Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Первый сборник рассказов (ASCII-IPA)

"No, no, he found it. Its owner is unknown. I beg that you will look upon it not as a battered billycock but as an intellectual problem. And, first, as to how it came here. It arrived upon Christmas morning, in company with a good fat goose, which is, I have no doubt, roasting at this moment in front of Peterson's fire. The facts are these: about four o'clock on Christmas morning, Peterson, who, as you know, is a very honest fellow, was returning from some small jollification and was making his way homeward down Tottenham Court Road. In front of him he saw, in the gaslight, a tallish man, walking with a slight stagger, and carrying a white goose slung over his shoulder. As he reached the corner of Goodge Street, a row broke out between this stranger and a little knot of roughs. One of the latter knocked off the man's hat, on which he raised his stick to defend himself and, swinging it over his head, smashed the shop window behind him. Peterson had rushed forward to protect the stranger from his assailants; but the man, shocked at having broken the window, and seeing an official-looking person in uniform rushing towards him, dropped his goose, took to his heels, and vanished amid the labyrinth of small streets which lie at the back of Tottenham Court Road. The roughs had also fled at the appearance of Peterson, so that he was left in possession of the field of battle, and also of the spoils of victory in the shape of this battered hat and a most unimpeachable Christmas goose."

"Which surely he restored to their owner (которых, конечно, он вернул их владельцу)?"

"My dear fellow (мой дорогой; fellow — товарищ), there lies the problem (там лежит проблема = в этом-то и загвоздка). It is true (это правда) that 'For Mrs. Henry Baker (для миссис Генри Бейкер)' was printed upon a small card (было написано на маленькой карточке) which was tied to the bird's left leg (которая была привязана к левой лапке птицы), and it is also true that the initials (инициалы) 'H. B.' are legible (разборчивы: «читаемы») upon the lining of this hat (на подкладке этой шляпы), but as there are some thousands of Bakers (тысячи Бейкеров), and some hundreds of Henry Bakers in this city of ours (сотни Генри Бейкеров в нашем городе), it is not easy to restore lost property (это не просто — вернуть потерянную собственность) to any one of them (одному из них)."

initials [I'nIS@lz], legible ['ledZ@bl], property ['prOp@tI]

"Which surely he restored to their owner?"

"My dear fellow, there lies the problem. It is true that 'For Mrs. Henry Baker' was printed upon a small card which was tied to the bird's left leg, and it is also true that the initials 'H. B.' are legible upon the lining of this hat, but as there are some thousands of Bakers, and some hundreds of Henry Bakers in this city of ours, it is not easy to restore lost property to any one of them."

"What, then, did Peterson do?"

"He brought round (доставил; to bring — приносить) both hat and goose to me on Christmas morning, knowing that even the smallest problems are of interest to me (зная, что даже мельчайшие проблемы = загадки интересны мне). The goose we retained until this morning (гуся сохраняли: «удержали» до утра), when there were signs that (были знаки того = стало ясно, что), in spite of the slight frost (несмотря на легкий мороз), it would be well (следовало бы: «было бы хорошо») that it should be eaten (съеден) without unnecessary delay (без ненужной задержки). Its finder has carried it off (нашедший унес его), therefore (поэтому), to fulfil the ultimate destiny of a goose (чтобы исполнить последнее/окончательное предназначение гуся), while I continue to retain (в то время как я продолжаю удерживать /у себя/) the hat of the unknown gentleman (шляпу неизвестного господина) who lost his Christmas dinner (который потерял свой рождественский обед)."

slight [slaIt], unnecessary [Vn'nes@s@rI], destiny ['destInI], continue [kan'tInju:]

"Did he not advertise (он не давал объявления в газету)?"

"What, then, did Peterson do?"