“He would try by a few attentions to make his peace with the girl Howells (возможно, оказывая знаки внимания, он попытался помириться с горничной Хауэллс; attention — внимание; ухаживание), and then would engage her as his accomplice (а потом сделал ее сообщницей; to engage — нанимать; привлекать, заинтересовывать). Together they would come at night to the cellar (ночью они вместе спустились в погреб), and their united force would suffice to raise the stone (и их совместных/объединенных усилий хватило, чтобы поднять камень). So far I could follow their actions as if I had actually seen them (до этого момента я мог проследить за их действиями, будто видел их на самом деле).
“But for two of them, and one a woman (но для двух /человек/, /особенно если/ один из них женщина), it must have been heavy work the raising of that stone (поднять камень, должно быть, явилось нелегкой работой). A burly Sussex policeman and I had found it no light job (мне и дюжему суссекскому полисмену это не показалось легкой работой). What would they do to assist them (что же они сделали, чтобы помочь себе)? Probably what I should have done myself (вероятно, /то же/, что сделал бы я сам). I rose and examined carefully the different billets of wood (я встал и внимательно осмотрел поленья; to rise; different — различный) which were scattered round the floor (валявшиеся на полу). Almost at once I came upon what I expected (почти сразу же я нашел то, что ожидал /найти/). One piece, about three feet in length (одно полено, примерно три фута длиной), had a very marked indentation at one end (имело очень отчетливое углубление на конце; indentation — вдавленность; впадина; отпечаток), while several were flattened at the sides (а несколько /других/ были сплющены на концах; flat — плоский) as if they had been compressed by some considerable weight (как будто они сдавливались значительной тяжестью).
accomplice [@'kOmplIs], burly ['b@:lI], several ['sev(@)r@l], weight [weIt]
“He would try by a few attentions to make his peace with the girl Howells, and then would engage her as his accomplice. Together they would come at night to the cellar, and their united force would suffice to raise the stone. So far I could follow their actions as if I had actually seen them.
“But for two of them, and one a woman, it must have been heavy work the raising of that stone. A burly Sussex policeman and I had found it no light job. What would they do to assist them? Probably what I should have done myself. I rose and examined carefully the different billets of wood which were scattered round the floor. Almost at once I came upon what I expected. One piece, about three feet in length, had a very marked indentation at one end, while several were flattened at the sides as if they had been compressed by some considerable weight.
