He chuckled (он хохотнул). "I remember one man (я помню одного человека) — I've never forgotten him (я никогда не забуду его) because of something he told me (из-за того, что он мне сказал) — we just got talking over a cup of coffee (мы просто разговорились за чашкой кофе), and we started dominoes (и мы начали /играть/ в домино). Well, I felt after twenty minutes (я чувствовал через двадцать минут) that I'd known that man all his life (что я знал этого человека всю его жизнь)."
"What was it that he told you?" asked Poirot (что было то, что он сказал вам = и что же именно он сказал вам?).
flurry ['flVrI], chuckle [tSVkl], twenty ['twentI]
Mr. Cust was a little flurried by this. "I — I — well, I believe I do."
"It is a very absorbing game, is it not, with a lot of skill in it?"
"Oh, there's a lot of play in it — a lot of play! We used to play a lot in the City, in the lunch hour. You'd be surprised the way total strangers come together over a game of dominoes."
He chuckled. "I remember one man — I've never forgotten him because of something he told me — we just got talking over a cup of coffee, and we started dominoes. Well, I felt after twenty minutes that I'd known that man all his life."
"What was it that he told you?" asked Poirot.
Mr. Cust's face clouded over (лицо мистера Каста помрачнело; to cloud — покрываться тучами; мрачнеть). "It gave me a turn (это меня потрясло) — a nasty turn (ужасно потрясло). Talking of your fate being written in your hand (говорил о твоей судьбе, написанной на твоей руке), he was (он). And he showed me his hand (и он показал мне его руку) and the lines that showed (и линии, которые показывали) he'd have two near escapes of being drowned (он дважды едва не утонет: «у него будет два близких избегания утопания») — and he had had two near escapes (и он дважды едва не утонул). And then he looked at mine (а затем он посмотрел на мою /руку/) and he told me some amazing things (и рассказал мне несколько удивительных вещей). Said (сказал) I was going to be one of the most celebrated men in England (я буду одним из самых известных людей в Англии) before I died (прежде чем я умру). Said the whole country would be talking about me (что вся страна будет говорить обо мне). But he said (но он сказал) — he said — "
Mr. Cust broke down (мистер Каст превался) — faltered (дрогнув; to falter — спотыкаться).
"Yes?"
Poirot's gaze held a quiet magnetism (взгляд Пуаро обладал спокойной притягательностью: «содержал тихий магнетизм»). Mr. Cust looked at him (мистер Каст посмотрел на него), looked away (посмотрел в сторону), then back again (затем снова назад) like a fascinated rabbit (как кролик на удава: «как загипнотизированный кролик»; to fascinate — зачаровывать; гипнотизировать, зачаровывать взглядом)
falter ['fO:lt@], magnetism ['m&gnItIzm], fascinated ['f&sIneItId]
Mr. Cust's face clouded over. "It gave me a turn — a nasty turn. Talking of your fate being written in your hand, he was. And he showed me his hand and the lines that showed he'd have two near escapes of being drowned — and he had had two near escapes. And then he looked at mine and he told me some amazing things. Said I was going to be one of the most celebrated men in England before I died. Said the whole country would be talking about me. But he said — he said — "
Mr. Cust broke down — faltered.
"Yes?"
Poirot's gaze held a quiet magnetism. Mr. Cust looked at him, looked away, then back again like a fascinated rabbit.