"Your arrangements were excellent (ваши приготовления были отличными). In Cust's name (от имени Каста) you wrote for a large consignment of hosiery to be sent to him (вы написали, чтобы ему прислали большую партию чулочных изделий: «чтобы большая партия чулочных изделий была прислана ему»; consignment — партия отправленного/прибывшего товара). You yourself sent a number of A.B.C.'s (вы сами послали некоторое количество железнодорожных справочников «Эй-би-си») looking like a similar parcel (выглядящих, как похожие свертки). You wrote to him (вы написали ему) — a typed letter (напечатанное письмо) purporting (/которое, как/ подразумевалось) to be from the same firm (было из той же фирмы) offering him a good salary and commission (предлагающее ему хорошее жалование и коммисию). Your plans were so well laid beforehand (ваши планы столь хорошо были размечены: «положены» заранее) that you typed all the letters (что вы напечатали все письма) that were sent subsequently (которые были отправлены впоследствии), and then presented him with the machine (а затем подарили ему машинку) on which they had been typed (на которой они были напечатаны)."

consignment [kn'sanmnt], purport v. [p:'p:t], subsequently ['sbskwntl]

"You had now to look about for two victims whose names began with A and B respectively and who lived at places also beginning with those same letters."

"You hit on Andover as quite a likely spot and your preliminary reconnaissance there led you to select Mrs. Ascher's shop as the scene of the first crime. Her name was written clearly over the door, and you found by experiment that she was usually alone in the shop. Her murder needed nerve, daring and reasonable luck."

"You had now to look about for two victims (вам теперь пришлось искать две жертвы) whose names began with A and B respectively (чьи имена начинались на /буквы/ «эй» и «би» соответственно) and who lived at places also beginning with those same letters (и которые так же жили в местах /с названиями/, тоже начинающимися с тех самых букв)."

"You hit on Andover (вы случайно наткнулись на Эндовер) as quite a likely spot (как достаточно подходящее место) and your preliminary reconnaissance there led you to select Mrs. Ascher's shop (и ваша первоначальная разведка там заставила вас выбрать магазин миссис Эшер) as the scene of the first crime (как место первого преступления). Her name was written clearly over the door (ее имя было четко написано над дверью), and you found by experiment (и вы обнаружили в /ходе/ эксперимента) that she was usually alone in the shop (что обычно она была одна в магазине). Her murder needed nerve (ее убийство требовало хладнокровия: «нервов»), daring (дерзости) and reasonable luck (и сносной = некоторой удачи)."

respectively [r'spektvl], preliminary [pr'lmnr], reconnaissance [r'knsns]

"Your arrangements were excellent. In Cust's name you wrote for a large consignment of hosiery to be sent to him. You yourself sent a number of A.B.C.'s looking like a similar parcel. You wrote to him — a typed letter purporting to be from the same firm offering him a good salary and commission. Your plans were so well laid beforehand that you typed all the letters that were sent subsequently, and then presented him with the machine on which they had been typed."