He wanted to know the object of my inquiries (он захотел узнать цель моих вопросов), but I managed to satisfy his curiosity (но мне удалось удовлетворить его любопытство; to manage — управлять; умудриться, ухитриться) without telling him too much (не рассказывая ему слишком многого), for there is no reason (потому что нет никаких оснований) why we should take anyone into our confidence (чтобы мы посвящали кого бы то ни было в наши тайны; to take smb. into one's confidence — поведать кому-либо свои тайны, довериться кому-либо).
pittance ['pIt(@)ns], earn [@:n], curiosity [,kju@rI'OsItI]
"How does she live?"
"I fancy old Frankland allows her a pittance, but it cannot be more, for his own affairs are considerably involved. Whatever she may have deserved one could not allow her to go hopelessly to the bad. Her story got about, and several of the people here did something to enable her to earn an honest living. Stapleton did for one, and Sir Charles for another. I gave a trifle myself. It was to set her up in a typewriting business."
He wanted to know the object of my inquiries, but I managed to satisfy his curiosity without telling him too much, for there is no reason why we should take anyone into our confidence.
To-morrow morning I shall find my way to Coombe Tracey (завтра утром я поеду: «найду свой путь» в Кум-Трэйси), and if I can see this Mrs. Laura Lyons (и если я смогу повидать эту миссис Лору Лайонс), of equivocal reputation (/даму/ сомнительной репутации; equivocal — двусмысленный; сомнительный ), a long step will have been made towards (будет сделан большой шаг вперед) clearing one incident in this chain of mysteries (проясняющий один эпизод в этой цепи загадок). I am certainly developing the wisdom of the serpent (я определенно приобретаю мудрость змея), for when Mortimer pressed his questions to an inconvenient extent (потому что, когда Мортимер стал настойчиво задавать вопросы на нежелательную тему; to press — нажимать; настаивать на /чем-либо/; extent — пространство; рамки, пределы) I asked him casually (я /как бы/ случайно спросил) to what type Frankland's skull belonged (к какому типу принадлежит череп Фрэнклэнда), and so heard nothing but craniology for the rest of our drive (и до конца нашей поездки не слушал больше ни о чем, кроме как о краниологии). I have not lived for years with Sherlock Holmes for nothing (я не напрасно прожил годы рядом с Шерлоком Холмсом).
I have only one other incident to record (хочу отметить: «записать» еще один случай) upon this tempestuous and melancholy day (/произошедший/ в этот дождливый и унылый день; tempestuous — от tempest — буря, ураган). This was my conversation with Barrymore just now (только что у меня был разговор с Бэрримором), which gives me one more strong card (давший мне еще один козырь: «сильную карту») which I can play in due time (который я смогу разыграть в подходящее время).
equivocal [I'kwIv@k(@)l], serpent ['s@:p(@)nt], skull [skVl]
To-morrow morning I shall find my way to Coombe Tracey, and if I can see this Mrs. Laura Lyons, of equivocal reputation, a long step will have been made towards clearing one incident in this chain of mysteries. I am certainly developing the wisdom of the serpent, for when Mortimer pressed his questions to an inconvenient extent I asked him casually to what type Frankland's skull belonged, and so heard nothing but craniology for the rest of our drive. I have not lived for years with Sherlock Holmes for nothing.
I have only one other incident to record upon this tempestuous and melancholy day. This was my conversation with Barrymore just now, which gives me one more strong card which I can play in due time.