“Quite so (совершенно верно). His talk about a burglary was the merest blind (его разговор о краже со взломом был всего лишь для отвода глаз; blind — штора, жалюзи; предлог, отговорка; blind — слепой).”

“But why could he not tell you this (но почему он не рассказал вам об этом)?”

“Well, my dear sir, knowing the vindictive character of his old associates (видите ли, дорогой сэр, зная мстительный характер своих бывших сообщников), he was trying to hide his own identity from everybody as long as he could (он старался скрывать свою личность = имя от кого бы то ни было так долго, как только возможно). His secret was a shameful one (его тайна была постыдной), and he could not bring himself to divulge it (и он мог заставить себя раскрыть ее; to divulge — разглашать, раскрывать, обнародовать). However, wretch as he was, he was still living under the shield of British law (и все же, каким бы негодяем он ни был, он, тем не менее, находился под щитом английского закона; shield — щит; защита), and I have no doubt, Inspector, that you will see (и я не сомневаюсь, инспектор, что вы увидите) that, though that shield may fail to guard (что, хотя этот щит может и не уберечь = не уберег /гражданина/; to guard — оберегать, защищать, ограждать), the sword of justice is still there to avenge (меч правосудия покарает /преступников/; to avenge — отомстить).”

remarkable [r'm:kbl], divulge [d(a)'vl], guard [:d], sword [s:d]

“I think you have made it all remarkable clear,” said the doctor. “No doubt the day on which he was perturbed was the day when he had seen of their release in the newspapers.”

“Quite so. His talk about a burglary was the merest blind.”

“But why could he not tell you this?”

“Well, my dear sir, knowing the vindictive character of his old associates, he was trying to hide his own identity from everybody as long as he could. His secret was a shameful one, and he could not bring himself to divulge it. However, wretch as he was, he was still living under the shield of British law, and I have no doubt, Inspector, that you will see that, though that shield may fail to guard, the sword of justice is still there to avenge.”