A few seconds later we were driving back to Andover (несколько секунд спустя мы ехали назад в Эндовер).

detective [d'tektv], queer [kw], moving ['mu:v]

"I wish that, when you do go, you would give me your address. Here is my card."

He handed it to her. She looked at it with a puzzled frown.

"Then you're not — anything to do with the police, sir?"

"I am a private detective."

She stood there looking at him for some moments in silence. She said at last: "Is there anything — queer going on, sir?"

"Yes, my child. There is something queer going on. Later you may be able to help me."

"I — I'll do anything, sir. It — it wasn't right, sir, auntie being killed."

A strange way of putting it — but deeply moving.

A few seconds later we were driving back to Andover.

<p>VI. The Scene of the Crime</p>

(место преступления)

The street in which the tragedy had occurred (улица, на которой произошла трагедия) was a turning off the main street (была переулком от главной улицы). Mrs. Ascher's shop was situated about halfway down it on the right-hand side (магазин миссис Эшер был расположен примерно на полпути вниз по правую руку; side — сторона).

As we turned into the street (когда мы свернули на улицу) Poirot glanced at his watch (Пуаро взглянул на свои часы) and I realized (и я понял) why he had delayed his visit to the scene of the crime until now (почему он откладывал свой визит на место преступления до настоящего момента). It was just on half-past five (была почти половина шестого). He had wished to reproduce yesterday's atmosphere as closely as possible (он пожелал воспроизвести вчерашнюю атмосферу, насколько это было возможно: «так близко, как /это было/ возможно»).

tragedy ['traed], delay [d'le], atmosphere ['aetmsf]

The street in which the tragedy had occurred was a turning off the main street. Mrs. Ascher's shop was situated about halfway down it on the right-hand side.

As we turned into the street Poirot glanced at his watch and I realized why he had delayed his visit to the scene of the crime until now. It was just on half-past five, He had wished to reproduce yesterday's atmosphere as closely as possible.

But if that had been his purpose (но, если это было его замыслом; purpose — цель; замысел; результат) it was defeated (он /замысел/ потерпел неудачу; to defeat — одержать победу, наносить поражение; приводить к неудаче в делах). Certainly (конечно) at this moment the road bore very little likeness to its appearance on the previous evening (в этот момент дорога несла = имела очень мало сходства со своим видом в предыдущий вечер; to bear — нести). There were a certain number of small shops (там было определенное количество маленьких магазинов) interspersed between private houses of the poorer class (раскиданных между частными домами бедняков: «более бедного класса»; to intersperse — раскидывать; рассеивать). I judged (я сделал вывод; to judge — судить; считать, делать вывод) that ordinarily there would be a fair number of people passing up and down (что обычно там было большое количество людей, снующих туда-сюда: «идущих вверх и вниз»; fair — красивый; значительный) — mostly people of the poorer classes (большей частью людей бедных: «бедного класса»), with a good sprinkling of children (с доброй россыпью детей; to sprinkle — брызгать; посыпать) playing on the pavements and in the road (играющих на тротуаре и на дороге).

Перейти на страницу:

Похожие книги