полностью

“‘Of course, we had the drags at once, and set to work to recover the remains, but no trace of the body could we find. On the other hand, we brought to the surface an object of a most unexpected kind. It was a linen bag which contained within it a mass of old rusted and discolored metal and several dull-colored pieces of pebble or glass. This strange find was all that we could get from the mere, and, although we made every possible search and inquiry yesterday, we know nothing of the fate either of Rachel Howells or of Richard Brunton. The county police are at their wits’ end, and I have come up to you as a last resource.’

“You can imagine, Watson, with what eagerness I listened to this extraordinary sequence of events, and endeavored to piece them together, and to devise some common thread upon which they might all hang.

“The butler was gone (дворецкий пропал). The maid was gone (горничная пропала). The maid had loved the butler (горничная любила дворецкого), but had afterwards had cause to hate him (но потом получила основания ненавидеть его). She was of Welsh blood, fiery and passionate (она была уроженка Уэльса: «уэльской крови», необузданная и горячая; passionate — страстный; вспыльчивый, горячий). She had been terribly excited immediately after his disappearance (она была крайне возбуждена сразу после его исчезновения). She had flung into the lake a bag containing some curious contents (она бросила в пруд мешок с довольно странным содержанием; to fling). These were all factors which had to be taken into consideration (все эти факторы необходимо было принять во внимание), and yet none of them got quite to the heart of the matter (однако ни один из них не раскрывал сути дела; to get to the heart of the matter — дойти до сути /дела/). What was the starting-point of this chain of events (где была отправная точка этой цепи событий)? There lay the end of this tangled line (/передо мной/ лежал /лишь/ конец этой запутанной веревки = цепи).

“‘I must see that paper, Musgrave (мне необходимо увидеть ту бумагу, Месгрейв),’ said I, ‘which this butler of yours thought it worth his while to consult (изучение которой ваш дворецкий считал очень важным; worth one's while — стоящий затраченного времени или труда; to consult — советоваться; справляться), even at the risk of the loss of his place (даже /несмотря на/ риск потерять место; loss — потеря, утрата).’

fiery ['faI@rI], curious ['kju@rI@s], contents ['kOnt@nts], consult [k@n'sVlt]

“The butler was gone. The maid was gone. The maid had loved the butler, but had afterwards had cause to hate him. She was of Welsh blood, fiery and passionate. She had been terribly excited immediately after his disappearance. She had flung into the lake a bag containing some curious contents. These were all factors which had to be taken into consideration, and yet none of them got quite to the heart of the matter. What was the starting-point of this chain of events? There lay the end of this tangled line.

“‘I must see that paper, Musgrave,’ said I, ‘which this butler of yours thought it worth his while to consult, even at the risk of the loss of his place.’