In Austria was only supplied to the military hospitals (пенициллин в Австрии был только

поставляем в военные госпитали): no civilian doctor (никакой гражданский врач), not even a

civilian hospital (никакая даже гражданская больница), could obtain it by legal means ((не)

могли получить его легальными способами). As the racket started (когда махинация

началась), it was relatively harmless (она была относительно безвредна). Penicillin would be

stolen (пенициллин бывал украден) and sold to Austrian doctors (и продан австрийским

врачам) for very high sums (за очень высокие суммы)—a phial would fetch anything up to

Ј.70 (пузырек выручал что угодно вплоть до семидесяти фунтов (pounds)). You might say

(вы могли бы сказать) that this was a form of distribution (что это была форма

распространения)—unfair distribution because it benefited only the rich patient

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(несправедливого распространения потому что оно помогало только богатым пациентам),

but the original distribution could hardly have a claim to greater fairness (но изначальное

распространение могло едва ли иметь претензию на бульшую справедливость).

This racket went on quite happily for a while (мошенничество продолжалось совершенно

безоблачно: «счастливо» в течение некоторого времени). Occasionally someone was caught

and punished (иногда кто-то бывал пойман и наказан), but the danger simply raised the price

of penicillin (но опасность просто поднимала цену пенициллина). Then the racket began to

get organised (затем эта афера начала становиться организованной): the big men saw big

money in it (большие люди увидели большие деньги в ней), and while the original thief got

less for his spoils (и хотя изначальный = сам вор получал меньше за свою добычу), he

received instead a certain security (он получал вместо (этого) некоторую безопасность). If

anything happened to him (если (бы) что-то случилось с ним) he would be looked after (за

ним бы приглядели: «он был бы присмотрен за»). Human nature too has curious twisted

reasons (человеческая натура также имеет странные запутанные резоны) that the heart

certainly knows nothing of ((о) которых сердце точно (не) знает ничего). It eased the

conscience of many small men (это облегчало совесть многих маленьких людей) to feel that

they were working for an employer (чувствовать что они были работающие для нанимателя):

they were almost as respectable soon in their own eyes (они были почти так же

респектабельны скоро в их собственных глазах) as wage-earners (как наемные работники:

«зарплату зарабатывающие»): they were one of a group (они были один из группы), and if

there was guilt (и если была вина), the leaders bore the guilt (руководители несли эту вину; to

bear – нести). A racket works very like a totalitarian party (афера работает очень как

тоталитарная партия = похоже).

thief [θi:f], penicillin [penı`sılın], employer [ım`ploıə]

He said, "You know this business—Koch's death has shaken me. Perhaps Harry did get mixed up

in something pretty bad. Perhaps he was trying to clear out again, and that's why they murdered

him."

"Or perhaps," I said, "they wanted a bigger cut off the spoils. Thieves fall out."

He took it this time without any anger at all. He said, "We won't agree about motives, but I think

you check your facts pretty well. I'm sorry about the other day."

"That's all right." There are times when one has to make a flash decision—this was one of them.

I owed him something in return for the information he had given me. I said, "I'll show you

enough of the facts in Lime's case for you to understand. But don't fly off the handle. It's going to

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be a shock."

It couldn't help being a shock. The war and the peace (if you can call it peace) let loose a great

number of rackets, but none more vile than this one. The black marketeers in food did at least

supply food, and the same applied to all the other racketeers who provided articles in short

supply at extravagant prices. But the penicillin racket was a different affair altogether. Penicillin

in Austria was only supplied to the military hospitals: no civilian doctor, not even a civilian

hospital, could obtain it by legal means. As the racket started, it was relatively harmless.

Penicillin would be stolen and sold to Austrian doctors for very high sums—a phial would fetch

anything up to Ј.70. You might say that this was a form of distribution—unfair distribution

because it benefited only the rich patient, but the original distribution could hardly have a claim

to greater fairness.

This racket went on quite happily for a while. Occasionally someone was caught and punished,

but the danger simply raised the price of penicillin. Then the racket began to get organised: the

big men saw big money in it, and while the original thief got less for his spoils, he received