“‘By Jove!’ cried my client. ‘That’s Brunton’s muffler. I have seen it on him, and could swear to it. What has the villain been doing here?’
“At my suggestion a couple of the county police were summoned to be present (по моему предложению были вызваны два /констебля из/ полиции графства; to be present — присутствовать), and I then endeavored to raise the stone by pulling on the cravat (и затем я попытался поднять плиту, потянув за шарф). I could only move it slightly (я лишь едва мог двинуть ее), and it was with the aid of one of the constables (и только с помощью одного из констеблей) that I succeeded at last in carrying it to one side (мне удалось наконец сдвинуть: «перенести» ее в сторону). A black hole yawned beneath into which we all peered (черная яма зияла под ней, в которую мы все заглянули), while Musgrave, kneeling at the side (а Месгрейв, встав на колени на краю), pushed down the lantern (опустил туда фонарь).
“A small chamber about seven feet deep (маленькая комнатка примерно семь футов глубиной) and four feet square lay open to us (с квадратным основанием, шириной и длиной около четырех /футов/, открылась перед нами; square — квадрат; квадратный, с квадратным основанием). At one side of this was a squat (в одной стороне стоял низкий и широкий), brass-bound wooden box (отделанный медью деревянный сундук; brassbound — отделанный медью: brassbound box — коробка с медными накладками), the lid of which was hinged upwards (крышка которого была откинута), with this curious old-fashioned key projecting from the lock (этот необычный старомодный ключ торчал из замка). It was furred outside by a thick layer of dust (снаружи он был покрыт толстым слоем пыли; fur — мех; накипь /в чайнике, котле/; осадок /в винной бочке/), and damp and worms had eaten through the wood (сырость и черви так изъели дерево), so that a crop of livid fungi was growing on the inside of it (что плесень росла внутри сундука; crop —урожай; обилие, масса; livid — синевато-серый, серовато-синий; мертвенно бледный). Several discs of metal (несколько металлических кружков), old coins apparently (очевидно, старинных монет), such as I hold here (таких, как эти; to hold — держать; хранить), were scattered over the bottom of the box (валялись: «были разбросаны» на дне сундука), but it contained nothing else (но больше в нем ничего не было).
cravat [kr@'vt], yawned [jO:nd], kneeling ['ni:lIN], metal [metl]
“At my suggestion a couple of the county police were summoned to be present, and I then endeavored to raise the stone by pulling on the cravat. I could only move it slightly, and it was with the aid of one of the constables that I succeeded at last in carrying it to one side. A black hole yawned beneath into which we all peered, while Musgrave, kneeling at the side, pushed down the lantern.
“A small chamber about seven feet deep and four feet square lay open to us. At one side of this was a squat, brass-bound wooden box, the lid of which was hinged upwards, with this curious old-fashioned key projecting from the lock. It was furred outside by a thick layer of dust, and damp and worms had eaten through the wood, so that a crop of livid fungi was growing on the inside of it. Several discs of metal, old coins apparently, such as I hold here, were scattered over the bottom of the box, but it contained nothing else.