decision [di:'sIZ(q)n], provide [prq'vaId], article ['RtIkl], extravagant [Ik'strxvqgqnt], penicillin ["penI'sIlIn], affair [q'feq], supply [sq'plaI], military ['mIlIt(q)rI], civilian [sI'vIlIqn], distribution ["dIstrI'bju:S(q)n], benefit ['benIfIt], punish ['pAnIS], organise ['O:gqnaIz], thief [Ti:f], conscience ['kOnS(q)ns], employer [Im'plOIq], respectable [rIs'pektqbl], guilt [gIlt], totalitarian ["tqutqlI'teqrIqn]
He said, "You know this business—Koch's death has shaken me. Perhaps Harry did get mixed up in something pretty bad. Perhaps he was trying to clear out again, and that's why they murdered him."
"Or perhaps," I said, "they wanted a bigger cut off the spoils. Thieves fall out."
He took it this time without any anger at all. He said, "We won't agree about motives, but I think you check your facts pretty well. I'm sorry about the other day."
"That's all right." There are times when one has to make a flash decision—this was one of them. I owed him something in return for the information he had given me. I said, "I'll show you enough of the facts in Lime's case for you to understand. But don't fly off the handle. It's going to be a shock."
It couldn't help being a shock. The war and the peace (if you can call it peace) let loose a great number of rackets, but none more vile than this one. The black marketeers in food did at least supply food, and the same applied to all the other racketeers who provided articles in short supply at extravagant prices. But the penicillin racket was a different affair altogether. Penicillin in Austria was only supplied to the military hospitals: no civilian doctor, not even a civilian hospital, could obtain it by legal means. As the racket started, it was relatively harmless. Penicillin would be stolen and sold to Austrian doctors for very high sums—a phial would fetch anything up to £.70. You might say that this was a form of distribution—unfair distribution because it benefited only the rich patient, but the original distribution could hardly have a claim to greater fairness.
This racket went on quite happily for a while. Occasionally someone was caught and punished, but the danger simply raised the price of penicillin. Then the racket began to get organised: the big men saw big money in it, and while the original thief got less for his spoils, he received instead a certain security. If anything happened to him he would be looked after. Human nature too has curious twisted reasons that the heart certainly knows nothing of. It eased the conscience of many small men to feel that they were working for an employer: they were almost as respectable soon in their own eyes as wage-earners: they were one of a group, and if there was guilt, the leaders bore the guilt. A racket works very like a totalitarian party.
This, I have sometimes called stage two (это я иногда называл этапом два). Stage three was when the organisers decided (этап три был, когда организаторы решили) that the profits were not large enough (что прибыль была не достаточно большой). Penicillin would not always be impossible to obtain legitimately (пенициллин не всегда было бы невозможно получить легально): they wanted more money and quicker money while the going was good (они хотели больше денег и более быстрые деньги, пока все шло хорошо). They began to dilute the penicillin with coloured water (они начали разбавлять пенициллин подкрашенной водой), and in the case of penicillin dust (а в случае с пенициллиновым порошком; dust — пыль), with sand (песком). I keep a small museum in one drawer in my desk (я держу/храню маленький музей в одном ящике в моем столе), and I showed Martins examples (и я показал Мартинсу образцы). He wasn't enjoying the talk (он не наслаждался разговором = разговор ему не нравился; to enjoy — наслаждаться; любить /что-л./, получать удовольствие /от чего-л./), but he hadn't yet grasped the point (но он еще не уловил смысл). He said, "I suppose that makes the stuff useless (я полагаю, что это делает эту штуку бесполезной)."
I said, "We wouldn't worry so much if that was all (мы бы не беспокоились так сильно, если бы это было все), but just consider (но только/просто подумайте; to consider — рассматривать, обсуждать). You can be immunised from the effects of penicillin (ты можешь быть сделан невосприимчив: «иммунизирован» к эффектам = действию пенициллина). At the best you can say (в лучшем случае, ты можешь сказать) that the use of this stuff (что использование этого вещества) makes a penicillin treatment for the particular patient ineffective in the future (делает пенициллиновое лечение для конкретного пациента неэффективным в будущем). That isn't so funny, of course (это не так смешно, конечно), if you are suffering from V.D. (если ты страдаешь от венерической болезни; venereal disease — венерическая болезнь). Then the use of sand on a wound that requires penicillin (тогда использование песка на ране, которая требует пенициллина)—well, it's not healthy (ну, это не полезно: «здорóво»; health — здоровье). Men have lost their legs and arms that way (люди теряли свои ноги и руки таким образом: «этим путем»)—and their lives (и свои жизни). But perhaps what horrified me most (но, возможно, что ужаснуло меня больше всего) was visiting the children's hospital here (было посещение здешней детской больницы). They had bought some of this penicillin for use against meningitis (они купили = было куплено немного этого пенициллина для использования против менингита). A number of children simply died (некоторое количество детей просто умерло), and a number went off their heads (а некоторое количество спятило: «сошло со своих голов»). You can see them now in the mental ward (ты можешь увидеть их теперь в психиатрической клинике: «психической палате»)."
He sat on the other side of the desk (он сидел по другую сторону стола) scowling into his hands (хмуро глядя в свои руки; to scowl — хмуриться, хмурить брови; смотреть сердито, бросать сердитый взгляд). I said, "It doesn't bear thinking about very closely (об этом невыносимо думать тщательно: «близко, вплотную»), does it (не так ли)?"
"You haven't showed me any evidence yet that Harry (вы не показали мне пока какого-либо свидетельства, что Гарри)..."
"We are coming to that now (мы подходим к этому сейчас)," I said. "Just sit still and listen (просто сидите тихо и слушайте)." I opened Lime's file and began to read (я открыл дело Лайма и начал читать). At the beginning the evidence was purely circumstantial (в начале свидетельства были чисто косвенными; circumstantial — побочный, косвенный, случайный; привходящий /об обстоятельствах/; circumstance — обстоятельство), and Martins fidgeted (и Мартинс проявлял нетерпение/ерзал). So much consisted of coincidence (так много состояло из совпадений)—reports of agents (отчетов агентов) that Lime had been at a certain place at a certain time (что Лайм был в некотором месте в некоторое время): the accumulation of opportunities (скопление/нарастание возможностей; accumulation — накопление): his acquaintance with certain people (его знакомство с некоторыми людьми). He protested once (один раз он возразил; to protest — протестовать, возражать; выразить несогласие), "But the same evidence (но то же свидетельство) would apply against me (приложилось бы = могло бы быть приложено и ко мне: «против меня»)—now (теперь)."
decide [dI'saId], profit ['prOfIt], legitimate [lI'GItqmqt], ['], colour ['kAlq], museum [mju:'zi:qm], example [Ig'zRmpl], consider [kqn'sIdq], immunise ['Imju:naIz], use [ju:s], ineffective ["InI'fektIv], venereal [vI'nIqrql], horrify ['hOrIfaI], mental ['ment(q)l], circumstantial ["sq:kqm'stxnS(q)l], fidget ['fIGIt], consist [kqn'sIst], coincidence [kqu'InsId(q)ns], accumulation [q"kju:mju'leIS(q)n], opportunity ["Opq'tjunItI], acquaintance [q'kweInt(q)ns]
This, I have sometimes called stage two. Stage three was when the organisers decided that the profits were not large enough. Penicillin would not always be impossible to obtain legitimately: they wanted more money and quicker money while the going was good. They began to dilute the penicillin with coloured water, and in the case of penicillin dust, with sand. I keep a small museum in one drawer in my desk, and I showed Martins examples. He wasn't enjoying the talk, but he hadn't yet grasped the point. He said, "I suppose that makes the stuff useless."
I said, "We wouldn't worry so much if that was all, but just consider. You can be immunised from the effects of penicillin. At the best you can say that the use of this stuff makes a penicillin treatment for the particular patient ineffective in the future. That isn't so funny, of course, if you are suffering from V.D. Then the use of sand on a wound that requires penicillin—well, it's not healthy. Men have lost their legs and arms that way—and their lives. But perhaps what horrified me most was visiting the children's hospital here. They had bought some of this penicillin for use against meningitis. A number of children simply died, and a number went off their heads. You can see them now in the mental ward."
He sat on the other side of the desk scowling into his hands. I said, "It doesn't bear thinking about very closely, does it?"
"You haven't showed me any evidence yet that Harry ..."
"We are coming to that now," I said. "Just sit still and listen." I opened Lime's file and began to read. At the beginning the evidence was purely circumstantial, and Martins fidgeted. So much consisted of coincidence—reports of agents that Lime had been at a certain place at a certain time: the accumulation of opportunities: his acquaintance with certain people. He protested once, "But the same evidence would apply against me—now."
"Just wait (просто подождите)," I said. For some reason (по какой-то причине) Harry Lime had grown careless (Гарри Лайм стал беспечным, неосторожным; to grow — расти; становиться): he may have realised (он мог осознать = возможно, он понял) that we suspected him and got rattled (что мы подозреваем его, и сделался напуган; to rattle — греметь; поднимать зверя на охоте). He held a quite distinguished position (он занимал весьма видное положение; to distinguish — различать; проводить различие) and a man like that (а человек как этот = такой) is the more easily rattled (бывает тем более легко напуган). We put one of our agents as an orderly in the British Military Hospital (мы поставили одного из наших агентов санитаром в Британский военный госпиталь): we knew by this time the name of our go-between (мы знали к этому времени имя нашего посредника), but we had never succeeded (но мы так и не преуспели: «мы никогда преуспели») in getting the line right back to the source (в том, чтобы провести нить: «линию» назад к источнику). Anyway (в любом случае) I am not going to bother the reader now (я не собираюсь докучать читателю сейчас), as I bothered Martins then (как я докучал Мартинсу тогда), with all the stages (всеми этапами)—the long tussle to win the confidence of the go-between (долгой борьбой, чтобы завоевать доверие посредника; to win — победить, выиграть, завоевать) —a man called Harbin (человека по имени Харбин). At last we had the screws on Harbin (наконец мы прижали Харбина: «имели тиски на Харбине»), and we twisted them until he squealed (и мы закручивали их, пока он не раскололся; squeal — пищать; доносить). This kind of police work (эта разновидность полицейской работы) is very similar to secret service work (очень похожа на работу секретной службы): you look for a double agent whom you can really control (ты ищешь двойного агента, которого ты можешь действительно контролировать; to look for — искать), and Harbin was the man for us (и Харбин был /как раз/ таким человеком для нас). But even he only led us as far as Kurtz (но даже он только привел нас так далеко, как к Куртцу = привел нас всего лишь к Куртцу).
"Kurtz," Martins exclaimed (воскликнул Мартинс). "But why haven't you pulled him in (но почему вы не арестовали его; to pull in — втягивать, втаскивать; /разг./ арестовывать)?"
"Zero hour is almost here (час Ч: «нулевой час» почти здесь = настал)," I said.
Kurtz was a great step forward (Куртц — это был большой шаг вперед), for Kurtz was in direct communication with Lime (потоиу что Куртц был в прямой связи с Лаймом; communication — /со/общение)—he had a small outside job (он имел небольшую внештатную работу) in connection with relief work (в связи с общественными работами для безработных; relief — облегчение; work — работа). With Kurtz (с Куртцем), Lime sometimes put things on paper (Лайм иногда записывал вещи на бумагу; to put — класть)—if he was pressed (если он спешил; to be pressed for time or pressed for money — иметь мало времени или недостаточно денег). I showed Martins the Photostat of a note (я показал Мартинсу фотокопию записки). "Can you identify that (можете вы идентифицировать это)?"
