At this moment (в этот момент) there was a solid mass of people (там была плотная масса людей) standing staring at one particular house or shop (стоящих /и/ разглядывающих один определенный дом или магазин) and it took little perspicuity to guess which that was (и требовалось немного понимания, что бы догадаться, что это был /за дом/; perspicuity — четкость, ясность; понимание). What we saw was a mass of average human beings (что мы увидели, было массой обыкновенных человеческих существ; average — средний; обыкновенный, типичный) looking with intense interest at the spot (глядящих с большим интересом на то место; intense — значительный; интенсивный) where another human being had been done to death (где другое человеческое существо было убито; to do to death — убить).

intersperse [nt'sp:s], perspicuity [p:sp'kju(:)t], human being ['hju:mn 'bi:]

But if that had been his purpose it was defeated. Certainly at this moment the road bore very little likeness to its appearance on the previous evening. There were a certain number of small shops interspersed between private houses of the poorer class. I judged that ordinarily there would be a fair number of people passing up and down — mostly people of the poorer classes, with a good sprinkling of children playing on the pavements and in the road.

At this moment there was a solid mass of people standing staring at one particular house or shop and it took little perspicuity to guess which that was. What we saw was a mass of average human beings looking with intense interest at the spot where another human being had been done to death.

As we drew nearer this proved to be indeed the case (когда мы подошли ближе, это оказалось действительно так: «таким случаем»; to draw — тащить; подходить). In front of a small dingy-looking shop with its shutters now closed (перед маленьким грязноватым магазином с закрытыми теперь ставнями) stood a harassed-looking young policeman (стоял взволнованный молодой полицейский; to harass — беспокоить, волновать) who was stolidly adjuring the crowd to "pass along there." (который бесстрастно заклинал толпу «проходить мимо»; to adjure — умолять, заклинать; stolid — бесстрастный, невозмутимый, флегматичный, вялый) By the help of a colleague (при помощи сослуживца/коллеги), displacements took place (перемещения имели место = произошли, были произведены) — a certain number of people grudgingly sighed and betook themselves to their ordinary vocations (некоторое количество людей неохотно вздыхали и отправлялись по своим обычным делам; to betake — обращаться; вверять; отправляться; vocation — профессия; призвание; род занятий), and almost immediately other persons came along (и почти немедленно подходили другие люди) and took up their stand (и занимали их место; stand — остановка; место) to gaze their fill on the spot (чтобы получить свою порцию зрелища того места: «чтобы рассмотреть свою порцию на том месте») where murder had been committed (где было совершено убийство).

dingy ['dn], adjuring ['r], colleague ['kli:]

As we drew nearer this proved to be indeed the case. In front of a small dingy-looking shop with its shutters now closed stood a harassed-looking young policeman who was stolidly adjuring the crowd to "pass along there." By the help of a colleague, displacements took place — a certain number of people grudgingly sighed and betook themselves to their ordinary vocations, and almost immediately other persons came along and took up their stand to gaze their fill on the spot where murder had been committed.