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| They had a cheap and quiet little lunch, and one of them paid for it and went out. | Ну, позавтракали они, один заплатил и пошел. |
| The other was just going out to join him when I looked at my change again and found he'd paid me more than three times too much. | Другой чего-то возится. Смотрю - завтрак-то был дешевый, а заплатили чуть не вчетверо. |
| 'Here,' I says to the chap who was nearly out of the door, 'you've paid too much.' 'Oh,' he says, very cool, 'have we?' | Я говорю: "Вы лишнее дали", - а он остановился на пороге и так это спокойно говорит: "Правда?" |
| 'Yes,' I says, and picks up the bill to show him. Well, that was a knock-out." | Взял я счет, хотел ему показать и чуть не свалился. |
| "What do you mean?" asked his interlocutor. | - Почему? - спросил сыщик. |
| "Well, I'd have sworn on seven Bibles that I'd put 4s. on that bill. | - Я бы чем хотите поклялся, в счете было четыре шиллинга. |
| But now I saw I'd put 14s., as plain as paint." | А тут смотрю - четырнадцать, хоть ты тресни. |
| "Well?" cried Valentin, moving slowly, but with burning eyes, "and then?" | - Так! - вскричал Валантэн, медленно поднимаясь на ноги. Глаза его горели. - И что же? |
| "The parson at the door he says all serene, | - А он стоит себе в дверях и говорит: |
| 'Sorry to confuse your accounts, but it'll pay for the window.' | "Простите, перепутал. Ну, это будет за окно". - |
| 'What window?' I says. | "Какое такое окно?" - говорю. |
| 'The one I'm going to break,' he says, and smashed that blessed pane with his umbrella." | "Которое я разобью", - и трах зонтиком! |
| All three inquirers made an exclamation; and the inspector said under his breath, | Слушатели вскрикнули, инспектор тихо спросил: |
| "Are we after escaped lunatics?" | - Мы что, гонимся за сумасшедшим? |
| The waiter went on with some relish for the ridiculous story: | Лакей продолжал, смакуя смешную историю: |
| "I was so knocked silly for a second, I couldn't do anything. | - Я так и сел, ничего не понимаю. |
| The man marched out of the place and joined his friend just round the corner. Then they went so quick up Bullock Street that I couldn't catch them, though I ran round the bars to do it." | А он догнал того, высокого, свернули они за угол - и как побегут по Баллок-стрит! Я за ними со всех ног, да куда там - ушли! |
| "Bullock Street," said the detective, and shot up that thoroughfare as quickly as the strange couple he pursued. | - Баллок-стрит! - крикнул сыщик и понесся по улице так же стремительно, как таинственная пара, за которой он гнался. |
| Their journey now took them through bare brick ways like tunnels; streets with few lights and even with few windows; streets that seemed built out of the blank backs of everything and everywhere. |