Английский язык с Агатой Кристи. Убийства по алфавиту

The crime was discovered by Police Constable Dover (преступление было обнаружено полицейским констеблем Довером) at 1 A.M. the morning of the 22^nd (в час утра двадцать второго). When on his round (когда он /обходил/ с обходом; to go the round of — обходить) he tried the door of the shop (он проверил дверь магазина) and found it unfastened (и обнаружил ее незапертой; to fasten — прикреплять; застегивать; запирать). He entered (он вошел) and at first thought the place was empty (и сначала подумал, что место было пустым). Directing his torch over the counter (проводя фонариком над прилавком), however (однако), he caught sight of the huddled-up body of the old woman (он заметил: «поймал вид» свернувшееся калачиком тело старой женщины; to catch — ловить, поймать; sight —зрение; вид; зрелище; to huddle up — толпиться; съеживаться, сворачиваться калачиком).

conciseness [kǝnˈsaɪsnǝs], torch [tɔ:tʃ], counter [ˈkaʋntǝ]

We were received at Andover by Inspector Glen, a tall, fair-haired man with a pleasant smile.

For the sake of conciseness I think I had better give a brief résumé the bare facts of the case.

The crime was discovered by Police Constable Dover at 1 A.M. the morning of the 22^nd. When on his round he tried the door of the shop and found it unfastened. He entered and at first thought the place was empty. Directing his torch over the counter, however, he caught sight of the huddled-up body of the old woman.

When the police surgeon arrived on the spot (когда полицейский хирург прибыл на место) it was elicited (было выявлено) that the woman had been struck down by a heavy blow on the back of the head (что женщина была убита сильным ударом по затылку: «по задней /части/ головы»; to strike down — свалить с ног; убить), probably (вероятно) while she was reaching down a packet of cigarettes from the shelf behind the counter (когда она доставала пачку сигарет с полки позади прилавка).

Death must have occurred about nine to seven hours previously (смерть, должно быть, наступила около семи-девяти часов назад: «смерть, должно быть, произошла около девяти-семи часов ранее»; to occur — происходить, случаться; previous — предыдущий, предшествующий).

"But we've been able to get it down a bit nearer than that," explained the inspector (но мы смогли определить это немного точнее: «но мы были в состоянии записать это немного ближе, чем это», — объяснил инспектор). "We've found a man (мы обнаружили человека) who went in (который вошел; to go in) and bought some tobacco at 5:30 (и купил табаку в пять тридцать; to buy — покупать). And a second man went in (а второй человек вошел) and found the shop empty (и обнаружил, что магазин пуст), as he thought (как он подумал), at five minutes past six (в пять минут седьмого: «пять минут после шести»).

surgeon [ˈsǝ:ʤ(ǝ)n], elicit [ɪˈlɪsɪt], occur [ǝˈkǝ:]

When the police surgeon arrived on the spot it was elicited that the woman had been struck down by a heavy blow on the back of the head, probably while she was reaching down a packet of cigarettes from the shelf behind the counter.

Death must have occurred about nine to seven hours previously.

"But we've been able to get it down a bit nearer than that," explained the inspector. "We've found a man who went in and bought some tobacco at 5:30. And a second man went in and found the shop empty, as he thought, at five minutes past six.