In the rear basement — late this morning. The chances are it got started

some time yesterday. They got it out all right, though it did damage

enough. Nobody liked to talk about it much while the Captain's away.

It's the — "

The corridor-door opened (открылась дверь коридора). Spade shut his

mouth (Спейд закрыл рот). Effie Perine jumped down from the desk (Эффи

Пирайн спрыгнула со стола), but a man opened the connecting door (но

человек открыл дверь во внутренний офис: «связующую дверь») before

she could reach it (прежде, чем она смогла достичь ее).

"Where's Spade (где Спейд)?" the man asked (спросил человек).

His voice brought Spade up erect (его голос выпрямил Спейда; erect —

прямой, поднятый) and alert in his chair (и насторожил в его кресле; alert

— бдительный, проворный). It was a voice harsh (это был голос грубый)

and rasping with agony (и скрежещущий от агонии) and with the strain (и

напряжения) of keeping two words (уберечь два слова) from being

smothered (от подавления; to smother — душить, гасить, окутывать) by

the liquid bubbling (жидким бульканьем) that ran under and behind them

(которое бежало под и за ними).

jumped [dZAmpt] connecting [kq'nektIN] agony ['xgqnI]

The corridor-door opened. Spade shut his mouth. Effie Perine jumped

down from the desk, but a man opened the connecting door before she

could reach it.

"Where's Spade?" the man asked.

His voice brought Spade up erect and alert in his chair. It was a voice

harsh and rasping with agony and with the strain of keeping two words

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534

from being smothered by the liquid bubbling that ran under and behind

them.

Effie Perine, frightened (Эффи Пирайн, испуганная), stepped out of the

man's way (отступила с пути мужчины).

He stood in the doorway (он стоял в дверном проеме) with his soft hat

(со своей мягкой шляпой) crushed between his head and the top of the door-

frame (зажатой между его головой и верхушкой дверной рамы; to crush

— давить, мять): he was nearly seven feet tall (он был около семи футов

роста; foot — мера длины, равная 30,48 см). A black overcoat (черное

пальто) cut long and straight (скроенное длинно и прямо ) and like a sheath,

buttoned from throat to knees (и подобно футляру, застегнутое от горла до

колен), exaggerated his leanness (чрезмерно подчеркивало его худобу; to

exaggerate — преувеличивать). His shoulders stuck out (его плечи

торчали), high, thin, angular (высокие, узкие, угловатые). His bony face

(его худое лицо) — weather-coarsened (огрубевшее от погоды), age-lined

(морщинистое от возраста) — was the color of wet sand (было цвета

мокрого песка) and was wet with sweat (и было мокрым от пота) on cheeks

and chin (на щеках и подбородке).

doorway ['dO:weI] nearly ['nIqlI] coarsen ['kO:s(q)n]

Effie Perine, frightened, stepped out of the man's way.

He stood in the doorway with his soft hat crushed between his head and

the top of the door-frame: he was nearly seven feet tall. A black overcoat

cut long and straight and like a sheath, buttoned from throat to knees,

exaggerated his leanness. His shoulders stuck out, high, thin, angular.

His bony face — weather-coarsened, age-lined — was the color of wet

sand and was wet with sweat on cheeks and chin.

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535

His eyes were dark (его глаза были темными) and bloodshot (и налитыми

кровью) and mad above lower lids (и сумасшедшими над нижними

веками) that hung down (которые висели) to show' pink inner membrane

(показывая розовые внутренние оболочки /глаза/) . Held tight

(прижимаемый плотно) against the left side of his chest (к левой стороне

его груди) by a black-sleeved arm (рукой в черном рукаве) that ended in a

yellowish claw (которая заканчивалась желтоватой ручищей; claw —

коготь, клешня, лапа) was a brown-paper-wrapped parcel (был сверток,

завернутый в коричневую бумагу) bound with thin rope (перевязанный

тонкой веревкой) — an ellipsoid (что-то овальное: «эллипсоид»)

somewhat larger (немного больше) than an American football (чем мяч для

американского футбола).

membrane ['membreIn] parcel ['pQ:s(q)l] rope [rqVp]

His eyes were dark and bloodshot and mad above lower lids that hung

down to show' pink inner membrane. Held tight against the left side of

his chest by a black-sleeved arm that ended in a yellowish claw was a

brown-paper-wrapped parcel bound with thin rope — an ellipsoid

somewhat larger than an American football.

The tall man (высокий человек) stood in the doorway (стоял в дверном

проеме) and there was nothing to show (и не было ничего, указывающего

на то) that he saw Spade (что он видел Спейда). He said, "You know (вы

знаете) — " and then the liquid bubbling (а потом жидкое бульканье) came

up in his throat (поднялось в его горле) and submerged whatever else he

said (и затопило все, что он еще сказал). He put his other hand (он

положил свою другую руку) over the hand (на ту руку) that held the

ellipsoid (которая держала овал). Holding himself stiffly straight (держа

себя чопорно прямо), not putting his hands out (не вытягивая своих рук) to

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536

break his fall (чтобы прервать падение), he fell forward (он упал вперед)

as a tree falls (как падает дерево).

liquid ['lIkwId] bubble ['bAb(q)l] submerged [sqb'mq:dZd]

The tall man stood in the doorway and there was nothing to show that

he saw Spade. He said, "You know — " and then the liquid bubbling

came up in his throat and submerged whatever else he said. He put his

other hand over the hand that held the ellipsoid. Holding himself stiffly

straight, not putting his hands out to break his fall, he fell forward as a

tree falls.

Spade, wooden-faced and nimble (Спейд с деревянным лицом и

проворный), sprang from his chair (вскочил со своего кресла) and caught

the falling man (и схватил падающего человека). When Spade caught him

(когда Спейд схватил его) the man's mouth opened (рот мужчины

открылся) and a little blood spurted out (и немного крови вытекло; to spurt

— забить струей, хлынуть), and the brown-wrapped parcel (и сверток,

обернутый коричневой бумагой) dropped from the man's hands (упал из

рук мужчины) and rolled across the floor (и покатился по полу) until a foot

of the desk stopped it (пока ножка стола не остановила его). Then the

man's knees bent (потом колени мужчины подогнулись) and he bent at the

waist (и он согнулся в талии) and his thin body became limber (и его худое

тело стало податливым) inside the sheath like overcoat (внутри похожего

на футляр пальто), sagging in Spade's arms (провиснув в руки Спейда) so

that Spade could not hold it up from the floor (так что Спейд не мог

удержать его от пола).

nimble ['nImb(q)l] blood [blAd] sheath [Si:T]

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537

Spade, wooden-faced and nimble, sprang from his chair and caught

the falling man. When Spade caught him the man's mouth opened and a

little blood spurted out, and the brown-wrapped parcel dropped from the

man's hands and rolled across the floor until a foot of the desk stopped