It was, then, in a year, and even in a decade, that shall be nameless (в году и даже в десятилетии, которые будут неизвестными = год и даже десятилетие не могут быть указаны)
, that upon one Tuesday morning in autumn (однажды во вторник утром, осенью) we found two visitors of European fame (мы приняли двух посетителей, /пользующихся/ европейской известностью) within the walls of our humble room in Baker Street (в стенах нашей скромной комнаты на Бейкер-стрит). The one, austere (один /из них/, строгий), high-nosed (надменный: «с поднятым носом»), eagle-eyed (с орлиным взором), and dominant (властный; dominant — господствующий; главный, преобладающий; наиболее влиятельный), was none other than the illustrious Lord Bellinger (был не кто иной, как знаменитый лорд Беллинджер), twice Premier of Britain (дважды /занимавший пост/ премьер-министра Великобритании). The other, dark (второй, темный), clear-cut (с правильными чертами лица; clear-cut — ясно очерченный; четкий, ясный: «ясно вырезанный, скроенный»), and elegant, hardly yet of middle age (элегантный, едва ли достигший среднего возраста), and endowed with every beauty of body and of mind (одаренный красотой тела и /тонкостью/ ума; to endow — завещать; одарять, наделять), was the Right Honourable Trelawney Hope (был достопочтенный Трелони Хоуп; Right Honourable — достопочтенный /титулование пэров, министров, лордов и т.д./), Secretary for European Affairs (министр по европейским делам), and the most rising statesman in the country (самый многообещающий государственный деятель в стране; rising — возрастающий, увеличивающийся; приобретающий вес, влияние в обществе /о людях/).
episode ['epIs@ud], consent [k@n'sent], vague [veIg], reticence ['retIs(@)ns], decade ['dekeId], autumn ['O:t@m], austere [O:'stI@], endowed [In'daud], beauty ['bju:tI]
It was only upon my representing to him that I had given a promise that “The Adventure of the Second Stain” should be published when the times were ripe, and pointing out to him that it is only appropriate that this long series of episodes should culminate in the most important international case which he has ever been called upon to handle, that I at last succeeded in obtaining his consent that a carefully guarded account of the incident should at last be laid before the public. If in telling the story I seem to be somewhat vague in certain details, the public will readily understand that there is an excellent reason for my reticence.
It was, then, in a year, and even in a decade, that shall be nameless, that upon one Tuesday morning in autumn we found two visitors of European fame within the walls of our humble room in Baker Street. The one, austere, high-nosed, eagle-eyed, and dominant, was none other than the illustrious Lord Bellinger, twice Premier of Britain. The other, dark, clear-cut, and elegant, hardly yet of middle age, and endowed with every beauty of body and of mind, was the Right Honourable Trelawney Hope, Secretary for European Affairs, and the most rising statesman in the country.