Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек

It was a shot in the dark, but already he had this firm instinctive sense that there was something wrong, though he hadn't yet attached the word "murder" to the instinct. Kurtz had a cup of coffee halfway to his lips and Martins watched him. The shot apparently went wide; an unaffected hand held the cup to the mouth and Kurtz drank, a little noisily, in long sips. Then he put down the cup and said, "How do you mean—queer?"

"It was convenient for the police to have a corpse, but wouldn't it have been equally convenient perhaps for the real racketeers?" When he had spoken he realised that after all Kurtz had not been unaffected by his wild statement: hadn't he been frozen into caution and calm? The hands of the guilty don't necessarily tremble: only in stories does a dropped glass betray agitation. Tension is more often shown in the studied action. Kurtz had finished his coffee as though nothing had been said.

"Well," he took another sip, "of course I wish you luck, though I don't believe there's anything to find. Just ask me for any help you want."

"I want Cooler's address."

"Certainly. I'll write it down for you. Here it is. In the American zone."

"And yours?"

"I've already put it—underneath—in the Russian zone."

He rose, giving one of his studied Viennese smiles, the charm carefully painted in with a fine brush in the little lines about the mouth and eyes. "Keep in touch," he said, "and if you need help ... but I still think you are very unwise." He picked up The Lone Rider. "I'm so proud to have met you. A master of suspense," and one hand smoothed the toupee, while another passing softly over the mouth brushed out the smile, as though it had never been.

5

MARTINS SAT on a hard chair (Мартинс сидел на жестком стуле) just inside the stage door of the Josefstadt Theatre (прямо внутри служебного входа Йозефштадтского театра; stage — сцена; door — дверь; stage door — служебный вход в театр). He had sent up his card to Anna Schmidt after the matinee (он послал «вверх» свою карточку к Анне Шмидт после утреннего сеанса; to send — посылать), marking it (подписав ее) "a friend of Harry's" (друг Гарри). An arcade of little windows (аркада маленьких окон), with lace curtains (с тюлевыми занавесками) and the lights going out one after another (и лампами, гаснущими одна за другой) showed where the artists were packing up for home (показывали, где артисты собирались, чтобы идти домой; to pack up — упаковывать), for the cup of coffee without sugar (для чашки кофе без сахара = чтобы выпить там…), the roll without butter (булочки без масла) to sustain them for the evening performance (чтобы поддержать их для вечернего представления). It was like a little street built indoors for a film set (это было подобно маленькой улице, построенной внутри для съемочной площадки; to build — строить, сооружать), but even indoors it was cold (но даже внутри было холодно; indoors — внутри дома, в помещении), even cold to a man in a heavy overcoat (даже холодно для человека в тяжелом пальто), so that Martins rose and walked up and down (поэтому Мартинс встал и ходил туда-сюда: «вверх и вниз»), underneath the little windows (под маленькими окнами). He felt (он чувствовал себя), he said, a little like a Romeo (немного как Ромео) who wasn't sure of Juliet's balcony (который не был уверен в балконе Джульетты = где находится балкон Джульетты).

He had had time to think (у него было /раньше/ время подумать): he was calm now (теперь он был спокоен), Martins not Rollo was in the ascendant (Мартинс, а не Ролло, был преобладающим; ascendant — восходящий, ср. ascendant Venus — восходящая Венера /восходящими считаются те знаки, которые поднимаются на юге по направлению к Зениту/). When a light went out in one of the windows (когда свет погас в одном из окон) and an actress descended into the passage where he walked (и актриса спустилась в проход, где он шагал), he didn't even turn to take a look (он даже не повернулся, чтобы посмотреть: «взять взгляд»). He was done with all that (он покончил: «был сделан» со всем этим). He thought (он думал): Kurtz is right (Куртц прав). They are all right (они все правы). I'm behaving like a romantic fool (я поступаю, как романтичный дурак; to behave — вести себя, поступать, держаться): I'll just have a word with Anna Schmidt (я просто перемолвлюсь словом с Анной Шмидт), a word of commiseration (словом соболезнования), and then I'll pack and go (и затем я соберусь и уеду). He had quite forgotten (он совершенно забыл; to forget), he told me (сказал он мне), the complication of Mr. Crabbin (затруднение с мистером Крэббином).