Английский с Г. К. Честертоном. Рассказы об отце Брауне / Gilbert Keith Chesterton. The Innocence of Father Brown

 “Black magic,” repeated Flambeau in a low voice, for he was too enlightened a man not to know of such things; “but what can these other things mean?”

“Oh, something damnable, I suppose,” replied Brown impatiently. “How should I know? How can I guess all their mazes down below? Perhaps you can make a torture out of snuff and bamboo. Perhaps lunatics lust after wax and steel filings. Perhaps there is a maddening drug made of lead pencils! Our shortest cut to the mystery is up the hill to the grave.”

His comrades hardly knew that they had obeyed and followed him till a blast of the night wind nearly flung them on their faces in the garden (его собеседники навряд ли осознавали, что они послушались его и последовали за ним, пока порыв ночного ветра не ударил им в лицо в саду; comrade – товарищ; друг; компаньон; to know; to fling – бросать/ся/; кидать/ся/). Nevertheless they had obeyed him like automata (однако слушались они его как автоматы; automaton – автомат; autimata – мн. ч.); for Craven found a hatchet in his hand, and the warrant in his pocket (поскольку у Крейвена оказался топорик в руке, а ордер – в кармане); Flambeau was carrying the heavy spade of the strange gardener (Фламбо нес тяжелую лопату странного садовника); Father Brown was carrying the little gilt book from which had been torn the name of God (отец Браун нес маленькую позолоченную книгу, из которой было вынуто: «вырвано» имя Божье; to gild – украшать; золотить; to tear – рвать).

 His comrades hardly knew that they had obeyed and followed him till a blast of the night wind nearly flung them on their faces in the garden. Nevertheless they had obeyed him like automata; for Craven found a hatchet in his hand, and the warrant in his pocket; Flambeau was carrying the heavy spade of the strange gardener; Father Brown was carrying the little gilt book from which had been torn the name of God.