I think he would have been ashamed to come to me with his absurd story (я думаю он был бы

постыдился прийти ко мне со своей абсурдной историей) if it had not been for the attempt on

Anna Schmidt (если бы не из-за (возможного) покушения на Анну Шмидт). My theory when

he did tell me his story was (моя теория, когда он наконец рассказал мне свою историю

была) that there had been a watcher (что там был наблюдатель)—though it was drink and

hysteria that had pasted on the man's face the features of Harry Lime (хотя это была выпивка и

истерия, которые нанесли на того человека лицо черты Гарри Лайма). That watcher had

noted his visit to Anna (наблюдатель отметил его визит к Анне) and the member of the ring (и

член кольца)—the penicillin ring (пенициллинового кольца)—had been warned by telephone

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(был предупрежден по телефону). Events that night moved fast (события той ночью

двигались быстро). You remember that Kurtz lived in the Russian zone (вы помните, что

Куртц жил в русской зоне)—in the second bezirk to be exact (во втором округе чтобы быть

точным), in a wide empty desolate street (на широкой пустой безлюдной улице) that runs

down to the Prater Platz (которая бежит вниз к Пратер-Плац). A man like that had probably

obtained his influential contacts (человек как этот = такой человек возможно получил свои

влиятельные связи). The original police agreement in Vienna between the allies (изначальное

полицейское соглашение в Вене между союзниками) confined the military police

(ограничило военную полицию) (who had to deal with crimes involving allied personnel

(которая должна была: «которая имела» иметь дело с преступлениями вовлекшими

союзников персонал; to deal – иметь дело; to involve – включать, вовлекать) to their

particular zones (к их конкретным зонам), unless permission was given to them to enter the

zone of another power (если разрешение не было дано им войти в зону другой власти;

unless – если не). I only had to get on the phone to my opposite number in the American or

French zones (я только должен был дозвониться: «добраться на телефоне» к моему коллеге

в американской и французской зонах; opposite – противоположный; number – номер,

число) before I sent in my men (прежде (чем) я посылал туда моих людей) to make an arrest

or pursue an investigation (чтобы совершить арест или провести расследование). Perhaps

forty-eight hours would pass (возможно, сорок восемь часов проходило бы) before I received

permission from the Russians (прежде (чем) я получал разрешение от русских), but in

practice there are a few occasions (но на практике есть некоторые случаи) when it is

necessary to work quicker than that (когда необходимо работать быстрее чем это = так). Even

at home it is not always possible (даже дома это не всегда возможно) to obtain a search

warrant or permission from one's superiors to detain a suspect (получить ордер на обыск или

разрешение от своих начальников задержать подозреваемого; search – обыск, поиск) with

any greater speed (со сколько-нибудь большей скоростью).

kiosk [`ki:osk], hysteria [hıs`tıərıə], desolate [`desəlıt]

DO YOU BELIEVE in ghosts?" Martins said to me.

"Do you?"

"I do now."

"I also believe that drunk men see things—sometimes rats, sometimes worse."

He hadn't come to me at once with his story—only the danger to Anna Schmidt tossed him back

into my office, like something the sea washed up, tousled, unshaven, haunted by an experience

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he couldn't understand. He said, "If it had been just the face, I wouldn't have worried. I'd been

thinking about Harry, and I might easily have mistaken a stranger. The light was turned off again

at once, you see, I only got one glimpse, and the man made off down the street—if he was a

man. There was no turning for a long way, but I was so startled I gave him another thirty yards'

start. He came to one of those newspaper kiosks and for a moment moved out of sight. I ran after

him. It only took me ten seconds to reach the kiosk, and he must have heard me running, but the

strange thing was he never appeared again. I reached the kiosk. There wasn't anybody there. The

street was empty. He couldn't have reached a doorway without my meeting him. He'd simply

vanished."

"A natural thing for ghosts—or illusions."

"But I can't believe I was as drunk as all that!"

"What did you do then?"

"I had to have another drink. My nerves were all to pieces."

"Didn't that bring him back?"

"No, but it sent me back to Anna's."

I think he would have been ashamed to come to me with his absurd story if it had not been for

the attempt on Anna Schmidt. My theory when he did tell me his story was that there had been a

watcher—though it was drink and hysteria that had pasted on the man's face the features of

Harry Lime. That watcher had noted his visit to Anna and the member of the ring—the penicillin

ring—had been warned by telephone. Events that night moved fast. You remember that Kurtz

lived in the Russian zone—in the second bezirk to be exact, in a wide empty desolate street that

runs down to the Prater Platz. A man like that had probably obtained his influential contacts. The

original police agreement in Vienna between the allies confined the military police (who had to

deal with crimes involving allied personnel) to their particular zones, unless permission was

given to them to enter the zone of another power. I only had to get on the phone to my opposite

number in the American or French zones before I sent in my men to make an arrest or pursue an

investigation. Perhaps forty-eight hours would pass before I received permission from the

Russians, but in practice there are a few occasions when it is necessary to work quicker than that.

Even at home it is not always possible to obtain a search warrant or permission from one's

superiors to detain a suspect with any greater speed.

This meant that if I wanted to pick up Kurtz (это означало что если я хотел взять Куртца) it

would be as well to catch him in the British zone (это было бы то же самое (что) = это

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значило бы поймать его в британской зоне).

When Rollo Martins went drunkenly back at four o'clock in the morning (когда Ролло Мартинс

пошел пьяным назад в четыре часа утра) to tell Anna that he had seen the ghost of Harry

(чтобы рассказать Анне что он видел привидение Гарри), he was told by a frightened porter

(ему сказал испуганный портье) who had not yet gone back to sleep (который еще не ушел

обратно спать) that she had been taken away by the International Patrol (что она была забрана

интернациональным патрулем).

What happened was this (что случилось, было это = вот что). Russia, you remember (Россия,

(как) вы помните), was in the chair as far as the Inner Stadt was concerned (была у власти: «в

троне, стуле» так далеко как Внутренний Город был затронут), and the Russians had