Английский для смелых. Истории о духах и привидениях / Great Ghost Stories

 Dr Teesdale remembered his own moment of terror this morning, but he spoke quite sincerely.

‘I am sure there is nothing to be afraid of,’ he said, reassuringly.

Dr Teesdale had a dinner engagement that night, which he broke, and was sitting alone in his study by half past nine. In the present state of human ignorance as to the law which governs the movements of spirits severed from the body, he could not tell the warder why it was that their visits are so often periodic, timed to punctuality according to our scheme of hours, but in scenes of tabulated instances of the appearance of revenants, especially if the soul was in sore need of help, as might be the case here, he found that they came at the same hour of day or night. As a rule, too, their power of making themselves seen or heard or felt grew greater for some little while after death, subsequently growing weaker as they became less earthbound, or often after that ceasing altogether, and he was prepared tonight for a less indistinct impression. The spirit apparently for the early hours of its disembodiment is weak, like a moth newly broken out from its chrysalis – and then suddenly the telephone bell rang, not so faintly as the night before, but still not with its ordinary imperative tone.

Dr Teesdale instantly got up, put the receiver to his ear (доктор Тисдейл немедленно встал и приложил трубку к уху; receiver – получатель; телефонная трубка; to receive – получать). And what he heard was heart-broken sobbing (то, что он услышал, было душераздирающим рыданием; heart-broken – убитый горем; с разбитым сердцем; to sob – рыдать; всхлипывать), strong spasms that seemed to tear the weeper (спазматический плач, который, казалось, сотрясает плачущего; spasm – спазм, судорога, конвульсия; to tear – рвать, разрывать).

He waited for a little before speaking (прежде чем заговорить, он подождал немного), himself cold with some nameless fear (сам похолодев: «сам холодный» от какого-то невыразимого ужаса; nameless – безымянный; невыразимый; несказанный), and yet profoundly moved to help, if he was able (и все же полный искреннего стремления помочь, если он был в состоянии /это сделать/; profoundly – глубоко, сильно; to move – зд.: побуждать).

‘Yes, yes,’ he said at length, hearing his own voice tremble (да, да, – сказал он наконец, слыша, как дрожит его собственный голос). ‘I am Dr Teesdale (я доктор Тисдейл). What can I do for you (чем я могу вам помочь)? And who are you (и кто вы)?’ he added, though he felt that it was a needless question (добавил он, хотя и чувствовал, что вопрос был излишним; need – нужда).

Slowly the sobbing died down (постепенно рыдания стихли), the whispers took its place, still broken by crying (уступив место шепоту: «шепот занял их место», все еще прерываемому плачем).