Английский с Г. К. Честертоном. Случаи отца Брауна

 Kalon brought the lift to the girl’s landing, and saw her, through the open door, writing in her slow, sightless way the will she had promised him. He called out to her cheerily that he had the lift ready for her, and she was to come out when she was ready. Then he pressed a button and shot soundlessly up to his own floor, walked through his own office, out on to his own balcony, and was safely praying before the crowded street when the poor girl, having finished her work, ran gaily out to where lover and lift were to receive her, and stepped – ”

“Don’t!” cried Flambeau (не /продолжайте/! – воскликнул Фламбо).

“He ought to have got half a million by pressing that button (он должен был получить полмиллиона, нажав на ту кнопку)

,” continued the little father, in the colourless voice (продолжал маленький священник бесцветным голосом) in which he talked of such horrors (которым он всегда говорил о подобных ужасных /вещах/). “But that went smash (но все пошло не так; to go smash – потерпеть провал; smash – шум, грохот /при падении/; to smash – разбивать; крушить; ломать

). It went smash because there happened to be another person (он потерпел неудачу, потому что вмешался еще один человек; to happen – случаться, происходить; оказываться /случайно/) who also wanted the money (который тоже хотел этих денег)

, and who also knew the secret about poor Pauline’s sight (и который также знал тайну, /связанную/ со зрением Полин). There was one thing about that will (в завещании было кое-что; thing – вещь; нечто, кое-что) that I think nobody noticed

(чего, я полагаю, никто не заметил): although it was unfinished and without signature (хотя оно было не закончено и не имело подписи: «и без подписи»), the other Miss Stacey and some servant of hers had already signed it as witnesses (другая мисс Стэйси и кто-то из ее слуг: «и какой-то ее слуга» уже подписали его как свидетели).

 “Don’t!” cried Flambeau.

“He ought to have got half a million by pressing that button,” continued the little father, in the colourless voice in which he talked of such horrors. “But that went smash. It went smash because there happened to be another person who also wanted the money, and who also knew the secret about poor Pauline’s sight. There was one thing about that will that I think nobody noticed: although it was unfinished and without signature, the other Miss Stacey and some servant of hers had already signed it as witnesses.