assiduously [ə`sıdjuəslı], irascibility [ıræsı`bılıtı], petulant [`petjulənt]
during ['djuqrIN], assiduous [q'sIdjuqs], illusion [I'lu:Z(q)n], irascibility [I"rxsI'bIlItI], irascible [I'rxsIbl], petulant ['petjulqnt]
He walked rapidly away: he didn't bother to see whether he was being followed, to check up on the shadow. But passing by the end of the street he happened to turn and there just around the corner, pressed against a wall to escape notice, was a thick stocky figure. Martins stopped and stared. There was something familiar about that figure: perhaps, he thought, I have grown unconsciously used to him during these last twenty-four hours: perhaps he is one of those who have so assiduously checked my movements. Martins stood there, twenty yards away, staring at the silent motionless figure in the dark side-street who stared back at him. A police spy, perhaps, or an agent of those other men, those men who had corrupted Harry first and then killed him: even possibly the third man?
It was not the face that was familiar, for he could not make out so much as the angle of the jaw: nor a movement, for the body was so still that he began to believe that the whole thing was an illusion caused by shadow. He called sharply. "Do you want anything?" and there was no reply. He called again with the irascibility of drink. "Answer, can't you?" and an answer came, for a window curtain was drawn petulantly back by some sleeper he had awakened and the light fell straight across the narrow street and lit up the features of Harry Lime.
12
DO YOU BELIEVE in ghosts (вы верите в привидения)?" Martins said to me (спросил меня Мартинс).
"Do you (а вы)?"
"I do now (верю теперь)."
"I also believe that drunk men see things (я также верю, что пьяные люди видят /разные/ вещи)—sometimes rats, sometimes worse (иногда крыс, иногда хуже)."
He hadn't come to me at once with his story (он не пришел ко мне сразу со своей историей)—only the danger to Anna Schmidt (только опасность, угрожающая Анне Шмидт) tossed him back into my office (забросила его назад = отбросила его в мою контору), like something the sea washed up (как что-то, что море выбросило на берег: «вымыло вверх»), tousled, unshaven (растрепанного, небритого), haunted by an experience he couldn't understand (не имеющего покоя от опыта, который он не мог понять; to haunt — часто заезжать проведать, навещать /какое-л. место, людей и т. п./; мучить; не давать покоя /о мыслях и т. п./; /о привидении/ жить, обитать; являться). He said, "If it had been just the face (если это было бы просто лицо), I wouldn't have worried (я бы не беспокоился). I'd been thinking about Harry (я думал о Гарри), and I might easily have mistaken a stranger (и мог легко перепутать чужого /принять кого-либо за Гарри/; to mistake — ошибаться; неправильно понимать; принять кого-л. за другого или что-л. за другое). The light was turned off again at once, you see (свет был снова немедленно погашен, видите ли; to turn off — выключать), I only got one glimpse (я только получил одно мимолетное впечатление; glimpse — проблеск, слабый свет, слабая вспышка; мелькание; мимолетное впечатление), and the man made off down the street (и человек ушел дальше по улице; down — вниз; /вниз/ по; вдоль по /указывает на движение вниз или в более отдаленное место/)—if he was a man (если это был человек). There was no turning for a long way (не было никакого поворота на долгом пути), but I was so startled (но я был так поражен/напуган; to startle — испугать; поразить, сильно удивить) I gave him another thirty yards' start (что я дал ему еще тридцатиярдовую фору). He came to one of those newspaper kiosks (он подошел к одному из тех газетных киосков) and for a moment moved out of sight (и на мгновение пропал: «выдвинулся из видимости»). I ran after him (я побежал за ним). It only took me ten seconds to reach the kiosk (мне потребовалось только десять секунд, чтобы достичь киоска), and he must have heard me running (и он, должно быть, услышал меня бегущего = как я бегу), but the strange thing was he never appeared again (но странно было то, что он так и не появился снова). I reached the kiosk (я достиг киоска = добежал до киоска). There wasn't anybody there (там никого не было). The street was empty (улица была пуста). He couldn't have reached a doorway without my meeting him (он не мог бы достигнуть входной двери так, чтобы я его не встретил). He'd simply vanished (он просто исчез; to vanish — исчезать, пропадать /тж. vanish away/)."
"A natural thing for ghosts (естественная вещь для привидений)—or illusions (или иллюзий)."
"But I can't believe I was as drunk as all that (но я не могу поверить, что я был настолько пьян: «так пьян, как все это»)!"
"What did you do then (что сделали вы тогда)?"
"I had to have another drink (я должен был выпить еще одну порцию выпивки). My nerves were all to pieces (мои нервы были все на кусочки = совершенно расшатаны)."
"Didn't that bring him back (это не привело его назад)?"
"No (нет), but it sent me back to Anna's (но это послало меня назад к Анне)."
I think he would have been ashamed to come to me with his absurd story (я думаю, он был бы постыдился прийти ко мне со своей абсурдной историей) if it had not been for the attempt on Anna Schmidt (если бы не из-за /возможного/ покушения на Анну Шмидт). My theory when he did tell me his story was (моя теория, когда он наконец рассказал мне свою историю, была) that there had been a watcher (что там был наблюдатель)—though it was drink and hysteria that had pasted on the man's face the features of Harry Lime (хотя это была выпивка и истерия, которые нанесли на того человека лицо черты Гарри Лайма; paste — клей, клейстер; паста, мастика; to paste — клеить, приклеивать). That watcher had noted his visit to Anna (наблюдатель отметил его визит к Анне) and the member of the ring (и член кольца)—the penicillin ring (пенициллинового кольца)—had been warned by telephone (был предупрежден по телефону). Events that night moved fast (события той ночью двигались быстро). You remember that Kurtz lived in the Russian zone (вы помните, что Куртц жил в русской зоне)—in the second bezirk to be exact (во втором округе, чтобы быть точным = точнее говоря), in a wide empty desolate street (на широкой, пустой, безлюдной улице; desolate — одинокий, оставленный всеми, заброшенный; пустынный, необитаемый, безлюдный) that runs down to the Prater Platz (которая бежит вниз = спускается к Пратер-Плац). A man like that had probably obtained his influential contacts (такой человек, возможно, получил свои = обеспечил себе влиятельные связи; to obtain — получать; добывать; приобретать; influence — влияние). The original police agreement in Vienna between the allies (изначальное полицейское соглашение в Вене между союзниками) confined the military police (ограничило военную полицию) (who had to deal with crimes involving allied personnel (которая должна была иметь дело с преступлениями, вовлекшими персонал союзников; to deal — иметь дело; to involve — включать, вовлекать) to their particular zones (их конкретными зонами; particular — частный, личный /уст./; индивидуальный, отдельный, одиночный), unless permission was given to them to enter the zone of another power (разве что им не было дано разрешение войти в зону другой власти; unless — если не). I only had to get on the phone to my opposite number in the American or French zones (мне нужно было лишь дозвониться до моего коллеги в американской и французской зонах; opposite — противоположный; number — номер, число) before I sent in my men (прежде чем я посылал туда моих людей) to make an arrest or pursue an investigation (чтобы совершить арест или провести расследование; to pursue — преследовать; рассматривать, расследовать /вопрос, дело/). Perhaps forty-eight hours would pass (возможно, прошло бы сорок восемь часов) before I received permission from the Russians (прежде чем я получил бы разрешение от русских), but in practice there are a few occasions (но на практике бывают некоторые случаи) when it is necessary to work quicker than that (когда необходимо работать быстрее, чем это = быстрее этого). Even at home it is not always possible (даже дома = в своей зоне не всегда возможно) to obtain a search warrant or permission from one's superiors to detain a suspect (получить ордер на обыск или разрешение от своих начальников задержать подозреваемого; search — обыск, поиск) with any greater speed (со сколько-нибудь большей скоростью).
ghost ['gqust], kiosk ['ki:Osk], vanish ['vxnIS], hysteria [hIs'tIqrIq], exact [Ig'zxkt], desolate ['des(q)lqt], allied [q'laId], personnel ["pq:sq'nel], warrant ['wOr(q)nt], superior [sju:'pIqrIq], detain [dI'teIn], suspect /сущ./ ['sAspekt]
DO YOU BELIEVE in ghosts?" Martins said to me.
"Do you?"
"I do now."
"I also believe that drunk men see things—sometimes rats, sometimes worse."
He hadn't come to me at once with his story—only the danger to Anna Schmidt tossed him back into my office, like something the sea washed up, tousled, unshaven, haunted by an experience he couldn't understand. He said, "If it had been just the face, I wouldn't have worried. I'd been thinking about Harry, and I might easily have mistaken a stranger. The light was turned off again at once, you see, I only got one glimpse, and the man made off down the street—if he was a man. There was no turning for a long way, but I was so startled I gave him another thirty yards' start. He came to one of those newspaper kiosks and for a moment moved out of sight. I ran after him. It only took me ten seconds to reach the kiosk, and he must have heard me running, but the strange thing was he never appeared again. I reached the kiosk. There wasn't anybody there. The street was empty. He couldn't have reached a doorway without my meeting him. He'd simply vanished."
"A natural thing for ghosts—or illusions."
"But I can't believe I was as drunk as all that!"
"What did you do then?"
"I had to have another drink. My nerves were all to pieces."
"Didn't that bring him back?"
"No, but it sent me back to Anna's."
I think he would have been ashamed to come to me with his absurd story if it had not been for the attempt on Anna Schmidt. My theory when he did tell me his story was that there had been a watcher—though it was drink and hysteria that had pasted on the man's face the features of Harry Lime. That watcher had noted his visit to Anna and the member of the ring—the penicillin ring—had been warned by telephone. Events that night moved fast. You remember that Kurtz lived in the Russian zone—in the second bezirk to be exact, in a wide empty desolate street that runs down to the Prater Platz. A man like that had probably obtained his influential contacts. The original police agreement in Vienna between the allies confined the military police (who had to deal with crimes involving allied personnel) to their particular zones, unless permission was given to them to enter the zone of another power. I only had to get on the phone to my opposite number in the American or French zones before I sent in my men to make an arrest or pursue an investigation. Perhaps forty-eight hours would pass before I received permission from the Russians, but in practice there are a few occasions when it is necessary to work quicker than that. Even at home it is not always possible to obtain a search warrant or permission from one's superiors to detain a suspect with any greater speed.
This meant that if I wanted to pick up Kurtz (это означало, что если я хотел взять Куртца) it would be as well to catch him in the British zone (его стоило, пожалуй, поймать в британской зоне).
When Rollo Martins went drunkenly back at four o'clock in the morning (когда Ролло Мартинс пошел пьяным назад в четыре часа утра) to tell Anna that he had seen the ghost of Harry (чтобы рассказать Анне, что он видел призрак Гарри; ghost — привидение, призрак; дух), he was told by a frightened porter (ему сказал испуганный портье) who had not yet gone back to sleep (который еще не ушел обратно спать) that she had been taken away by the International Patrol (что она была забрана интернациональным патрулем).
