."

"We shall endeavor to clear up these points for you. And, first, one or two questions, Mr. Wilson. This assistant of yours who first called your attention to the advertisement--how long had he been with you?"

"About a month then."

"How did he come?"

"In answer to an advertisement."

"Was he the only applicant?"

"No, I had a dozen."

"Why did you pick him?"

"Because he was handy and would come cheap."

"At half-wages, in fact."

"Yes."

"What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?"

"Small, stout-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his face, though he's not short of thirty. Has a white splash of acid upon his forehead."

Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement. "I thought as much," said he. "Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for earrings?"

"Yes, sir. He told me that a gypsy had done it for him when he was a lad."

"Hum!" said Holmes, sinking back in deep thought. "He is still with you?"

"Oh, yes, sir; I have only just left him."

"And has your business been attended to in your absence?"

"Nothing to complain of, sir. There's never very much to do of a morning."

"That will do, Mr. Wilson. I shall be happy to give you an opinion upon the subject in the course of a day or two. To-day is Saturday, and I hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion."

To be continued...

The Red-Headed Leaguetby Arthur Conan Doyle (4) (с подсказками)

Союз рыжих. Артур Конан Дойл

"Well, to my surprise and delight [dI'laIt] (радости), everything was as right as possible. The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross was there to see that I got fairly to work. He started me off upon the letter A, and then he left me; but he would drop in (заглядывал) from time to time to see that all was right with me. At two o'clock he bade [beId] me good-day [gud'deI] (попрощался), complimented ['kPmplImqntId] (похвалил) me upon the amount that I had written, and locked [lPkt] (запер) the door of the office after me.

"This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes, and on Saturday the manager came in and planked [plxNkt] down (выложил) four golden ['gquldqn] (золотых) sovereigns ['sPvrInz] for my week's work. It was the same next week, and the same the week after. Every morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I left at two. By degrees (мало-помалу) Mr. Duncan Ross took to coming in (стал заходить) only once of a morning, and then, after a time, he did not come in at all. Still, of course, I never dared [deqd] (осмеливался) to leave the room for an instant ['Instqnt] (секунду), for I was not sure when he might come, and the billet ['bIlIt] (место) was such a good one, and suited [sjHtId] (устраивало) me so well, that I would not risk the loss (потеря) of it.

"Eight weeks passed away like this, and I had written about Abbots ['xbqts] (аббатах) and Archery ['RCqrI] (стрельбе из лука) and Armour ['Rmq] (доспехах) and Architecture ['RkItekCq] and Attica, and hoped with diligence ['dIlIGqns] (усердие) that I might get on to the B's before very long. It cost me something in foolscap ['fHlskxp] (бумаги), and I had pretty nearly filled a shelf with my writings. And then suddenly the whole business came to an end."

"To an end?"

"Yes, sir. And no later than this morning. I went to my work as usual at ten o'clock, but the door was shut and locked [lPkt] (заперта на замок), with a little square [skweq] (клочком) of card-board ['kRd-bLd] (картона) hammered ['hxmqd] (прибитым) on to the middle of the panel with a tack [txk] (гвоздиком). Here it is, and you can read for yourself."

He held up a piece of white card-board ['kRd-bLd] about the size of a sheet of note-paper ['nqut-"peIpq] (почтовой бумаги). It read in this fashion (на нем было написано следующее):

THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE

IS

DISSOLVED [dI'zPlvd] (распущен).

October [Pk'tqubq] 9, 1890.

Sherlock Holmes and I surveyed [sq'veId] (разглядывали) this curt [kE:t] (краткое) announcement [q'naunsmqnt] (объявление) and the rueful ['rHf(q)l] (унылое) face behind it, until the comical ['kPmIk(q)l] side of the affair so completely overtopped ["quvq'tPpt] (заслонила) every other consideration (соображения) that we both burst [bE:st] out (разразились) into a roar [rL] (громким) of laughter ['lRftq] (хохотом).

"I cannot see that there is anything very funny," cried our client, flushing ['flASIN] (покраснев) up to the roots [rHts] (корней) of his flaming ['fleImIN] (жгучей) head. "If you can do nothing better than laugh at me, I can go elsewhere (куда-нибудь в другое место)."

"No, no," cried Holmes, shoving ['SAvIN] (толкая) him back into the chair from which he had half risen. "I really wouldn't miss your case for the world. It is most refreshingly [rI'freSINli] (освежающе) unusual [An'jHZql] (необычное). But there is, if you will excuse my saying so, something just a little funny about it. Pray [preI] (зд. скажите) what steps did you take when you found the card upon the door?"

"I was staggered ['stxgqd] (потрясен), sir. I did not know what to do. Then I called at the offices round (обошел соседние конторы), but none of them seemed to know anything about it. Finally, I went to the landlord ['lxndlLd] (хозяину дома), who is an accountant [q'kauntqnt] (бухгалтер) living on the ground-floor ["graund-'flL] (нижнем этаже), and I asked him if he could tell me what had become of the Red-headed League. He said that he had never heard of any such body (организации). Then I asked him who Mr. Duncan Ross was. He answered that the name was new to him.

"'Well,' said I, 'the gentleman at No. 4.'

"'What, the red-headed man?'

"'Yes.'

"'Oh,' said he, 'his name was William Morris. He was a solicitor and was using my room as a temporary ['tempqrqrI] (временное) convenience [kqn'vi:njqns] (помещение) until his new premises ['premIsIz] (помещение) were ready. He moved out yesterday.'

"'Where could I find him?'

"'Oh, at his new offices. He did tell me the address. Yes, 17 King Edward ['edwqd] Street, near St. Paul's [pLlz] (собора святого Павла).'

"I started off, Mr. Holmes, but when I got to that address it was a manufactory ["mxnju'fxktqrI] (мастерская) of artificial ["RtI'fIS(q)l] (искусственных) knee-caps ['nJ-kxps] (коленных чашек), and no one in it had ever heard of either Mr. William Morris or Mr. Duncan Ross."

"And what did you do then?" asked Holmes.

"I went home to Saxe-Coburg Square, and I took the advice of my assistant. But he could not help me in any way. He could only say that if I waited I should hear by post. But that was not quite good enough, Mr. Holmes. I did not wish to lose such a place without a struggle ['strAgl] (борьбы), so, as I had heard that you were good enough to give advice to poor folk [fquk] (людям) who were in need of it, I came right away to you."

"And you did very wisely ['waIzli] (мудро)," said Holmes. "Your case is an exceedingly [Ik'si:dINlI] (чрезвычайно) remarkable [rI'mRkqbl] (замечательное) one, and I shall be happy to look into it. From what you have told me I think that it is possible that graver ['greIvq] (более серьезные) issues (проблемы) hang from it than might at first sight appear."

"Grave [greIv] (серьезные) enough!" said Mr. Jabez Wilson. "Why, I have lost four pound a week."

"As far as you are personally ['pE:snqlI] (лично) concerned (касается)," remarked [rI'mRkt] (заметил) Holmes, "I do not see that you have any grievance ['gri:vqns] (обиду) against this extraordinary [Ik'strLd(q)n(q)ri] (необыкновенного) league. On the contrary ['kPntrqri] (наоборот), you are, as I understand, richer by some 30 pounds, to say nothing of the minute (глубокие) knowledge which you have gained on every subject which comes under the letter A. You have lost nothing by them."

"No, sir. But I want to find out about them, and who they are, and what their object (цель) was in playing this prank [prxNk] (шутку) -- if it was a prank -- upon me. It was a pretty (довольно) expensive joke for them, for it cost them two and thirty pounds."

"We shall endeavor [In'devq] (постараемся) to clear up these points for you. And, first, one or two questions, Mr. Wilson. This assistant of yours who first called your attention to the advertisement [qd'vE:tismqnt] (объявление) -- how long had he been with you?"

"About a month then."

"How did he come?"

"In answer to an advertisement."

"Was he the only applicant ['xplikqnt] (кандидат)?"

"No, I had a dozen [dAzn] (дюжину)."

"Why did you pick (выбрали) him?"

"Because he was handy ['hxndI] (расторопный) and would come cheap."

"At half-wages ['hRf-'weIGIz] (половину жалования), in fact."

"Yes."

"What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?"

"Small, stout [staut] (крепкого)-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his face, though he's not short of thirty. Has a white splash [splxS] (ожог) of acid (кислоты) upon his forehead ['fLrId] (лбу)."

Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement [Ik'saItmqnt] (волнении). "I thought as much," said he. "Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced [pIqst] (проколоты) for earrings ['Iq"rINz] (сережек)?"

"Yes, sir. He told me that a gypsy ['GIpsi] (цыган) had done it for him when he was a lad [lxd] (юношей)."

"Hum [hAm] (Гм)!" said Holmes, sinking ['sINkIN] (погружаясь) back in deep thought. "He is still with you?"

"Oh [qu], yes, sir; I have only just left him."

"And has your business been attended to in your absence?"

"Nothing to complain [kqm'pleIn] (жаловаться) of, sir. There's never very much to do of a morning."

"That will do, Mr. Wilson. I shall be happy to give you an opinion upon the subject in the course of (через) a day or two. To-day is Saturday, and I hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion."

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