Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Первый сборник рассказов - Arthur Conan Doyle

particulars [pǝˈtɪkjulǝz], sympathy [ˈsɪmpǝƟɪ], enormous [ɪˈnɔ:mǝs], berth [bǝ:Ɵ]

"'Well,' said he, showing me the advertisement, 'you can see for yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the address where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out, the League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways. He was himself red-headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed men; so when he died it was found that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of that color. From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to do.'

"'But,' said I, 'there would be millions of red-headed men who would apply (найдутся миллионы рыжих, которые подадут заявление).'

"'Not so many as you might think (не так /уж и/ много, как вы можете подумать),' he answered. 'You see (видите ли), it is really confined to Londoners (это относится = обращено только к лондонцам; to confine — ограничивать), and to grown men (и /только/ к взрослым). This American had started from London when he was young (этот американец начинал /карьеру/ в Лондоне, когда он был молодым = в молодости; to start from — исходить), and he wanted to do the old town a good turn (и он хотел оказать старому городу хорошую услугу = облагодетельствовать родной город). Then, again, I have heard it is no use your applying if your hair is light red (также еще я слышал, /что это/ бесполезно обращаться, если ваши волосы светло-рыжие), or dark red, or anything but real bright, blazing, fiery red (или темно-рыжие, или какие-либо другие, кроме настоящего яркого, пылающего, огненно-рыжего цвета). Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson (теперь, если вы желаете обратиться, мистер Уилсон), you would just walk in (вы бы легко получили то место; to walk in — войти; легко получить работу); but perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to put yourself out of the way for the sake of a few hundred pounds (но, возможно, вам не стоит отвлекаться /от основной работы/ из-за нескольких сотен фунтов; hardly — едва; to be worth — стоить; while — промежуток времени; out of the way — лежащий в стороне, не по пути; for the sake of — ради).'

confined [kǝnˈfaɪnd], blazing [ˈbleɪzɪŋ], fiery [ˈfaɪǝrɪ], pound [paund]

"'But,' said I, 'there would be millions of red-headed men who would apply.'

"'Not so many as you might think,' he answered. 'You see, it is really confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American had started from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the old town a good turn. Then, again, I have heard it is no use your applying if your hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but real bright, blazing, fiery red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson, you would just walk in; but perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to put yourself out of the way for the sake of a few hundred pounds.'

"Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves (итак, это факт, джентльмены, как вы сами можете видеть), that my hair is of a very full and rich tint (что мои волосы очень насыщенного и богатого оттенка), so that it seemed to me that if there was to be any competition in the matter (и потому мне казалось, что если бы /там/ случилось состязание в этом деле) I stood as good a chance as any man that I had ever met (у меня был бы такой же хороший шанс, как и у любого человека, которого я когдf-либо встречал = как и у других /участников/). Vincent Spaulding seemed to know so much about it (Винсент Сполдинг, казалось, так много знает об этом) that I thought he might prove useful (что я подумал, /что/ он может оказаться полезным), so I just ordered him to put up the shutters for the day (поэтому я приказал ему закрыть ставни на тот день) and to come right away with me (и пойти прямо туда вместе со мной). He was very willing to have a holiday (он был очень желающим иметь выходной = очень обрадовался выходному), so we shut the business up (и вот, мы закрыли контору) and started off for the address that was given us in the advertisement (и отправились по адресу, который был дан нам в объявлении).

competition [kɒmpɪˈtɪʃn], thought [Ɵɔ:t], holiday [ˈhɒlɪdɪ]

"Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves, that my hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed to me that if there was to be any competition in the matter I stood as good a chance as any man that I had ever met. Vincent Spaulding seemed to know so much about it that I thought he might prove useful, so I just ordered him to put up the shutters for the day and to come right away with me. He was very willing to have a holiday, so we shut the business up and started off for the address that was given us in the advertisement.

"I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes (я не надеюсь более никогда увидеть вновь такое зрелище, как то = такого мне никогда не придется больше повидать). From north, south, east, and west (с севера, юга, востока и запада) every man who had a shade of red in his hair (каждый /человек/, кто имел хоть малейший оттенок рыжего в своих волосах; shade — тень; намек, оттенок) had tramped into the Сity to answer the advertisement (притопали в Сити откликнуться на объявление; to tramp — тяжело ступать, тащиться). Fleet Street was choked with red-headed folk (Флит-стрит была забита рыжими людьми; to choke with — подавиться; folk — люди, племя), and Pope's Court looked like a coster's orange barrow (а Попс-корт был похож на тачку уличного торговца апельсинами). I should not have thought there were so many in the whole country (я не мог подумать = никогда бы не подумал, что во всей стране так много /рыжих/) as were brought together by that single advertisement (как /те/, которые собрались вместе по одному объявлению). Every shade of colour they were (они были всех оттенков цвета = рыжего) — straw (соломенного), lemon (лимонного), orange (апельсинового), brick (кирпичного), Irish-setter (/цвета/ ирландского сеттера), liver (темно-каштанового), clay (глиняного); but, as Spaulding said, there were not many who had the real vivid flame-colored tint (там было немного /людей/, кто имел бы настоящий живой огненный тон). When I saw how many were waiting (когда я увидел, как много было ожидающих), I would have given it up in despair (я бы бросил это в отчаянии = чуть не пришел в отчаяние); but Spaulding would not hear of it (не захотел об этом слышать = настаивал на своем). How he did it I could not imagine (как он это сделал, я не мог представить), but he pushed and pulled and butted until he got me through the crowd (он толкался, и втискивался, и бодался, пока не провел меня через толпу), and right up to the steps which led to the office (и прямо к лестнице, которая вела к конторе). There was a double stream upon the stair (по лестнице двигался двойной поток), some going up in hope (некоторые поднимались в надежде = полные надежд), and some coming back dejected (а другие спускались угнетенные); but we wedged in as well as we could (но мы вклинились как могли) and soon found ourselves in the office (и вскоре очутились в конторе)."

sight [saɪt], north [nɔ:Ɵ], folk [fǝuk], straw [strɔ:], despair [dɪsˈpeǝ], wedged [weʤd]

"I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes. From north, south, east, and west every man who had a shade of red in his hair had tramped into the Сity to answer the advertisement. Fleet Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope's Court looked like a coster's orange barrow. I should not have thought there were so many in the whole country as were brought together by that single advertisement. Every shade of colour they were — straw, lemon, orange, brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay; but, as Spaulding said, there were not many who had the real vivid flame-colored tint. When I saw how many were waiting, I would have given it up in despair; but Spaulding would not hear of it. How he did it I could not imagine, but he pushed and pulled and butted until he got me through the crowd, and right up to the steps which led to the office. There was a double stream upon the stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back dejected; but we wedged in as well as we could and soon found ourselves in the office."

"Your experience has been a most entertaining one (ваше приключение было наиболее занимательным /приключением/ = с вами произошла очень интересная история)," remarked Holmes as his client paused (заметил Холмс, когда его клиент сделал паузу) and refreshed his memory with a huge pinch of snuff (и освежил свою память огромной понюшкой табаку). "Pray continue your very interesting statement (прошу вас = пожалуйста, продолжайте ваше очень интересное изложение = рассказ)."

experience [ɪkˈspɪrɪǝns], huge [hju:ʤ], continue [kǝnˈtɪnju:]

"There was nothing in the office (в конторе не было ничего) but a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table (кроме пары деревянных стульев и стола из сосновых досок), behind which sat a small man (за которым сидел маленький человек) with a head that was even redder than mine (с головой, которая была даже более рыжей, чем моя). He said a few words to each candidate as he came up (он говорил несколько слов каждому кандидату, когда тот подходил /к столу/), and then he always managed to find some fault in them (и затем он всегда ухитрялся найти какой-нибудь недостаток в них) which would disqualify them (что делало их неспособными занять вакансию; to disqualify — признать негодным, дисквалифицировать). Getting a vacancy did not seem to be such a very easy matter (получение вакансии не казалось таким уж простым делом), after all (в конечном счете). However (как бы то ни было), when our turn came (когда пришла наша очередь) the little man was much more favorable to me (маленький человек был намного более благосклонен ко мне) than to any of the others (чем к любому из других), and he closed the door as we entered (и он запер дверь, как только мы вошли), so that he might have a private word with us (так, чтобы он мог иметь частное слово с нами = чтобы побеседовать с нами без посторонних).

deal [di:l], candidate [ˈkændɪdǝt], favorable [ˈfeɪvǝrǝbl], private [ˈpraɪvɪt]

"Your experience has been a most entertaining one," remarked Holmes as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge pinch of snuff. "Pray continue your very interesting statement."

"There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that was even redder than mine. He said a few words to each candidate as he came up, and then he always managed to find some fault in them which would disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem to be such a very easy matter, after all. However, when our turn came the little man was much more favorable to me than to any of the others, and he closed the door as we entered, so that he might have a private word with us.