Английский язык с Грэмом Грином. Третий человек

"We are coming to that now (мы подходим к этому сейчас)," I said. "Just sit still and listen (просто сидите тихо и слушайте)." I opened Lime's file and began to read (я открыл дело Лайма и начал читать). At the beginning the evidence was purely circumstantial (в начале свидетельства были чисто косвенными; circumstantial — побочный, косвенный, случайный; привходящий /об обстоятельствах/; circumstance — обстоятельство), and Martins fidgeted (и Мартинс проявлял нетерпение/ерзал). So much consisted of coincidence (так много состояло из совпадений)—reports of agents (отчетов агентов) that Lime had been at a certain place at a certain time (что Лайм был в некотором месте в некоторое время): the accumulation of opportunities (скопление/нарастание возможностей; accumulation — накопление): his acquaintance with certain people (его знакомство с некоторыми людьми). He protested once (один раз он возразил; to protest — протестовать, возражать; выразить несогласие), "But the same evidence (но то же свидетельство) would apply against me (приложилось бы = могло бы быть приложено и ко мне: «против меня»)—now (теперь)."

decide [dI'saId], profit ['prOfIt], legitimate [lI'GItqmqt], ['], colour ['kAlq], museum [mju:'zi:qm], example [Ig'zRmpl], consider [kqn'sIdq], immunise ['Imju:naIz], use [ju:s], ineffective ["InI'fektIv], venereal [vI'nIqrql], horrify ['hOrIfaI], mental ['ment(q)l], circumstantial ["sq:kqm'stxnS(q)l], fidget ['fIGIt], consist [kqn'sIst], coincidence [kqu'InsId(q)ns], accumulation [q"kju:mju'leIS(q)n], opportunity ["Opq'tjunItI], acquaintance [q'kweInt(q)ns]

This, I have sometimes called stage two. Stage three was when the organisers decided that the profits were not large enough. Penicillin would not always be impossible to obtain legitimately: they wanted more money and quicker money while the going was good. They began to dilute the penicillin with coloured water, and in the case of penicillin dust, with sand. I keep a small museum in one drawer in my desk, and I showed Martins examples. He wasn't enjoying the talk, but he hadn't yet grasped the point. He said, "I suppose that makes the stuff useless."

I said, "We wouldn't worry so much if that was all, but just consider. You can be immunised from the effects of penicillin. At the best you can say that the use of this stuff makes a penicillin treatment for the particular patient ineffective in the future. That isn't so funny, of course, if you are suffering from V.D. Then the use of sand on a wound that requires penicillin—well, it's not healthy. Men have lost their legs and arms that way—and their lives. But perhaps what horrified me most was visiting the children's hospital here. They had bought some of this penicillin for use against meningitis. A number of children simply died, and a number went off their heads. You can see them now in the mental ward."

He sat on the other side of the desk scowling into his hands. I said, "It doesn't bear thinking about very closely, does it?"

"You haven't showed me any evidence yet that Harry ..."

"We are coming to that now," I said. "Just sit still and listen." I opened Lime's file and began to read. At the beginning the evidence was purely circumstantial, and Martins fidgeted. So much consisted of coincidence—reports of agents that Lime had been at a certain place at a certain time: the accumulation of opportunities: his acquaintance with certain people. He protested once, "But the same evidence would apply against me—now."