Английский язык с Конан Дойлем. Этюд в багровых тонах (ASCII-IPA)

Still more shaken was he next morning. They had sat down to their breakfast when Lucy with a cry of surprise pointed upwards. In the centre of the ceiling was scrawled, with a burned stick apparently, the number 28. To his daughter it was unintelligible, and he did not enlighten her. That night he sat up with his gun and kept watch and ward. He saw and he heard nothing, and yet in the morning a great 27 had been painted upon the outside of his door.

Thus day followed day; and as sure as morning came he found that his unseen enemies had kept their register, and had marked up in some conspicuous position how many days were still left to him out of the month of grace. Sometimes the fatal numbers appeared upon the walls, sometimes upon the floors, occasionally they were on small placards stuck upon the garden gate or the railings. With all his vigilance John Ferrier could not discover whence these daily warnings proceeded. A horror which was almost superstitious came upon him at the sight of them. He became haggard and restless, and his eyes had the troubled look of some hunted creature. He had but one hope in life now, and that was for the arrival of the young hunter from Nevada.

Twenty had changed to fifteen and fifteen to ten (двадцать превратилось в пятнадцать, а пятнадцать — в десять), but there was no news of the absentee (но об отсутствующем не было никаких известий; absent — прилаг., отсутствующий; absentee — сущ., отсутствующий). One by one the numbers dwindled down (по одному числа убывали), and still there came no sign of him (и по-прежнему его не было: «никаких признаков его»). Whenever a horseman clattered down the road (каждый раз, когда на дороге раздавался стук копыт; horseman — всадник; to clatter — цокать), or a driver shouted at his team (или кучер кричал на свою упряжку), the old farmer hurried to the gate thinking that help had arrived at last (старый фермер спешил к калитке, думая, что наконец-то подоспела: «прибыла» помощь). At last, when he saw five give way to four and that again to three (наконец, когда он увидел, как «4» сменила «5» и уступила место «3»; to give way — уступать), he lost heart, and abandoned all hope of escape (он совсем отчаялся и потерял всякую надежду на спасение; to lose heart — падать духом; отчаиваться; to abandon — покидать, оставлять; отказываться; escape — избавление, спасение). Single-handed, and with his limited knowledge of the mountains which surrounded the settlement (в одиночку, не зная толком гор: «с его ограниченным знанием гор», окружавших поселение), he knew that he was powerless (он знал, что был бессилен). The more-frequented roads were strictly watched and guarded (основные дороги тщательно контролировались и охранялись; to frequent — часто посещать; to watch — наблюдать; караулить), and none could pass along them without an order from the Council (и никто не мог проехать по ним без разрешения/пропуска Совета; order — приказ; ордер; разрешение; пропуск). Turn which way he would (куда бы он ни кинулся: «ни повернулся»), there appeared to be no avoiding the blow which hung over him (казалось, невозможно было избежать нависшей над ним угрозы; blow — удар; to avoid — избегать, уклоняться). Yet the old man never wavered in his resolution to part with life itself (и все же старик ни разу не усомнился в своем решении скорее расстаться с жизнью: «с самой жизнью»; to waver — колебаться; дрогнуть) before he consented to what he regarded as his daughter's dishonour (чем согласиться на то, что он считал бесчестьем для своей дочери).