An irresistible desire to sully Dr. Winkler (неодолимое желание испачкать доктора Винклера; irresistible — неотразимый; непреодолимый; неодолимый; to resist — сопротивляться) assailed Rollo Martins (напало на Ролло Мартинса). He said, "Dr. Winkle (доктор Винкль)?"
"Dr. Winkler (доктор Винклер)."
"You've got an interesting collection here (у вас тут интересная коллекция)."
“Yes”.
"These saints' bones (эти кости святых)..."
"The bones of chickens and rabbits (кости кур и кроликов)." Dr. Winkler took a large white handkerchief out of his sleeve (доктор Винклер вытащил большой белый платок из рукава) rather as though he were a conjurer producing his country's flag (совершенно как заговорщик, предъявляющий флаг своей страны), and blew his nose neatly and thoroughly twice (и высморкался опрятно и тщательно дважды; to blow — дуть; nose — нос; to blow one's nose — сморкаться), closing each nostril in turn (прикрывая каждую ноздрю по очереди). You expected him to throw away the handkerchief after one use (вы ожидали = можно было ожидать, что он выбросит платок после одного использования). "Would you mind, Mr. Martins, telling me the purpose of your visit (вы не возражаете, мистер Мартинс, против того, чтобы рассказать мне цель вашего визита)? I have a patient waiting (я меня ждет пациент)."
amateur ['xmqtq:], detective [dI'tektIv], advantage [qd'vRntIG], professional [prq'feSqnl], confine [kqn'faIn], cover ['kAvq], perimeter [pq'rImItq], antique [xn'ti:k], specialize ['speSqlaIz], oval ['quv(q)l], hideous ['hIdIqs], cardinal ['kRdIn(q)l], incense ['Insens], disturb [dIs'tq:b], irresistible ["IrI'zIstqbl], desire [dI'zaIq], sully ['sAlI]
AN AMATEUR detective has this advantage over the professional, that he doesn't work set hours. Rollo Martins was not confined to the eight hour day: his investigations didn't have to pause for meals. In his one day he covered as much ground as one of my men would have covered in two, and he had this initial advantage over us, that he was Harry's friend. He was, as it were, working from inside, while we pecked at the perimeter.
Dr. Winkler was at home. Perhaps he would not have been at home to a police officer. Again Martins had marked his card with the sesame phrase: "A friend of Harry Lime's."
Dr. Winkler's waiting room reminded Martins of an antique shop—an antique shop that specialized in religious objets d'art. There were more crucifixes than he could count, none of later date probably than the seventeenth century. There were statues in wood and ivory. There were a number of reliquaries: little bits of bone marked with saints' names and set in oval frames on a background of tin foil. If they were genuine, what an odd fate it was, Martins thought, for a portion of Saint Susanna's knuckle to come to rest in Doctor Winkler's waiting room. Even the high-backed hideous chairs looked as if they had once been sat in by cardinals. The room was stuffy, and one expected the smell of incense. In a small gold casket was a splinter of the True Cross. A sneeze disturbed him.
Dr. Winkler was the cleanest doctor Martins had ever seen. He was very small and neat, in a black tail coat and a high stiff collar; his little black moustache was like an evening tie. He sneezed again: perhaps he was cold because he was so clean. He said "Mr. Martins?"
An irresistible desire to sully Dr. Winkler assailed Rollo Martins. He said, "Dr. Winkle?"
"Dr. Winkler."
"You've got an interesting collection here."
Yes.
"These saints' bones ..."
"The bones of chickens and rabbits." Dr. Winkler took a large white handkerchief out of his sleeve rather as though he were a conjurer producing his country's flag, and blew his nose neatly and thoroughly twice, closing each nostril in turn. You expected him to throw away the handkerchief after one use. "Would you mind, Mr. Martins, telling me the purpose of your visit? I have a patient waiting."
"We were both friends of Harry Lime (мы были оба друзьями Гарри Лайма)."
"I was his medical adviser (я был его медицинским советником; to advise — советовать, консультировать)," Dr. Winkler corrected him (поправил его доктор Винклер) and waited obstinately between the crucifixes (и упорно ждал между распятиями).
"I arrived too late for the inquest (я приехал слишком поздно для следствия). Harry had invited me out here (Гарри пригласил меня сюда; out — наружу) to help him in something (чтобы помочь ему в чем-то). I don't quite know what (я не вполне понимаю, в чем именно; quite — вполне, совершенно; совсем; полностью). I didn't hear of his death till I arrived (я не услышал о его смерти, пока не приехал)."
"Very sad (очень грустно)," Dr. Winkler said.
"Naturally (естественно), under the circumstances (в этих обстоятельствах; under — под), I want to hear all I can (я хочу услышать все, что я смогу)."
"There is nothing I can tell you (я не могу рассказать вам что-либо) that you don't know (чего вы не знаете). He was knocked over by a car (он был сбит машиной). He was dead when I arrived (он был мертв, когда я приехал)."
"Would he have been conscious at all (был ли он в сознании: «сознательный» вообще)?"
"I understand he was for a short time (я понимаю = полагаю, что он был /в сознании/ в течение короткого времени), while they carried him into the house (пока они несли его в дом)."
"In great pain (в большой боли)?"
"Not necessarily (необязательно)."
"You are quite certain (вы совершенно уверены) that it was an accident (что это был несчастный случай)?"
Dr. Winkler put out a hand (доктор Винклер протянул руку) and straightened a crucifix (и выпрямил = поправил распятие). "I was not there (я не был там). My opinion is limited to the cause of death (мое мнение сводится к причине смерти; to limit — ограничивать). Have you any reason to be dissatisfied (у вас есть какая-либо причина быть недовольным)?"
The amateur has another advantage over the professional (любитель имеет еще одно преимущество перед профессионалом): he can be reckless (он может быть дерзким; reckless — необдуманный, безрассудный; опрометчивый, беспечный /шаг, поступок, человек и т. д./). He can tell unnecessary truths (он может говорить ненужные истины) and propound wild theories (и выдвигать необдуманные: «дикие» теории; to propound — предлагать на обсуждение). Martins said, "The police had implicated Harry in a very serious racket (полиция впутала Гарри в очень серьезную махинацию = подозревает его…; to implicate — спутывать; сплетать, переплетать; свивать;). It seemed to me that he might have been murdered (мне кажется, что он мог быть убит)—or even killed himself (или даже убил себя)."
"I am not competent to pass an opinion (я не компетентен, чтобы высказывать мнение; to pass — проходить; переходить /из одних рук в другие, из одного места в другое/; обмениваться /репликами, информацией, письмами и т. п./)," Dr. Winkler said.
"Do you know a man called Cooler (вы знаете человека по имени Кулер)?"
"I don't think so (я не думаю так = нет, не припоминаю)."
"He was there when Harry was killed (он был там, когда Гарри был убит)."
"Then of course I have met him (тогда, конечно, я встречал его). He wears a toupee (он носит паричок)."
"That was Kurtz (это был Куртц)."
Dr. Winkler was not only the cleanest (доктор Винклер был не только самым чистым), he was also the most cautious doctor (он был также самым осторожным доктором) that Martins had ever met (которого Мартинс когда-либо встречал). His statements were so limited (его утверждения были так ограничены) that you could not for a moment doubt their veracity (что вы не могли на один момент усомниться в их достоверности). He said, "There was a second man there (там был второй человек)." If he had to diagnose a case of scarlet fever (если бы он был должен констатировать случай скарлатины: «алой лихорадки») he would, you felt, have confined himself to a statement (он бы, вы чувствовали, ограничился утверждением) that a rash was visible (что сыпь была видна), that the temperature was so and so (что температура была такая-то и такая-то). He would never find himself in error at an inquest (он бы никогда не нашел себя в ошибке при следствии = ему не грозила возможность быть уличенным в ошибке; inquest — следствие, дознание).
"Had you been Harry's doctor for long (вы были врачом Гарри в течение долгого времени)?" He seemed an odd man for Harry to choose (он казался странным человеком, чтобы его выбрал Гарри = было странно, что Гарри выбрал такого человека)—Harry who liked men with a certain recklessness (Гарри, который любил людей, обладающих некоторой беспечностью), men capable of making mistakes (людей, способных делать ошибки).
"For about a year (около года)."
"Well, it's good of you to have seen me (ну, мило с вашей стороны увидеть меня = принять меня)." Dr. Winkler bowed (доктор Винклер поклонился). When he bowed there was a very slight creak (когда он поклонился, послышался очень легкий скрип) as though his shirt were made of celluloid (как будто его рубашка была сделана из целлулоида). "I mustn't keep you from your patients any longer (я не должен задерживать вас от ваших пациентов сколько-нибудь дольше)." Turning away from Dr. Winkler he confronted yet another crucifix (отвернувшись от доктора Винклера, он наткнулся на еще одно распятие; to confront — столкнуться), the figure hanging with arms above the head (на фигуру, висящую с руками над головой): a face of elongated El Greco agony (лицо удлиненной агонии /в духе/ Эль-Греко). "That's a strange crucifix (странное распятие)," he said.
"Jansenist (янсенистское)," Dr. Winkler commented (прокомментировал доктор Винклер) and closed his mouth sharply (и резко закрыл свой рот; sharp — острый) as though he had been guilty (как если бы он был виновен; guilt — вина) of giving away too much information (в том, что раскрыл слишком много информации; to give away — отдавать; дарить; выдавать, проговариваться).
"Never heard the word (никогда не слышал этого слова). Why are the arms above the head (почему руки над головой)?"
Dr. Winkler said reluctantly (доктор Винклер сказал неохотно; reluctant — делающий что-л. с большой неохотой, по принуждению; сопротивляющийся), "Because he died (потому что он умер), in their view (по их взглядам), only for the elect (только для избранных)."
adviser [qd'vaIzq], obstinately ['ObstInqtlI], crucifix ['kru:sIfIks], truth [tru:T], propound [prq'paund], wild ['waIld], theory ['TIqrI], implicate ['ImplIkeIt], competent ['kOmpIt(q)nt], doubt ['daut], veracity [vq'rxsItI], diagnose ['daIqgnquz], fever ['fi:vq], visible ['vIzqbl], temperature ['temprItSq], capable ['keIpqbl], mistake [mIs'teIk], elongated ['i:lONgeItId], reluctantly [rI'lAktqntlI], elect [I'lekt]
"We were both friends of Harry Lime."
"I was his medical adviser," Dr. Winkler corrected him and waited obstinately between the crucifixes.
"I arrived too late for the inquest. Harry had invited me out here to help him in something. I don't quite know what. I didn't hear of his death till I arrived."
"Very sad," Dr. Winkler said.
"Naturally, under the circumstances, I want to hear all I can."
"There is nothing I can tell you that you don't know. He was knocked over by a car. He was dead when I arrived."
"Would he have been conscious at all?"
"I understand he was for a short time, while they carried him into the house."
"In great pain?"
"Not necessarily."
"You are quite certain that it was an accident?"
Dr. Winkler put out a hand and straightened a crucifix. "I was not there. My opinion is limited to the cause of death. Have you any reason to be dissatisfied?"
The amateur has another advantage over the professional: he can be reckless. He can tell unnecessary truths and propound wild theories. Martins said, "The police had implicated Harry in a very serious racket. It seemed to me that he might have been murdered—or even killed himself."
