"You addressed your envelope very cleverly (вы очень умно написали адрес на вашем конверте) — Whitehaven (Уайтхэйвен) — Whitehorse (Уайтхорс) — quite a natural slip (достаточно естественная описка; to slip — скользить; поскользнуться). Only Hastings was sufficiently perspicacious (только Гастингс был в достаточной мере проницательным) to disregard subtleties (чтобы не обратить внимания на тонкости; subtlety — тонкость; утонченность) and go straight for the obvious (и идти прямо к очевидному)!"
insular ['[email protected]@], perspicacious [,[email protected]:spI'keIS(@)s], subtlety ['sVtltI]
"Not at all! The letters were sent to me because the essence of your plan was that one of them should be wrongly addressed and go astray — but you cannot arrange for a letter addressed to the Criminal Investigation Department of Scotland Yard to go astray! It is necessary to have a private address. You chose me as a fairly well-known person, and a person who was sure to take the letters to the police — and also, in your rather insular mind, you enjoyed scoring off a foreigner."
"You addressed your envelope very cleverly — Whitehaven — Whitehorse — quite a natural slip. Only Hastings was sufficiently perspicacious to disregard subtleties and go straight for the obvious!"
"Of course (конечно) the letter was meant to go astray (предполагалось, что письмо потеряется)! The police were to be set on the trail (полицию нужно было навести на след) only when the murder was safely over (только /тогда/, когда убийство было безопасно завершено). Your brother's nightly walk provided you with the opportunity (ночные прогулки вашего брата предоставили вам возможность). And so successfully had the A.B.C. terror taken hold on the public mind (и столь успешно ужас Эй-би-си охватил мысли общественности) that the possibility of your guilt never occurred to anyone (что даже возможность вашей вины никогда ни у кого не возникала)."
"After the death of your brother (после смерти вашего брата), of course (конечно), your object was accomplished (ваша цель была достигнута). You had no wish to commit any more murders (вы не имели желания совершать другие убийства). On the other hand (с другой строны), if the murders stopped without reason (если бы убийства прекратились без причины), a suspicion of truth might come to someone (кто-нибудь мог бы заподозрить правду: «подозрение правды могло прийти к кому-нибудь»)."
trail [treIl], terror ['[email protected]], wish [wIS]
"Of course the letter was meant to go astray! The police were to be set on the trail only when the murder was safely over. Your brother's nightly walk provided you with the opportunity. And so successfully had the A.B.C. terror taken hold on the public mind that the possibility of your guilt never occurred to anyone."
"After the death of your brother, of course, your object was accomplished. You had no wish to commit any more murders. On the other hand, if the murders stopped without reason, a suspicion of truth might come to someone."
"Your stalking horse (ваше подставное лицо), Mr. Cust, had so successfully lived up to his role of the invisible (столь успешно вжился в его роль невидимого) — because insignificant (потому что незначительного) — man (человека), that so far no one had noticed (которого пока никто не заметил) that the same person had been seen in the vicinity of the three murders (что этого же человека видели поблизости от трех убийств)! To your annoyance (к вашему раздражению), even his visit to Combeside had not been mentioned (даже его визит в Кумсайд не был упомянут). The matter had passed completely out of Miss Grey's head (этот случай: «это дело» полностью вылетел из головы мисс Грей)."
"Always daring (всегда дерзкий), you decided (вы решили) that one more murder must take place (что еще одно убийство должно произойти) but that this time the trail must be well blazed (но в этот раз след должен был быть хорошо отмечен; blaze — белая звездочка /на лбу животного/; метка на дереве; тропинка в лесу, помеченная метками)."
"You selected Doncaster for the scene of operations (вы выбрали Донкастер для сцены действий)."
invisible [In'vIzIbl], annoyance [@'[email protected]], operation [,[email protected]'reIS(@)n]
"Your stalking horse, Mr. Cust, had so successfully lived up to his role of the invisible — because insignificant — man, that so far no one had noticed that the same person had been seen in the vicinity of the three murders! To your annoyance, even his visit to Combeside had not been mentioned. The matter had passed completely out of Miss Grey's head."
"Always daring, you decided that one more murder must take place but that this time the trail must be well blazed."
"You selected Doncaster for the scene of operations."
"Your plan was very simple (ваш план был очень прост). You yourself would be on the scene in the nature of things (по сути вещей, вы сами были бы на месте /преступления/). Mr. Cust would be ordered to Doncaster by his firm (мистер Каст будет направлен в Донкастер его фирмой). Your plan was to follow him round (ваш план был проследить его) and trust to opportunity (и положиться на удобный случай; opportunity — благоприятный случай, стечение обстоятельств, возможность). Everything fell out well (все сложилось хорошо; to fall out — выпадать; случаться). Mr. Cust went to a cinema (мистер Каст пошел в кино). That was simplicity itself (это была сама простота). You sat a few seats away from him (вы сели на отдалении нескольких сидений от него). When he got up to go (когда он поднялся, чтобы уйти), you did the same (вы сделали тоже). You pretended to stumble (вы притворились, что споткнулись), leaned over (перегнулись) and stabbed a dozing man in the row in front (и закололи спящего человека в ряду впереди), slid the A.B.C. on to his knees (незаметно бросили /железнодорожный справочник/ «Эй-би-си» ему на колени; to slide — скользить; незаметно сунуть) and managed to collide heavily with Mr. Cust in the darkened doorway (и /вам/ удалось тяжело столкнуться с Кастом в затемненном проходе), wiping the knife on his sleeve (вытерев нож об его рукав) and slipping it into his pocket (и сунув его ему в карман; to slip — скользить; незаметно сунуть)."
simplicity [sIm'plIsItI], collide [[email protected]'laId], sleeve [sli:v]
"Your plan was very simple. You yourself would be on the scene in the nature of things. Mr. Cust would be ordered to Doncaster by his firm. Your plan was to follow him round and trust to opportunity. Everything fell out well. Mr. Cust went to a cinema. That was simplicity itself. You sat a few seats away from him. When he got up to go, you did the same. You pretended to stumble, leaned over and stabbed a dozing man in the row in front, slid the A.B.C. on to his knees and managed to collide heavily with Mr. Cust in the darkened doorway, wiping the knife on his sleeve and slipping it into his pocket."
"You were not in the least at pains to choose a victim (вы не прилагали ни малейших усилий, чтобы выбрать жертву; to be at pains — очень стараться, прилагать усилия; pains — муки; усилия) whose name began with D (чье имя начиналось с /буквы/ «ди»). Anyone would do (любой подошел бы)! You assumed (вы допустили) — and quite rightly (и совершенно правильно) — that it would be considered to be a mistake (что это посчитают за ошибку). There was sure to be someone (там наверняка был кто-то) whose name began with D not far off in the audience (недалеко среди публики, чье имя начиналось с /буквы/ «ди»). It would be assumed (допустят) that he had been intended to be the victim (что он предназначался в жертвы)."
"And now, my friends (а теперь, друзья мои), let us consider the matter from the point of view of the false A.B.C. (давайте рассмотрим это дело с точки зрения фальшивого Эй-би-си) — from the point of view of Mr. Cust (с точки зрения мистера Каста)."
pains [peInz], intend [In'tend], point [pOInt]
"You were not in the least at pains to choose a victim whose name began with D. Anyone would do! You assumed — and quite rightly — that it would be considered to be a mistake. There was sure to be someone whose name began with D not far off in the audience. It would be assumed that he had been intended to be the victim."
"And now, my friends, let us consider the matter from the point of view of the false A.B.C. — from the point of view of Mr. Cust."
"The Andover crime means nothing to him (эндоверское преступление ничего не значило для него). He is shocked and surprised by the Bexhill crime (он был шокирован и удивлен бексхиллским преступлением) — why, he himself was there about the time (как же так, он сам был там в это время)! Then comes the Churston crime (затем происходит черстонское преступление) and the headlines in the newspapers (и /появляются/ заголовки в газетах)."
"An A.B.C. crime at Andover (преступление Эй-би-си в Эндовере) when he was there (когда он там был), an A.B.C. crime at Bexhill (преступление Эй-би-си в Бексхилле), and now another close by (и теперь еще /одно/ рядом) … Three crimes (три преступления) and he has been at the scene of each of them (и он был на месте каждого из них). Persons suffering from epilepsy often have blanks (люди, страдающие эпилепсией, часто имеют провалы /в памяти/) when they cannot remember (когда они не могут вспомнить) what they have done (что они делали) … Remember (помните) that Cust was a nervous (что Каст был нервный), highly neurotic subject (высоко невротичный субъект) and extremely suggestible (и крайне внушаемый)."
"Then he receives the order to go to Doncaster (затем он получает приказ ехать в Донкастер)."
nervous ['[email protected]:[email protected]], highly ['haIlI], neurotic [[email protected]'rOtIk]
"The Andover crime means nothing to him. He is shocked and surprised by the Bexhill crime — why, he himself was there about the time! Then comes the Churston crime and the headlines in the newspapers."
"An A.B.C. crime at Andover when he was there, an A.B.C. crime at Bexhill, and now another close by … Three crimes and he has been at the scene of each of them. Persons suffering from epilepsy often have blanks when they cannot remember what they have done … Remember that Cust was a nervous, highly neurotic subject and extremely suggestible."
"Then he receives the order to go to Doncaster."
"Doncaster! And the next A.B.C. crime is to be in Doncaster (а следующее преступление Эй-би-си должно быть в Донкастере). He must have felt (он, должно быть, чувствовал) as though it was fate (словно это была судьба). He loses his nerve (он теряет самообладание), fancies (воображает) his landlady is looking at him suspiciously (что его домовладелица смотрит на него подозрительно = с подозрением), and tells her (и говорит ей) he is going to Cheltenham (что он едет в Челтнем)."
