“My dear fellow,” said he, “it was one of the first solutions which occurred to me, but I was soon able to corroborate the doctor’s tale. This young man has left prints upon the stair-carpet which made it quite superfluous for me to ask to see those which he had made in the room. When I tell you that his shoes were square-toed instead of being pointed like Blessington’s, and were quite an inch and a third longer than the doctor’s, you will acknowledge that there can be no doubt as to his individuality. But we may sleep on it now, for I shall be surprised if we do not hear something further from Brook Street in the morning.”

Sherlock Holmes’s prophecy was soon fulfilled (предсказание Холмса сбылось; to fulfil — выполнять; делать, исполнять, осуществлять, совершать), and in a dramatic fashion (и /весьма/ драматичным образом). At half-past seven next morning (на следующее утро, в половине восьмого), in the first glimmer of daylight (в первых тусклых солнечных лучах), I found him standing by my bedside in his dressing-gown (я увидел, что Холмс в халате стоит у моей кровати).

“There’s a brougham waiting for us, Watson (нас ждет экипаж, Ватсон)

,” said he.

“What’s the matter, then (а что случилось)?”

“The Brook Street business (дело, /связанное/ с Брук-стрит).”

“Any fresh news (есть свежие новости)?”

“Tragic, but ambiguous (печальные, но неоднозначные),” said he, pulling up the blind (сказал он, поднимая штору). “Look at this — a sheet from a note-book (взгляните на это — листок из записной книжки), with ‘For God’s sake come at once — P. T. («Ради Бога, приезжайте немедленно. П. Т.»),’ scrawled upon it in pencil (наспех написано на нем карандашом; to scrawl — писать наспех; писать неразборчиво)

. Our friend, the doctor, was hard put to it when he wrote this (наш друг, доктор, находился в трудном положении, когда писал это; to be hard put to it — быть в весьма затруднительном положении). Come along, my dear fellow, for it’s an urgent call (идемте, мой дорогой, так как это срочный вызов).”

prophecy ['prfs], gown [aun], ambiguous [aem'bjus], urgent [':nt]

Sherlock Holmes’s prophecy was soon fulfilled, and in a dramatic fashion. At half-past seven next morning, in the first glimmer of daylight, I found him standing by my bedside in his dressing-gown.

“There’s a brougham waiting for us, Watson,” said he.

“What’s the matter, then?”

“The Brook Street business.”

“Any fresh news?”

“Tragic, but ambiguous,” said he, pulling up the blind. “Look at this — a sheet from a note-book, with ‘For God’s sake come at once — P. T.,’ scrawled upon it in pencil. Our friend, the doctor, was hard put to it when he wrote this. Come along, my dear fellow, for it’s an urgent call.”

In a quarter of an hour or so we were back at the physician’s house (примерно через четверть часа мы снова были в доме доктора). He came running out to meet us with a face of horror (он выбежал нам навстречу с лицом, /полным/ ужаса).

“Oh, such a business (о, тут такое дело)!” he cried, with his hands to his temples (воскликнул он, сжимая пальцами виски)

.

“What then (что такое)?”

“Blessington has committed suicide (Блессингтон совершил самоубийство)!”

Holmes whistled (Холмс присвистнул).

“Yes, he hanged himself during the night (да-да, повесился ночью).”

We had entered, and the doctor had preceded us into what was evidently his waiting-room (вы вошли, и доктор провел нас в /комнату/, очевидно, бывшую его приемной; to precede — предшествовать; идти впереди).

“I really hardly know what I am doing (я с трудом понимаю, что делаю),” he cried. “The police are already upstairs (полиция уже наверху). It has shaken me most dreadfully (это потрясло меня совершенно ужасно; to shake — трясти/сь/; сотрясать/ся/; потрясать; to shake-shook-shaken).”