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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Chapter 9. The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson]

Chapter 9. The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson]

Baskerville Hall, Oct.

15th. MY DEAR HOLMES: If I was compelled to leave you without much news during the early days of my mission you must acknowledge that I am making up for lost time, and that events are now crowding thick and fast upon us. In my last report I ended upon my top note with Barrymore at the window, and now I have quite a budget already which will, unless I am much mistaken, considerably surprise you. Things have taken a turn which I could not have anticipated. In some ways they have within the last forty-eight hours become much clearer and in some ways they have become more complicated. But I will tell you all and you shall judge for yourself. Before breakfast on the morning following my adventure I went down the corridor and examined the room in which Barrymore had been on the night before.

The western window through which he had stared so intently has, I noticed, one peculiarity above all other windows in the house—it commands the nearest outlook on to the moor. There is an opening between two trees which enables one from this point of view to look right down upon it, while from all the other windows it is only a distant glimpse which can be obtained. It follows, therefore, that Barrymore, since only this window would serve the purpose, must have been looking out for something or somebody upon the moor. The night was very dark, so that I can hardly imagine how he could have hoped to see anyone. It had struck me that it was possible that some love intrigue was on foot. That would have accounted for his stealthy movements and also for the uneasiness of his wife. The man is a striking-looking fellow, very well equipped to steal the heart of a country girl, so that this theory seemed to have something to support it. That opening of the door which I had heard after I had returned to my room might mean that he had gone out to keep some clandestine appointment. So I reasoned with myself in the morning, and I tell you the direction of my suspicions, however much the result may have shown that they were unfounded. But whatever the true explanation of Barrymore's movements might be, I felt that the responsibility of keeping them to myself until I could explain them was more than I could bear.

I had an interview with the baronet in his study after breakfast, and I told him all that I had seen. He was less surprised than I had expected. "I knew that Barrymore walked about nights, and I had a mind to speak to him about it," said he.

"Two or three times I have heard his steps in the passage, coming and going, just about the hour you name. "Perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular window," I suggested.

"Perhaps he does.

If so, we should be able to shadow him and see what it is that he is after. I wonder what your friend Holmes would do if he were here. "I believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest," said I.

"He would follow Barrymore and see what he did. "Then we shall do it together.

"But surely he would hear us.

"The man is rather deaf, and in any case we must take our chance of that.

We'll sit up in my room tonight and wait until he passes." Sir Henry rubbed his hands with pleasure, and it was evident that he hailed the adventure as a relief to his somewhat quiet life upon the moor. The baronet has been in communication with the architect who prepared the plans for Sir Charles, and with a contractor from London, so that we may expect great changes to begin here soon.

There have been decorators and furnishers up from Plymouth, and it is evident that our friend has large ideas and means to spare no pains or expense to restore the grandeur of his family. When the house is renovated and refurnished, all that he will need will be a wife to make it complete. Between ourselves there are pretty clear signs that this will not be wanting if the lady is willing, for I have seldom seen a man more infatuated with a woman than he is with our beautiful neighbour, Miss Stapleton. And yet the course of true love does not run quite as smoothly as one would under the circumstances expect. Today, for example, its surface was broken by a very unexpected ripple, which has caused our friend considerable perplexity and annoyance. After the conversation which I have quoted about Barrymore, Sir Henry put on his hat and prepared to go out.

As a matter of course I did the same. "What, are you coming, Watson?

he asked, looking at me in a curious way. "That depends on whether you are going on the moor," said I.

"Yes, I am.

"Well, you know what my instructions are.

I am sorry to intrude, but you heard how earnestly Holmes insisted that I should not leave you, and especially that you should not go alone upon the moor. Sir Henry put his hand upon my shoulder with a pleasant smile.

"My dear fellow," said he, "Holmes, with all his wisdom, did not foresee some things which have happened since I have been on the moor.

You understand me? I am sure that you are the last man in the world who would wish to be a spoil-sport. I must go out alone. It put me in a most awkward position.

I was at a loss what to say or what to do, and before I had made up my mind he picked up his cane and was gone. But when I came to think the matter over my conscience reproached me bitterly for having on any pretext allowed him to go out of my sight.

I imagined what my feelings would be if I had to return to you and to confess that some misfortune had occurred through my disregard for your instructions. I assure you my cheeks flushed at the very thought. It might not even now be too late to overtake him, so I set off at once in the direction of Merripit House. I hurried along the road at the top of my speed without seeing anything of Sir Henry, until I came to the point where the moor path branches off.

There, fearing that perhaps I had come in the wrong direction after all, I mounted a hill from which I could command a view—the same hill which is cut into the dark quarry. Thence I saw him at once. He was on the moor path about a quarter of a mile off, and a lady was by his side who could only be Miss Stapleton. It was clear that there was already an understanding between them and that they had met by appointment. They were walking slowly along in deep conversation, and I saw her making quick little movements of her hands as if she were very earnest in what she was saying, while he listened intently, and once or twice shook his head in strong dissent. I stood among the rocks watching them, very much puzzled as to what I should do next. To follow them and break into their intimate conversation seemed to be an outrage, and yet my clear duty was never for an instant to let him out of my sight. To act the spy upon a friend was a hateful task. Still, I could see no better course than to observe him from the hill, and to clear my conscience by confessing to him afterwards what I had done. It is true that if any sudden danger had threatened him I was too far away to be of use, and yet I am sure that you will agree with me that the position was very difficult, and that there was nothing more which I could do. Our friend, Sir Henry, and the lady had halted on the path and were standing deeply absorbed in their conversation, when I was suddenly aware that I was not the only witness of their interview.

A wisp of green floating in the air caught my eye, and another glance showed me that it was carried on a stick by a man who was moving among the broken ground. It was Stapleton with his butterfly-net. He was very much closer to the pair than I was, and he appeared to be moving in their direction. At this instant Sir Henry suddenly drew Miss Stapleton to his side. His arm was round her, but it seemed to me that she was straining away from him with her face averted. He stooped his head to hers, and she raised one hand as if in protest. Next moment I saw them spring apart and turn hurriedly round. Stapleton was the cause of the interruption. He was running wildly towards them, his absurd net dangling behind him. He gesticulated and almost danced with excitement in front of the lovers. What the scene meant I could not imagine, but it seemed to me that Stapleton was abusing Sir Henry, who offered explanations, which became more angry as the other refused to accept them. The lady stood by in haughty silence. Finally Stapleton turned upon his heel and beckoned in a peremptory way to his sister, who, after an irresolute glance at Sir Henry, walked off by the side of her brother. The naturalist's angry gestures showed that the lady was included in his displeasure. The baronet stood for a minute looking after them, and then he walked slowly back the way that he had come, his head hanging, the very picture of dejection. What all this meant I could not imagine, but I was deeply ashamed to have witnessed so intimate a scene without my friend's knowledge.

I ran down the hill therefore and met the baronet at the bottom. His face was flushed with anger and his brows were wrinkled, like one who is at his wit's ends what to do. "Halloa, Watson!

Where have you dropped from?" said he.

"You don't mean to say that you came after me in spite of all? I explained everything to him: how I had found it impossible to remain behind, how I had followed him, and how I had witnessed all that had occurred.

For an instant his eyes blazed at me, but my frankness disarmed his anger, and he broke at last into a rather rueful laugh. "You would have thought the middle of that prairie a fairly safe place for a man to be private," said he, "but, by thunder, the whole countryside seems to have been out to see me do my wooing—and a mighty poor wooing at that!

Where had you engaged a seat? "I was on that hill.

"Quite in the back row, eh?

But her brother was well up to the front. Did you see him come out on us? "Yes, I did.

"Did he ever strike you as being crazy—this brother of hers?

"I can't say that he ever did.

"I dare say not.

I always thought him sane enough until today, but you can take it from me that either he or I ought to be in a straitjacket. What's the matter with me, anyhow? You've lived near me for some weeks, Watson. Tell me straight, now! Is there anything that would prevent me from making a good husband to a woman that I loved? "I should say not.

"He can't object to my worldly position, so it must be myself that he has this down on.

What has he against me? I never hurt man or woman in my life that I know of. And yet he would not so much as let me touch the tips of her fingers. "Did he say so?

"That, and a deal more.

I tell you, Watson, I've only known her these few weeks, but from the first I just felt that she was made for me, and she, too—she was happy when she was with me, and that I'll swear. There's a light in a woman's eyes that speaks louder than words. But he has never let us get together and it was only today for the first time that I saw a chance of having a few words with her alone. She was glad to meet me, but when she did it was not love that she would talk about, and she wouldn't have let me talk about it either if she could have stopped it. She kept coming back to it that this was a place of danger, and that she would never be happy until I had left it. I told her that since I had seen her I was in no hurry to leave it, and that if she really wanted me to go, the only way to work it was for her to arrange to go with me. With that I offered in as many words to marry her, but before she could answer, down came this brother of hers, running at us with a face on him like a madman. He was just white with rage, and those light eyes of his were blazing with fury. What was I doing with the lady? How dared I offer her attentions which were distasteful to her? Did I think that because I was a baronet I could do what I liked? If he had not been her brother I should have known better how to answer him. As it was I told him that my feelings towards his sister were such as I was not ashamed of, and that I hoped that she might honour me by becoming my wife. That seemed to make the matter no better, so then I lost my temper too, and I answered him rather more hotly than I should perhaps, considering that she was standing by. So it ended by his going off with her, as you saw, and here am I as badly puzzled a man as any in this county. Just tell me what it all means, Watson, and I'll owe you more than ever I can hope to pay. I tried one or two explanations, but, indeed, I was completely puzzled myself.

Our friend's title, his fortune, his age, his character, and his appearance are all in his favour, and I know nothing against him unless it be this dark fate which runs in his family. That his advances should be rejected so brusquely without any reference to the lady's own wishes and that the lady should accept the situation without protest is very amazing. However, our conjectures were set at rest by a visit from Stapleton himself that very afternoon. He had come to offer apologies for his rudeness of the morning, and after a long private interview with Sir Henry in his study the upshot of their conversation was that the breach is quite healed, and that we are to dine at Merripit House next Friday as a sign of it. "I don't say now that he isn't a crazy man," said Sir Henry; "I can't forget the look in his eyes when he ran at me this morning, but I must allow that no man could make a more handsome apology than he has done.

"Did he give any explanation of his conduct?

"His sister is everything in his life, he says.

That is natural enough, and I am glad that he should understand her value. They have always been together, and according to his account he has been a very lonely man with only her as a companion, so that the thought of losing her was really terrible to him. He had not understood, he said, that I was becoming attached to her, but when he saw with his own eyes that it was really so, and that she might be taken away from him, it gave him such a shock that for a time he was not responsible for what he said or did. He was very sorry for all that had passed, and he recognized how foolish and how selfish it was that he should imagine that he could hold a beautiful woman like his sister to himself for her whole life. If she had to leave him he had rather it was to a neighbour like myself than to anyone else. But in any case it was a blow to him and it would take him some time before he could prepare himself to meet it. He would withdraw all opposition upon his part if I would promise for three months to let the matter rest and to be content with cultivating the lady's friendship during that time without claiming her love. This I promised, and so the matter rests. So there is one of our small mysteries cleared up.

It is something to have touched bottom anywhere in this bog in which we are floundering. We know now why Stapleton looked with disfavour upon his sister's suitor—even when that suitor was so eligible a one as Sir Henry. And now I pass on to another thread which I have extricated out of the tangled skein, the mystery of the sobs in the night, of the tear-stained face of Mrs. Barrymore, of the secret journey of the butler to the western lattice window. Congratulate me, my dear Holmes, and tell me that I have not disappointed you as an agent—that you do not regret the confidence which you showed in me when you sent me down. All these things have by one night's work been thoroughly cleared. I have said "by one night's work," but, in truth, it was by two nights' work, for on the first we drew entirely blank.

I sat up with Sir Henry in his rooms until nearly three o'clock in the morning, but no sound of any sort did we hear except the chiming clock upon the stairs. It was a most melancholy vigil and ended by each of us falling asleep in our chairs. Fortunately we were not discouraged, and we determined to try again. The next night we lowered the lamp and sat smoking cigarettes without making the least sound. It was incredible how slowly the hours crawled by, and yet we were helped through it by the same sort of patient interest which the hunter must feel as he watches the trap into which he hopes the game may wander. One struck, and two, and we had almost for the second time given it up in despair when in an instant we both sat bolt upright in our chairs with all our weary senses keenly on the alert once more. We had heard the creak of a step in the passage. Very stealthily we heard it pass along until it died away in the distance.

Then the baronet gently opened his door and we set out in pursuit. Already our man had gone round the gallery and the corridor was all in darkness. Softly we stole along until we had come into the other wing. We were just in time to catch a glimpse of the tall, black-bearded figure, his shoulders rounded as he tiptoed down the passage. Then he passed through the same door as before, and the light of the candle framed it in the darkness and shot one single yellow beam across the gloom of the corridor. We shuffled cautiously towards it, trying every plank before we dared to put our whole weight upon it. We had taken the precaution of leaving our boots behind us, but, even so, the old boards snapped and creaked beneath our tread. Sometimes it seemed impossible that he should fail to hear our approach. However, the man is fortunately rather deaf, and he was entirely preoccupied in that which he was doing. When at last we reached the door and peeped through we found him crouching at the window, candle in hand, his white, intent face pressed against the pane, exactly as I had seen him two nights before. We had arranged no plan of campaign, but the baronet is a man to whom the most direct way is always the most natural.

He walked into the room, and as he did so Barrymore sprang up from the window with a sharp hiss of his breath and stood, livid and trembling, before us. His dark eyes, glaring out of the white mask of his face, were full of horror and astonishment as he gazed from Sir Henry to me. "What are you doing here, Barrymore?

"Nothing, sir.

His agitation was so great that he could hardly speak, and the shadows sprang up and down from the shaking of his candle. "It was the window, sir. I go round at night to see that they are fastened. "On the second floor?

"Yes, sir, all the windows.

"Look here, Barrymore," said Sir Henry sternly, "we have made up our minds to have the truth out of you, so it will save you trouble to tell it sooner rather than later.

Come, now! No lies! What were you doing at that window? The fellow looked at us in a helpless way, and he wrung his hands together like one who is in the last extremity of doubt and misery.

"I was doing no harm, sir.

I was holding a candle to the window. "And why were you holding a candle to the window?

"Don't ask me, Sir Henry—don't ask me!

I give you my word, sir, that it is not my secret, and that I cannot tell it. If it concerned no one but myself I would not try to keep it from you. A sudden idea occurred to me, and I took the candle from the trembling hand of the butler.

"He must have been holding it as a signal," said I.

"Let us see if there is any answer." I held it as he had done, and stared out into the darkness of the night. Vaguely I could discern the black bank of the trees and the lighter expanse of the moor, for the moon was behind the clouds. And then I gave a cry of exultation, for a tiny pinpoint of yellow light had suddenly transfixed the dark veil, and glowed steadily in the centre of the black square framed by the window. "There it is!

I cried. "No, no, sir, it is nothing—nothing at all!

the butler broke in; "I assure you, sir—" "Move your light across the window, Watson!

cried the baronet. "See, the other moves also! Now, you rascal, do you deny that it is a signal? Come, speak up! Who is your confederate out yonder, and what is this conspiracy that is going on? The man's face became openly defiant.

"It is my business, and not yours. I will not tell. "Then you leave my employment right away.

"Very good, sir.

If I must I must. "And you go in disgrace.

By thunder, you may well be ashamed of yourself. Your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under this roof, and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me. "No, no, sir; no, not against you!

It was a woman's voice, and Mrs. Barrymore, paler and more horror-struck than her husband, was standing at the door. Her bulky figure in a shawl and skirt might have been comic were it not for the intensity of feeling upon her face. "We have to go, Eliza.

This is the end of it. You can pack our things," said the butler. "Oh, John, John, have I brought you to this?

It is my doing, Sir Henry—all mine. He has done nothing except for my sake and because I asked him. "Speak out, then!

What does it mean? "My unhappy brother is starving on the moor.

We cannot let him perish at our very gates. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it. "Then your brother is—"

"The escaped convict, sir—Selden, the criminal.

"That's the truth, sir," said Barrymore.

"I said that it was not my secret and that I could not tell it to you. But now you have heard it, and you will see that if there was a plot it was not against you. This, then, was the explanation of the stealthy expeditions at night and the light at the window.

Sir Henry and I both stared at the woman in amazement. Was it possible that this stolidly respectable person was of the same blood as one of the most notorious criminals in the country? "Yes, sir, my name was Selden, and he is my younger brother.

We humoured him too much when he was a lad and gave him his own way in everything until he came to think that the world was made for his pleasure, and that he could do what he liked in it. Then as he grew older he met wicked companions, and the devil entered into him until he broke my mother's heart and dragged our name in the dirt. From crime to crime he sank lower and lower until it is only the mercy of God which has snatched him from the scaffold; but to me, sir, he was always the little curly-headed boy that I had nursed and played with as an elder sister would. That was why he broke prison, sir. He knew that I was here and that we could not refuse to help him. When he dragged himself here one night, weary and starving, with the warders hard at his heels, what could we do? We took him in and fed him and cared for him. Then you returned, sir, and my brother thought he would be safer on the moor than anywhere else until the hue and cry was over, so he lay in hiding there. But every second night we made sure if he was still there by putting a light in the window, and if there was an answer my husband took out some bread and meat to him. Every day we hoped that he was gone, but as long as he was there we could not desert him. That is the whole truth, as I am an honest Christian woman and you will see that if there is blame in the matter it does not lie with my husband but with me, for whose sake he has done all that he has. The woman's words came with an intense earnestness which carried conviction with them.

"Is this true, Barrymore?

"Yes, Sir Henry.

Every word of it. "Well, I cannot blame you for standing by your own wife.

Forget what I have said. Go to your room, you two, and we shall talk further about this matter in the morning. When they were gone we looked out of the window again.

Sir Henry had flung it open, and the cold night wind beat in upon our faces. Far away in the black distance there still glowed that one tiny point of yellow light. "I wonder he dares," said Sir Henry.

"It may be so placed as to be only visible from here.

"Very likely.

How far do you think it is? "Out by the Cleft Tor, I think.

"Not more than a mile or two off.

"Hardly that.

"Well, it cannot be far if Barrymore had to carry out the food to it.

And he is waiting, this villain, beside that candle. By thunder, Watson, I am going out to take that man! The same thought had crossed my own mind.

It was not as if the Barrymores had taken us into their confidence. Their secret had been forced from them. The man was a danger to the community, an unmitigated scoundrel for whom there was neither pity nor excuse. We were only doing our duty in taking this chance of putting him back where he could do no harm. With his brutal and violent nature, others would have to pay the price if we held our hands. Any night, for example, our neighbours the Stapletons might be attacked by him, and it may have been the thought of this which made Sir Henry so keen upon the adventure. "I will come," said I.

"Then get your revolver and put on your boots.

The sooner we start the better, as the fellow may put out his light and be off. In five minutes we were outside the door, starting upon our expedition.

We hurried through the dark shrubbery, amid the dull moaning of the autumn wind and the rustle of the falling leaves. The night air was heavy with the smell of damp and decay. Now and again the moon peeped out for an instant, but clouds were driving over the face of the sky, and just as we came out on the moor a thin rain began to fall. The light still burned steadily in front. "Are you armed?

I asked. "I have a hunting-crop.

"We must close in on him rapidly, for he is said to be a desperate fellow.

We shall take him by surprise and have him at our mercy before he can resist. "I say, Watson," said the baronet, "what would Holmes say to this?

How about that hour of darkness in which the power of evil is exalted? As if in answer to his words there rose suddenly out of the vast gloom of the moor that strange cry which I had already heard upon the borders of the great Grimpen Mire.

It came with the wind through the silence of the night, a long, deep mutter, then a rising howl, and then the sad moan in which it died away. Again and again it sounded, the whole air throbbing with it, strident, wild, and menacing. The baronet caught my sleeve and his face glimmered white through the darkness. "My God, what's that, Watson?

"I don't know.

It's a sound they have on the moor. I heard it once before. It died away, and an absolute silence closed in upon us.

We stood straining our ears, but nothing came. "Watson," said the baronet, "it was the cry of a hound.

My blood ran cold in my veins, for there was a break in his voice which told of the sudden horror which had seized him.

"What do they call this sound?

he asked. "Who?

"The folk on the countryside.

"Oh, they are ignorant people.

Why should you mind what they call it? "Tell me, Watson.

What do they say of it? I hesitated but could not escape the question.

"They say it is the cry of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

He groaned and was silent for a few moments.

"A hound it was," he said at last, "but it seemed to come from miles away, over yonder, I think.

"It was hard to say whence it came.

"It rose and fell with the wind.

Isn't that the direction of the great Grimpen Mire? "Yes, it is.

"Well, it was up there.

Come now, Watson, didn't you think yourself that it was the cry of a hound? I am not a child. You need not fear to speak the truth. "Stapleton was with me when I heard it last.

He said that it might be the calling of a strange bird. "No, no, it was a hound.

My God, can there be some truth in all these stories? Is it possible that I am really in danger from so dark a cause? You don't believe it, do you, Watson? "No, no.

"And yet it was one thing to laugh about it in London, and it is another to stand out here in the darkness of the moor and to hear such a cry as that.

And my uncle! There was the footprint of the hound beside him as he lay. It all fits together. I don't think that I am a coward, Watson, but that sound seemed to freeze my very blood. Feel my hand! It was as cold as a block of marble.

"You'll be all right tomorrow.

"I don't think I'll get that cry out of my head.

What do you advise that we do now? "Shall we turn back?

"No, by thunder; we have come out to get our man, and we will do it.

We after the convict, and a hell-hound, as likely as not, after us. Come on! We'll see it through if all the fiends of the pit were loose upon the moor. We stumbled slowly along in the darkness, with the black loom of the craggy hills around us, and the yellow speck of light burning steadily in front.

There is nothing so deceptive as the distance of a light upon a pitch-dark night, and sometimes the glimmer seemed to be far away upon the horizon and sometimes it might have been within a few yards of us. But at last we could see whence it came, and then we knew that we were indeed very close. A guttering candle was stuck in a crevice of the rocks which flanked it on each side so as to keep the wind from it and also to prevent it from being visible, save in the direction of Baskerville Hall. A boulder of granite concealed our approach, and crouching behind it we gazed over it at the signal light. It was strange to see this single candle burning there in the middle of the moor, with no sign of life near it—just the one straight yellow flame and the gleam of the rock on each side of it. "What shall we do now?

whispered Sir Henry. "Wait here.

He must be near his light. Let us see if we can get a glimpse of him. The words were hardly out of my mouth when we both saw him.

Over the rocks, in the crevice of which the candle burned, there was thrust out an evil yellow face, a terrible animal face, all seamed and scored with vile passions. Foul with mire, with a bristling beard, and hung with matted hair, it might well have belonged to one of those old savages who dwelt in the burrows on the hillsides. The light beneath him was reflected in his small, cunning eyes which peered fiercely to right and left through the darkness like a crafty and savage animal who has heard the steps of the hunters. Something had evidently aroused his suspicions.

It may have been that Barrymore had some private signal which we had neglected to give, or the fellow may have had some other reason for thinking that all was not well, but I could read his fears upon his wicked face. Any instant he might dash out the light and vanish in the darkness. I sprang forward therefore, and Sir Henry did the same. At the same moment the convict screamed out a curse at us and hurled a rock which splintered up against the boulder which had sheltered us. I caught one glimpse of his short, squat, strongly built figure as he sprang to his feet and turned to run. At the same moment by a lucky chance the moon broke through the clouds. We rushed over the brow of the hill, and there was our man running with great speed down the other side, springing over the stones in his way with the activity of a mountain goat. A lucky long shot of my revolver might have crippled him, but I had brought it only to defend myself if attacked and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running away. We were both swift runners and in fairly good training, but we soon found that we had no chance of overtaking him.

We saw him for a long time in the moonlight until he was only a small speck moving swiftly among the boulders upon the side of a distant hill. We ran and ran until we were completely blown, but the space between us grew ever wider. Finally we stopped and sat panting on two rocks, while we watched him disappearing in the distance. And it was at this moment that there occurred a most strange and unexpected thing.

We had risen from our rocks and were turning to go home, having abandoned the hopeless chase. The moon was low upon the right, and the jagged pinnacle of a granite tor stood up against the lower curve of its silver disc. There, outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining background, I saw the figure of a man upon the tor. Do not think that it was a delusion, Holmes. I assure you that I have never in my life seen anything more clearly. As far as I could judge, the figure was that of a tall, thin man. He stood with his legs a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay before him. He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place. It was not the convict. This man was far from the place where the latter had disappeared. Besides, he was a much taller man. With a cry of surprise I pointed him out to the baronet, but in the instant during which I had turned to grasp his arm the man was gone. There was the sharp pinnacle of granite still cutting the lower edge of the moon, but its peak bore no trace of that silent and motionless figure. I wished to go in that direction and to search the tor, but it was some distance away.

The baronet's nerves were still quivering from that cry, which recalled the dark story of his family, and he was not in the mood for fresh adventures. He had not seen this lonely man upon the tor and could not feel the thrill which his strange presence and his commanding attitude had given to me. "A warder, no doubt," said he. "The moor has been thick with them since this fellow escaped." Well, perhaps his explanation may be the right one, but I should like to have some further proof of it. Today we mean to communicate to the Princetown people where they should look for their missing man, but it is hard lines that we have not actually had the triumph of bringing him back as our own prisoner. Such are the adventures of last night, and you must acknowledge, my dear Holmes, that I have done you very well in the matter of a report. Much of what I tell you is no doubt quite irrelevant, but still I feel that it is best that I should let you have all the facts and leave you to select for yourself those which will be of most service to you in helping you to your conclusions. We are certainly making some progress. So far as the Barrymores go we have found the motive of their actions, and that has cleared up the situation very much. But the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants remains as inscrutable as ever. Perhaps in my next I may be able to throw some light upon this also. Best of all would it be if you could come down to us. In any case you will hear from me again in the course of the next few days.

Chapter 9. The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson] Kapitel 9. Das Licht im Moor [Zweiter Bericht von Dr. Watson] Capítulo 9. La luz sobre el páramo [Segundo informe del Dr. Watson] Chapitre 9. La lumière sur la lande [Deuxième rapport du Dr Watson] Глава 9. Свет на болоте [Второй доклад доктора Ватсона].

Baskerville Hall, Oct.

15th. MY DEAR HOLMES: If I was compelled to leave you without much news during the early days of my mission you must acknowledge that I am making up for lost time, and that events are now crowding thick and fast upon us. MEIN LIEBER HOLMES: Wenn ich gezwungen war, Sie in den frühen Tagen meiner Mission ohne viele Neuigkeiten zu verlassen, müssen Sie anerkennen, dass ich die verlorene Zeit aufhole und dass die Ereignisse jetzt dicht und schnell über uns hereinbrechen. MON CHER HOLMES. Si j'étais obligé de vous laisser sans beaucoup de nouvelles pendant les premiers jours de ma mission, vous devez reconnaître que je rattrape le temps perdu et que les événements se pressent maintenant rapidement sur nous. МОЇ ЛЮБ'ЯЗНІ: Якщо я був змушений залишити вас без новин у перші дні моєї місії, ви повинні визнати, що я надолужую згаяний час, і що події зараз насуваються на нас густим потоком і швидко. In my last report I ended upon my top note with Barrymore at the window, and now I have quite a budget already which will, unless I am much mistaken, considerably surprise you. In meinem letzten Bericht endete ich mit Barrymore am Fenster, und jetzt habe ich schon einen Etat, der Sie, wenn ich mich nicht sehr täusche, erheblich überraschen wird. Мій останній звіт я закінчив на верхній ноті з Берімором у вікні, і тепер у мене вже є бюджет, який, якщо я не помиляюся, вас дуже здивує. Things have taken a turn which I could not have anticipated. Die Dinge haben eine Wendung genommen, die ich nicht vorhersehen konnte. In some ways they have within the last forty-eight hours become much clearer and in some ways they have become more complicated. У чомусь вони за останні сорок вісім годин стали набагато зрозумілішими, а в чомусь - складнішими. But I will tell you all and you shall judge for yourself. Before breakfast on the morning following my adventure I went down the corridor and examined the room in which Barrymore had been on the night before. Перед сніданком наступного ранку після моєї пригоди я спустився в коридор і оглянув кімнату, в якій напередодні ночувала Берімор.

The western window through which he had stared so intently has, I noticed, one peculiarity above all other windows in the house—it commands the nearest outlook on to the moor. Das westliche Fenster, durch das er so angestrengt starrte, hat, wie ich bemerkte, eine Besonderheit gegenüber allen anderen Fenstern im Haus: Es bietet den nächsten Ausblick auf das Moor. La fenêtre occidentale à travers laquelle il avait regardé si intensément a, j'ai remarqué, une particularité au-dessus de toutes les autres fenêtres de la maison: elle commande la vue la plus proche sur la lande. Я помітив, що західне вікно, крізь яке він так пильно дивився, має одну особливість над усіма іншими вікнами в будинку - з нього відкривається найближчий вид на болото. There is an opening between two trees which enables one from this point of view to look right down upon it, while from all the other windows it is only a distant glimpse which can be obtained. Es gibt eine Öffnung zwischen zwei Bäumen, die es einem ermöglicht, von hier aus direkt darauf zu schauen, während man von allen anderen Fenstern aus nur einen entfernten Blick darauf werfen kann. Між двома деревами є отвір, який дозволяє з цієї точки зору дивитися прямо на нього, тоді як з усіх інших вікон можна побачити лише віддалений краєвид. It follows, therefore, that Barrymore, since only this window would serve the purpose, must have been looking out for something or somebody upon the moor. The night was very dark, so that I can hardly imagine how he could have hoped to see anyone. It had struck me that it was possible that some love intrigue was on foot. Es war mir aufgefallen, dass möglicherweise eine Liebesintrige im Gange war. Мені спало на думку, що, можливо, якась любовна інтрига була пішки. That would have accounted for his stealthy movements and also for the uneasiness of his wife. Das würde seine verstohlenen Bewegungen erklären und auch das Unbehagen seiner Frau. The man is a striking-looking fellow, very well equipped to steal the heart of a country girl, so that this theory seemed to have something to support it. Der Mann sieht gut aus und ist bestens geeignet, das Herz eines Mädchens vom Lande zu erobern, so dass diese Theorie etwas für sich zu haben scheint. Cet homme est un homme à l'air frappant, très bien équipé pour voler le cœur d'une fille de la campagne, de sorte que cette théorie semblait avoir quelque chose à étayer. That opening of the door which I had heard after I had returned to my room might mean that he had gone out to keep some clandestine appointment. Das Öffnen der Tür, das ich gehört hatte, nachdem ich in mein Zimmer zurückgekehrt war, könnte bedeuten, dass er hinausgegangen war, um einen geheimen Termin einzuhalten. So I reasoned with myself in the morning, and I tell you the direction of my suspicions, however much the result may have shown that they were unfounded. Also habe ich mir morgens Gedanken gemacht, und ich sage Ihnen, in welche Richtung meine Vermutungen gingen, so sehr das Ergebnis gezeigt haben mag, dass sie unbegründet waren. Je me suis donc raisonné le matin, et je vous donne le sens de mes soupçons, si bien que le résultat ait pu montrer qu'ils n'étaient pas fondés. Так я міркував сам з собою вранці, і я розповідаю вам напрямок моїх підозр, як би результат не показав, що вони були безпідставні. But whatever the true explanation of Barrymore’s movements might be, I felt that the responsibility of keeping them to myself until I could explain them was more than I could bear. Aber was auch immer die wahre Erklärung für Barrymores Bewegungen sein mochte, ich hatte das Gefühl, dass die Verantwortung, sie für mich zu behalten, bis ich sie erklären konnte, mehr war, als ich ertragen konnte. Але яким би не було справжнє пояснення рухів Беррімор, я відчував, що відповідальність тримати їх при собі, доки не зможу пояснити, була більшою, ніж я міг би витримати.

I had an interview with the baronet in his study after breakfast, and I told him all that I had seen. Ich hatte nach dem Frühstück ein Gespräch mit dem Baronet in seinem Arbeitszimmer und erzählte ihm alles, was ich gesehen hatte. He was less surprised than I had expected. "I knew that Barrymore walked about nights, and I had a mind to speak to him about it," said he. "Я знав, що Беррімор гуляє ночами, і я хотів поговорити з ним про це", - сказав він.

"Two or three times I have heard his steps in the passage, coming and going, just about the hour you name. "Perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular window," I suggested. "Можливо, тоді він щовечора навідується саме до цього вікна", - припустив я.

"Perhaps he does.

If so, we should be able to shadow him and see what it is that he is after. Wenn dem so ist, sollten wir in der Lage sein, ihn zu beschatten und zu sehen, was er vorhat. Якщо це так, ми повинні мати можливість стати його тінню і побачити, чого він прагне. I wonder what your friend Holmes would do if he were here. "I believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest," said I.

"He would follow Barrymore and see what he did. „Er würde Barrymore folgen und sehen, was er tat. "Then we shall do it together.

"But surely he would hear us.

"The man is rather deaf, and in any case we must take our chance of that. "Der Mann ist ziemlich taub, und das müssen wir auf jeden Fall in Kauf nehmen. "Чоловік досить глухий, і в будь-якому випадку ми повинні скористатися цим шансом.

We’ll sit up in my room tonight and wait until he passes." Wir setzen uns heute Nacht in meinem Zimmer auf und warten, bis er vorbei ist." Sir Henry rubbed his hands with pleasure, and it was evident that he hailed the adventure as a relief to his somewhat quiet life upon the moor. Сер Генрі задоволено потирав руки, і було видно, що він вітає цю пригоду як полегшення свого дещо спокійного життя на болоті. The baronet has been in communication with the architect who prepared the plans for Sir Charles, and with a contractor from London, so that we may expect great changes to begin here soon.

There have been decorators and furnishers up from Plymouth, and it is evident that our friend has large ideas and means to spare no pains or expense to restore the grandeur of his family. Aus Plymouth gab es Dekorateure und Möbelausstatter, und es ist offensichtlich, dass unser Freund große Ideen und Mittel hat, um keine Mühen und Kosten zu scheuen, um die Pracht seiner Familie wiederherzustellen. When the house is renovated and refurnished, all that he will need will be a wife to make it complete. Lorsque la maison sera rénovée et réaménagée, tout ce dont il aura besoin sera une femme pour la compléter. Between ourselves there are pretty clear signs that this will not be wanting if the lady is willing, for I have seldom seen a man more infatuated with a woman than he is with our beautiful neighbour, Miss Stapleton. Unter uns gesagt gibt es ziemlich deutliche Anzeichen dafür, dass es daran nicht mangeln wird, wenn die Dame willig ist, denn ich habe selten einen Mann gesehen, der so in eine Frau vernarrt ist wie in unsere schöne Nachbarin Miss Stapleton. Між нами кажучи, є досить чіткі ознаки того, що в цьому не буде потреби, якщо леді захоче, бо я рідко бачив чоловіка, більш захопленого жінкою, ніж він захоплений нашою прекрасною сусідкою, міс Степлтон. And yet the course of true love does not run quite as smoothly as one would under the circumstances expect. Today, for example, its surface was broken by a very unexpected ripple, which has caused our friend considerable perplexity and annoyance. Heute zum Beispiel wurde seine Oberfläche durch eine sehr unerwartete Welle gebrochen, was unseren Freund sehr verwirrt und verärgert hat. Сьогодні, наприклад, його поверхня була розбита дуже несподіваною брижами, що викликало у нашого друга неабияке здивування і роздратування. After the conversation which I have quoted about Barrymore, Sir Henry put on his hat and prepared to go out.

As a matter of course I did the same. Das habe ich natürlich auch getan. Bien entendu, j'ai fait la même chose. "What, are you coming, Watson?

he asked, looking at me in a curious way. "That depends on whether you are going on the moor," said I.

"Yes, I am.

"Well, you know what my instructions are.

I am sorry to intrude, but you heard how earnestly Holmes insisted that I should not leave you, and especially that you should not go alone upon the moor. Sir Henry put his hand upon my shoulder with a pleasant smile.

"My dear fellow," said he, "Holmes, with all his wisdom, did not foresee some things which have happened since I have been on the moor.

You understand me? I am sure that you are the last man in the world who would wish to be a spoil-sport. Ich bin sicher, dass Sie der letzte Mensch auf der Welt sind, der ein Spielverderber sein möchte. Je suis sûr que vous êtes le dernier homme au monde à souhaiter être un sport de butin. Я впевнений, що ви остання людина в світі, яка хотіла б бути псуванням спорту. I must go out alone. It put me in a most awkward position.

I was at a loss what to say or what to do, and before I had made up my mind he picked up his cane and was gone. But when I came to think the matter over my conscience reproached me bitterly for having on any pretext allowed him to go out of my sight. Mais quand j'en arrivai à réfléchir, ma conscience me reprocha amèrement de l'avoir sous aucun prétexte lui avoir permis de m'échapper.

I imagined what my feelings would be if I had to return to you and to confess that some misfortune had occurred through my disregard for your instructions. Ich stellte mir vor, wie ich mich fühlen würde, wenn ich zu Ihnen zurückkehren und Ihnen gestehen müsste, dass mir ein Unglück widerfahren ist, weil ich Ihre Anweisungen missachtet habe. I assure you my cheeks flushed at the very thought. Ich versichere Ihnen, dass meine Wangen bei dem bloßen Gedanken daran rot wurden. Запевняю вас, що мої щоки почервоніли від самої думки про це. It might not even now be too late to overtake him, so I set off at once in the direction of Merripit House. Vielleicht ist es jetzt noch nicht zu spät, um ihn zu überholen, und so mache ich mich sofort auf den Weg in Richtung Merripit House. Il n'est peut-être même pas trop tard pour le rattraper, alors je me suis mis aussitôt en direction de Merripit House. I hurried along the road at the top of my speed without seeing anything of Sir Henry, until I came to the point where the moor path branches off. Ich eilte mit Höchstgeschwindigkeit die Straße entlang, ohne etwas von Sir Henry zu sehen, bis ich zu der Stelle kam, an der der Moorweg abzweigt. Я мчав дорогою щодуху, не помічаючи сера Генрі, аж поки не дійшов до місця, де болотяна стежка розгалужувалася.

There, fearing that perhaps I had come in the wrong direction after all, I mounted a hill from which I could command a view—the same hill which is cut into the dark quarry. Там, побоюючись, що, можливо, я все ж таки прийшов не в тому напрямку, я піднявся на пагорб, з якого відкривався чудовий краєвид, - той самий пагорб, який врізався в темний кар'єр. Thence I saw him at once. Dort sah ich ihn sofort. He was on the moor path about a quarter of a mile off, and a lady was by his side who could only be Miss Stapleton. Він був на болотяній стежці приблизно за чверть милі від нас, а поруч з ним була жінка, яка могла бути лише міс Степлтон. It was clear that there was already an understanding between them and that they had met by appointment. Було очевидно, що між ними вже було порозуміння і що вони зустрілися за домовленістю. They were walking slowly along in deep conversation, and I saw her making quick little movements of her hands as if she were very earnest in what she was saying, while he listened intently, and once or twice shook his head in strong dissent. I stood among the rocks watching them, very much puzzled as to what I should do next. To follow them and break into their intimate conversation seemed to be an outrage, and yet my clear duty was never for an instant to let him out of my sight. Стежити за ними і втручатися в їхню інтимну розмову здавалося неподобством, і все ж моїм чітким обов'язком було ні на мить не випускати його з поля зору. To act the spy upon a friend was a hateful task. Einen Freund auszuspionieren, war eine hässliche Aufgabe. Бути шпигуном для друга було ненависним завданням. Still, I could see no better course than to observe him from the hill, and to clear my conscience by confessing to him afterwards what I had done. Проте я не бачив кращого виходу, ніж спостерігати за ним з пагорба, а потім очистити своє сумління, зізнавшись йому в тому, що я зробив. It is true that if any sudden danger had threatened him I was too far away to be of use, and yet I am sure that you will agree with me that the position was very difficult, and that there was nothing more which I could do. Це правда, що якби йому загрожувала якась раптова небезпека, я був занадто далеко, щоб бути корисним, і все ж я впевнений, що ви погодитеся зі мною, що становище було дуже складним, і що я більше нічого не міг зробити. Our friend, Sir Henry, and the lady had halted on the path and were standing deeply absorbed in their conversation, when I was suddenly aware that I was not the only witness of their interview. Наш друг, сер Генрі, і леді зупинилися на стежці і стояли, глибоко занурені у свою розмову, коли я раптом усвідомив, що я не єдиний свідок їхньої бесіди.

A wisp of green floating in the air caught my eye, and another glance showed me that it was carried on a stick by a man who was moving among the broken ground. Un filet de vert flottant dans l'air a attiré mon attention, et un autre coup d'œil m'a montré qu'il était porté sur un bâton par un homme qui se déplaçait parmi le sol accidenté. Мій погляд привернув клаптик зелені, що плавав у повітрі, а ще один погляд показав, що його ніс на палиці чоловік, який рухався серед розбитої землі. It was Stapleton with his butterfly-net. He was very much closer to the pair than I was, and he appeared to be moving in their direction. Він був набагато ближче до пари, ніж я, і, схоже, рухався в їхньому напрямку. At this instant Sir Henry suddenly drew Miss Stapleton to his side. У цю мить сер Генрі раптово притягнув міс Степлтон до себе. His arm was round her, but it seemed to me that she was straining away from him with her face averted. Son bras était autour d'elle, mais il me semblait qu'elle s'éloignait de lui avec son visage détourné. He stooped his head to hers, and she raised one hand as if in protest. Він нахилив голову до неї, а вона підняла одну руку, ніби на знак протесту. Next moment I saw them spring apart and turn hurriedly round. Im nächsten Moment sah ich, wie sie auseinandersprangen und sich eilig umdrehten. Le moment suivant, je les ai vus se séparer et se retourner à la hâte. Наступної миті я побачив, як вони розбіглися і поспішно розвернулися. Stapleton was the cause of the interruption. Stapleton war die Ursache für die Unterbrechung. Стейплтон був причиною перерви. He was running wildly towards them, his absurd net dangling behind him. Er rannte wie wild auf sie zu, sein absurdes Netz baumelte hinter ihm. Він несамовито біг до них, а його абсурдна сітка бовталася позаду нього. He gesticulated and almost danced with excitement in front of the lovers. Er gestikulierte und tanzte fast vor Aufregung vor den Liebenden. Він жестикулював і майже танцював від хвилювання перед закоханими. What the scene meant I could not imagine, but it seemed to me that Stapleton was abusing Sir Henry, who offered explanations, which became more angry as the other refused to accept them. Що означала ця сцена, я не міг собі уявити, але мені здалося, що Степлтон ображав сера Генрі, який пропонував пояснення, і ставав все більш злим, коли інший відмовлявся їх приймати. The lady stood by in haughty silence. La dame resta debout dans un silence hautain. Пані стояла поруч у гордовитому мовчанні. Finally Stapleton turned upon his heel and beckoned in a peremptory way to his sister, who, after an irresolute glance at Sir Henry, walked off by the side of her brother. Нарешті Степлтон розвернувся на п'ятах і безапеляційно помахав сестрі, яка, нерішуче глянувши на сера Генрі, пішла поруч із братом. The naturalist’s angry gestures showed that the lady was included in his displeasure. Die zornigen Gesten des Naturforschers zeigten, dass die Dame in seinen Unmut einbezogen war. Гнівні жести натураліста свідчили про те, що дама поділяє його невдоволення. The baronet stood for a minute looking after them, and then he walked slowly back the way that he had come, his head hanging, the very picture of dejection. Le baronnet resta une minute à les surveiller, puis il revint lentement sur le chemin où il était venu, la tête penchée, l'image même de l'abattement. Баронет постояв хвилину, дивлячись їм услід, а потім повільно пішов назад тією ж дорогою, якою прийшов, опустивши голову, - сама картина пригніченості. What all this meant I could not imagine, but I was deeply ashamed to have witnessed so intimate a scene without my friend’s knowledge. Що все це означало, я не міг собі уявити, але мені було дуже соромно, що я став свідком такої інтимної сцени без відома мого друга.

I ran down the hill therefore and met the baronet at the bottom. Ich rannte also den Hügel hinunter und traf den Baronet am Fuß des Berges. Тому я побіг вниз з пагорба і зустрівся з баронетом внизу. His face was flushed with anger and his brows were wrinkled, like one who is at his wit’s ends what to do. Sein Gesicht errötete vor Wut und seine Brauen waren in Falten gelegt, wie bei jemandem, der nicht weiß, was er tun soll. Son visage était rouge de colère et ses sourcils étaient plissés, comme celui qui ne sait pas quoi faire. Його обличчя почервоніло від гніву, а брови були зморщені, як у людини, яка не знає, що робити. "Halloa, Watson!

Where have you dropped from?" said he.

"You don’t mean to say that you came after me in spite of all? "Du willst doch nicht etwa sagen, dass du trotz allem hinter mir her warst? "Ти ж не хочеш сказати, що прийшов за мною, незважаючи ні на що? I explained everything to him: how I had found it impossible to remain behind, how I had followed him, and how I had witnessed all that had occurred.

For an instant his eyes blazed at me, but my frankness disarmed his anger, and he broke at last into a rather rueful laugh. На мить його очі спалахнули на мене, але моя відвертість обеззброїла його гнів, і він нарешті розсміявся досить прикрим сміхом. "You would have thought the middle of that prairie a fairly safe place for a man to be private," said he, "but, by thunder, the whole countryside seems to have been out to see me do my wooing—and a mighty poor wooing at that! "Man hätte meinen können, dass die Mitte der Prärie ein ziemlich sicherer Ort für einen Mann ist, um privat zu sein", sagte er, "aber, zum Donnerwetter, das ganze Land scheint darauf aus gewesen zu sein, mich bei meinem Werben zu sehen - und ein ziemlich schlechtes Werben noch dazu! "Можна було б подумати, що посеред цієї прерії досить безпечне місце для усамітнення, - сказав він, - але, клянуся громом, вся округа, здається, вийшла подивитися, як я залицяюся - і до того ж, як я залицяюся дуже погано!

Where had you engaged a seat? Wo hatten Sie einen Platz reserviert? "I was on that hill.

"Quite in the back row, eh? "Ganz in der letzten Reihe, was? "Зовсім в останньому ряду, еге ж?

But her brother was well up to the front. Aber ihr Bruder war ganz vorne mit dabei. Did you see him come out on us? Hast du gesehen, wie er auf uns losging? Ти бачив, як він вийшов на нас? "Yes, I did.

"Did he ever strike you as being crazy—this brother of hers? "Kam er Ihnen jemals als verrückt vor, ihr Bruder? «Vous a-t-il déjà semblé fou - ce frère à elle? "Він ніколи не здавався вам божевільним - цей її брат?

"I can’t say that he ever did.

"I dare say not.

I always thought him sane enough until today, but you can take it from me that either he or I ought to be in a straitjacket. What’s the matter with me, anyhow? Quel est le problème avec moi, de toute façon? You’ve lived near me for some weeks, Watson. Tell me straight, now! Is there anything that would prevent me from making a good husband to a woman that I loved? "I should say not.

"He can’t object to my worldly position, so it must be myself that he has this down on. «Il ne peut pas s'opposer à ma position dans le monde, donc c'est moi-même qu'il a ce problème. "Він не може заперечити проти мого світського становища, тож, мабуть, це я винна в тому, що у нього є претензії до мене.

What has he against me? I never hurt man or woman in my life that I know of. And yet he would not so much as let me touch the tips of her fingers. Et pourtant, il ne voulait pas tant que je touche le bout de ses doigts. І все ж він не дозволив мені навіть доторкнутися до кінчиків її пальців. "Did he say so?

"That, and a deal more. "Це, і ще багато чого.

I tell you, Watson, I’ve only known her these few weeks, but from the first I just felt that she was made for me, and she, too—she was happy when she was with me, and that I’ll swear. Кажу вам, Ватсоне, я знаю її лише кілька тижнів, але з самого початку відчув, що вона створена для мене, і вона теж - вона була щаслива, коли була зі мною, і я присягаюся, що вона була щаслива. There’s a light in a woman’s eyes that speaks louder than words. But he has never let us get together and it was only today for the first time that I saw a chance of having a few words with her alone. Але він ніколи не дозволяв нам зустрічатися, і тільки сьогодні я вперше побачив можливість перекинутися з нею кількома словами наодинці. She was glad to meet me, but when she did it was not love that she would talk about, and she wouldn’t have let me talk about it either if she could have stopped it. Вона була рада познайомитися зі мною, але коли ми зустрілися, вона говорила не про кохання, і вона не дозволила б мені говорити про це, якби могла це зупинити. She kept coming back to it that this was a place of danger, and that she would never be happy until I had left it. Вона постійно повторювала, що це небезпечне місце, і що вона ніколи не буде щасливою, поки я не поїду звідси. I told her that since I had seen her I was in no hurry to leave it, and that if she really wanted me to go, the only way to work it was for her to arrange to go with me. Я сказав їй, що відтоді, як я побачив її, я не поспішаю їхати звідти, і що якщо вона дійсно хоче, щоб я поїхав, то єдиний спосіб зробити це - домовитися, щоб вона поїхала зі мною. With that I offered in as many words to marry her, but before she could answer, down came this brother of hers, running at us with a face on him like a madman. З цими словами я запропонував їй одружитися, але перш ніж вона встигла відповісти, з'явився її брат і кинувся на нас з обличчям, як у божевільного. He was just white with rage, and those light eyes of his were blazing with fury. Er war weiß vor Wut, und seine hellen Augen glühten vor Zorn. Він був просто білий від люті, а його світлі очі палали люттю. What was I doing with the lady? Що я робив з цією жінкою? How dared I offer her attentions which were distasteful to her? Wie konnte ich es wagen, ihr Aufmerksamkeiten zu schenken, die ihr zuwider waren? Як я посмів запропонувати їй увагу, яка була їй неприємна? Did I think that because I was a baronet I could do what I liked? Habe ich geglaubt, dass ich als Baronet tun kann, was ich will? Чи думав я, що, будучи баронетом, можу робити все, що мені заманеться? If he had not been her brother I should have known better how to answer him. As it was I told him that my feelings towards his sister were such as I was not ashamed of, and that I hoped that she might honour me by becoming my wife. That seemed to make the matter no better, so then I lost my temper too, and I answered him rather more hotly than I should perhaps, considering that she was standing by. Das schien die Sache nicht besser zu machen, also verlor ich auch die Beherrschung und antwortete ihm etwas heftiger, als ich es vielleicht hätte tun sollen, wenn man bedenkt, dass sie daneben stand. Здавалося, що це не покращило ситуацію, тож я теж вийшов з себе і відповів йому досить гаряче, ніж, можливо, слід було, враховуючи, що вона стояла поруч. So it ended by his going off with her, as you saw, and here am I as badly puzzled a man as any in this county. Все закінчилося тим, що він пішов з нею, як ви бачили, і ось я такий же спантеличений чоловік, як і всі в цьому графстві. Just tell me what it all means, Watson, and I’ll owe you more than ever I can hope to pay. Просто скажіть мені, що все це означає, Ватсоне, і я буду в боргу перед вами більше, ніж будь-коли сподівався заплатити. I tried one or two explanations, but, indeed, I was completely puzzled myself. J'ai essayé une ou deux explications, mais en effet, j'étais moi-même complètement perplexe.

Our friend’s title, his fortune, his age, his character, and his appearance are all in his favour, and I know nothing against him unless it be this dark fate which runs in his family. Титул нашого друга, його статки, вік, характер і зовнішність свідчать на його користь, і я не знаю нічого проти нього, якщо тільки це не темна доля, яка панує в його родині. That his advances should be rejected so brusquely without any reference to the lady’s own wishes and that the lady should accept the situation without protest is very amazing. Dass seine Annäherungsversuche so brüsk zurückgewiesen werden, ohne auf die Wünsche der Dame einzugehen, und dass die Dame die Situation ohne Protest akzeptiert, ist sehr erstaunlich. Те, що його залицяння були так грубо відкинуті без жодного посилання на власні бажання жінки, і те, що жінка прийняла ситуацію без протесту, дуже дивує. However, our conjectures were set at rest by a visit from Stapleton himself that very afternoon. Unsere Vermutungen wurden jedoch durch einen Besuch von Stapleton selbst an diesem Nachmittag widerlegt. Cependant, nos conjectures ont été anéanties par une visite de Stapleton lui-même cet après-midi même. Однак наші здогадки були розвіяні візитом самого Степлтона, який завітав до нас того ж дня. He had come to offer apologies for his rudeness of the morning, and after a long private interview with Sir Henry in his study the upshot of their conversation was that the breach is quite healed, and that we are to dine at Merripit House next Friday as a sign of it. Er war gekommen, um sich für seine Unhöflichkeit vom Vormittag zu entschuldigen, und nach einem langen privaten Gespräch mit Sir Henry in seinem Arbeitszimmer war das Ergebnis ihrer Unterhaltung, dass der Bruch völlig geheilt ist und dass wir als Zeichen dafür nächsten Freitag im Merripit House zu Abend essen werden. Il était venu présenter des excuses pour sa grossièreté de la matinée, et après un long entretien privé avec Sir Henry dans son étude, le résultat de leur conversation était que la brèche était tout à fait guérie et que nous devions dîner à Merripit House vendredi prochain. un signe de cela. Він прийшов вибачитися за свою ранкову грубість, і після тривалої приватної бесіди з сером Генрі в його кабінеті, результатом їхньої розмови стало те, що розрив цілком зажив, і що наступної п'ятниці ми будемо вечеряти в Мерріпіт Хаусі на знак того, що це сталося. "I don’t say now that he isn’t a crazy man," said Sir Henry; "I can’t forget the look in his eyes when he ran at me this morning, but I must allow that no man could make a more handsome apology than he has done. "Ich sage nicht, dass er kein Verrückter ist", sagte Sir Henry, "ich kann den Blick in seinen Augen nicht vergessen, als er heute Morgen auf mich zugerannt ist, aber ich muss zugeben, dass kein Mann eine schönere Entschuldigung abgeben könnte, als er es getan hat. "Я не стверджую, що він не божевільний, - сказав сер Генрі, - я не можу забути вираз його очей, коли він накинувся на мене сьогодні вранці, але мушу визнати, що жодна людина не змогла б вибачитися краще, ніж він.

"Did he give any explanation of his conduct? "Hat er eine Erklärung für sein Verhalten abgegeben?

"His sister is everything in his life, he says. Seine Schwester ist alles in seinem Leben", sagt er.

That is natural enough, and I am glad that he should understand her value. Das ist nur natürlich, und ich bin froh, dass er ihren Wert versteht. They have always been together, and according to his account he has been a very lonely man with only her as a companion, so that the thought of losing her was really terrible to him. Sie waren immer zusammen, und nach seinen Angaben war er ein sehr einsamer Mann, der nur sie als Partnerin hatte, so dass der Gedanke, sie zu verlieren, für ihn wirklich schrecklich war. He had not understood, he said, that I was becoming attached to her, but when he saw with his own eyes that it was really so, and that she might be taken away from him, it gave him such a shock that for a time he was not responsible for what he said or did. Він не розумів, казав він, що я прив'язуюсь до неї, але коли побачив на власні очі, що це дійсно так, і що її можуть забрати, це його так вразило, що деякий час він не відповідав за те, що говорив чи робив. He was very sorry for all that had passed, and he recognized how foolish and how selfish it was that he should imagine that he could hold a beautiful woman like his sister to himself for her whole life. If she had to leave him he had rather it was to a neighbour like myself than to anyone else. But in any case it was a blow to him and it would take him some time before he could prepare himself to meet it. Але в будь-якому випадку це був удар для нього, і йому знадобиться деякий час, щоб підготуватися до нього. He would withdraw all opposition upon his part if I would promise for three months to let the matter rest and to be content with cultivating the lady’s friendship during that time without claiming her love. Er würde jeden Widerstand seinerseits zurücknehmen, wenn ich versprechen würde, die Angelegenheit drei Monate lang ruhen zu lassen und mich damit zu begnügen, die Freundschaft der Dame während dieser Zeit zu pflegen, ohne ihre Liebe zu beanspruchen. Він зняв би зі свого боку всі заперечення, якби я пообіцяв на три місяці залишити цю справу в спокої і задовольнитися тим, що протягом цього часу розвиватиму дружбу з дамою, не претендуючи на її кохання. This I promised, and so the matter rests. Das habe ich versprochen, und damit ist die Sache erledigt. C'est ce que j'ai promis, et donc la question reste. Це я пообіцяв, і справу зроблено. So there is one of our small mysteries cleared up. Damit ist eines unserer kleinen Rätsel geklärt. Отже, одна з наших маленьких таємниць розгадана.

It is something to have touched bottom anywhere in this bog in which we are floundering. Es ist etwas, irgendwo in diesem Sumpf, in dem wir treiben, den Boden erreicht zu haben. Це щось таке, що торкається дна будь-де в цьому болоті, в якому ми борсаємося. We know now why Stapleton looked with disfavour upon his sister’s suitor—even when that suitor was so eligible a one as Sir Henry. Wir wissen jetzt, warum Stapleton den Freier seiner Schwester mit Missgunst betrachtete - selbst wenn dieser Freier ein so geeigneter Mann wie Sir Henry war. Тепер ми знаємо, чому Степлтон з неприязню дивився на нареченого своєї сестри - навіть коли цей наречений був таким достойним, як сер Генрі. And now I pass on to another thread which I have extricated out of the tangled skein, the mystery of the sobs in the night, of the tear-stained face of Mrs. Barrymore, of the secret journey of the butler to the western lattice window. Und nun gehe ich zu einem anderen Faden über, den ich aus dem verworrenen Knäuel herausgelöst habe, dem Geheimnis des nächtlichen Schluchzens, des tränenüberströmten Gesichts von Mrs. Barrymore, der geheimen Reise des Butlers zum westlichen Gitterfenster. Congratulate me, my dear Holmes, and tell me that I have not disappointed you as an agent—that you do not regret the confidence which you showed in me when you sent me down. Gratulieren Sie mir, mein lieber Holmes, und sagen Sie mir, dass ich Sie als Agent nicht enttäuscht habe, dass Sie das Vertrauen, das Sie mir entgegenbrachten, als Sie mich herschickten, nicht bereuen. All these things have by one night’s work been thoroughly cleared. All diese Dinge sind in einer Nacht gründlich geklärt worden. I have said "by one night’s work," but, in truth, it was by two nights' work, for on the first we drew entirely blank. Ich habe gesagt "in einer Nacht", aber in Wahrheit waren es zwei Nächte, denn in der ersten Nacht haben wir nichts gefunden. Я сказав "за одну ніч роботи", але насправді це була робота за дві ночі, тому що в першу ми малювали абсолютно порожні.

I sat up with Sir Henry in his rooms until nearly three o’clock in the morning, but no sound of any sort did we hear except the chiming clock upon the stairs. Я просидів з сером Генрі в його кімнатах майже до третьої години ночі, але ми не чули жодного звуку, окрім дзвону годинника на сходах. It was a most melancholy vigil and ended by each of us falling asleep in our chairs. Es war eine sehr melancholische Nachtwache, die damit endete, dass jeder von uns in seinem Stuhl einschlief. Fortunately we were not discouraged, and we determined to try again. Zum Glück ließen wir uns nicht entmutigen und beschlossen, es erneut zu versuchen. The next night we lowered the lamp and sat smoking cigarettes without making the least sound. In der nächsten Nacht ließen wir die Lampe herunter und rauchten Zigaretten, ohne den geringsten Laut von uns zu geben. Наступної ночі ми опустили лампу і сиділи, курячи сигарети, не видаючи жодного звуку. It was incredible how slowly the hours crawled by, and yet we were helped through it by the same sort of patient interest which the hunter must feel as he watches the trap into which he hopes the game may wander. Es war unglaublich, wie langsam die Stunden vergingen, und doch half uns das gleiche geduldige Interesse, das der Jäger empfinden muss, wenn er die Falle beobachtet, in die das Wild hoffentlich tappt. Неймовірно, як повільно тягнулися години, але нам допомагав терплячий інтерес, який повинен відчувати мисливець, спостерігаючи за пасткою, в яку, як він сподівається, може потрапити дичина. One struck, and two, and we had almost for the second time given it up in despair when in an instant we both sat bolt upright in our chairs with all our weary senses keenly on the alert once more. Einer schlug zu, und zwei, und wir hatten schon fast zum zweiten Mal verzweifelt aufgegeben, als wir uns in einem Augenblick beide kerzengerade in unseren Stühlen aufrichteten und alle unsere müden Sinne erneut in Alarmbereitschaft versetzten. Un a frappé, et deux, et nous l'avions presque pour la deuxième fois abandonné dans le désespoir quand, en un instant, nous nous sommes tous deux assis bien droit sur nos chaises avec tous nos sens fatigués en alerte une fois de plus. Один удар, другий, і ми вже майже вдруге відчайдушно кинули зброю, коли в одну мить ми обидва сиділи прямо на стільцях з усіма нашими втомленими почуттями, знову настороженими і напоготові. We had heard the creak of a step in the passage. Wir hatten das Knarren einer Stufe auf dem Gang gehört. Very stealthily we heard it pass along until it died away in the distance. Ganz leise hörten wir es vorbeiziehen, bis es in der Ferne verschwand.

Then the baronet gently opened his door and we set out in pursuit. Dann öffnete der Baronet vorsichtig seine Tür und wir nahmen die Verfolgung auf. Тоді баронет обережно відчинив двері, і ми вирушили в погоню. Already our man had gone round the gallery and the corridor was all in darkness. Unser Mann war bereits um die Galerie herumgegangen und der Korridor lag im Dunkeln. Наша людина вже обійшла галерею, а в коридорі панувала повна темрява. Softly we stole along until we had come into the other wing. Leise schlichen wir weiter, bis wir in den anderen Flügel gekommen waren. Ми тихенько прокралися, поки не зайшли в інше крило. We were just in time to catch a glimpse of the tall, black-bearded figure, his shoulders rounded as he tiptoed down the passage. Wir kamen gerade noch rechtzeitig, um einen Blick auf die große, schwarzbärtige Gestalt zu erhaschen, die mit gerundeten Schultern auf Zehenspitzen den Gang hinunterschlich. Ми якраз встигли побачити високу чорнобороду постать з округлими плечима, яка навшпиньки спускалася проходом. Then he passed through the same door as before, and the light of the candle framed it in the darkness and shot one single yellow beam across the gloom of the corridor. Dann ging er durch dieselbe Tür wie zuvor, und das Licht der Kerze umrahmte sie in der Dunkelheit und schoss einen einzigen gelben Strahl über die Düsternis des Korridors. Потім він пройшов у ті самі двері, що й раніше, і світло свічки обрамляло його в темряві і кидало один-єдиний жовтий промінь у темряву коридору. We shuffled cautiously towards it, trying every plank before we dared to put our whole weight upon it. Vorsichtig schlurften wir darauf zu und probierten jedes Brett aus, bevor wir es wagten, unser ganzes Gewicht darauf zu legen. Ми обережно просувалися до нього, пробуючи кожну дошку, перш ніж наважилися поставити на неї всю свою вагу. We had taken the precaution of leaving our boots behind us, but, even so, the old boards snapped and creaked beneath our tread. Wir hatten vorsichtshalber unsere Stiefel zurückgelassen, aber trotzdem knackten und knarrten die alten Bretter unter unseren Füßen. Ми вжили заходів обережності, залишивши черевики позаду, але, незважаючи на це, старі дошки хрустіли і скрипіли під нашими ногами. Sometimes it seemed impossible that he should fail to hear our approach. Manchmal schien es unmöglich, dass er unsere Annäherung überhörte. Іноді здавалося неможливим, щоб він не почув нашого наближення. However, the man is fortunately rather deaf, and he was entirely preoccupied in that which he was doing. Der Mann ist aber glücklicherweise ziemlich taub und war ganz mit dem beschäftigt, was er gerade tat. When at last we reached the door and peeped through we found him crouching at the window, candle in hand, his white, intent face pressed against the pane, exactly as I had seen him two nights before. Als wir endlich die Tür erreichten und einen Blick hineinwarfen, fanden wir ihn am Fenster kauernd, die Kerze in der Hand, das weiße, abwartende Gesicht an die Scheibe gepresst, genau so, wie ich ihn zwei Nächte zuvor gesehen hatte. Коли ми нарешті підійшли до дверей і зазирнули всередину, то побачили, що він сидить навпочіпки біля вікна зі свічкою в руці, його біле, зосереджене обличчя притиснуте до шибки, точно таке ж, як я бачив його дві ночі тому. We had arranged no plan of campaign, but the baronet is a man to whom the most direct way is always the most natural. Wir hatten keinen Plan für den Feldzug, aber der Baronet ist ein Mann, für den der direkteste Weg immer der natürlichste ist. Ми не складали жодного плану походу, але баронет - людина, для якої найпряміший шлях завжди є найприроднішим.

He walked into the room, and as he did so Barrymore sprang up from the window with a sharp hiss of his breath and stood, livid and trembling, before us. Er betrat den Raum, und als er dies tat, sprang Barrymore mit einem scharfen Zischen seines Atems vom Fenster auf und stand mit fahlem Gesicht und zitternd vor uns. Він увійшов до кімнати, і коли він це зробив, Берімор вискочив з вікна з різким шипінням дихання і став, розлючений і тремтячий, перед нами. His dark eyes, glaring out of the white mask of his face, were full of horror and astonishment as he gazed from Sir Henry to me. Seine dunklen Augen, die aus der weißen Maske seines Gesichts hervorblitzten, waren voller Entsetzen und Erstaunen, als er von Sir Henry zu mir blickte. Його темні очі, що виблискували з-під білої маски, були сповнені жаху і здивування, коли він перевів погляд з сера Генрі на мене. "What are you doing here, Barrymore? "Was machen Sie hier, Barrymore?

"Nothing, sir. "Nichts, Sir.

His agitation was so great that he could hardly speak, and the shadows sprang up and down from the shaking of his candle. Seine Aufregung war so groß, dass er kaum sprechen konnte, und die Schatten sprangen durch das Zittern seiner Kerze auf und ab. "It was the window, sir. I go round at night to see that they are fastened. Ich gehe nachts herum, um nachzusehen, ob sie befestigt sind. Я обходжу вночі, щоб перевірити, чи вони закріплені. "On the second floor?

"Yes, sir, all the windows.

"Look here, Barrymore," said Sir Henry sternly, "we have made up our minds to have the truth out of you, so it will save you trouble to tell it sooner rather than later. "Hören Sie, Barrymore", sagte Sir Henry streng, "wir haben uns entschlossen, die Wahrheit aus Ihnen herauszubekommen, und es wird Ihnen die Mühe ersparen, sie lieber früher als später zu sagen. "Послухайте, Баррімор, - суворо сказав сер Генрі, - ми вирішили, що хочемо почути від вас правду, тож вам краще розповісти її якнайшвидше, ніж пізніше.

Come, now! Komm jetzt! No lies! Keine Lügen! What were you doing at that window? Was haben Sie an diesem Fenster gemacht? The fellow looked at us in a helpless way, and he wrung his hands together like one who is in the last extremity of doubt and misery. Der Mann schaute uns hilflos an und schlug die Hände zusammen, wie jemand, der sich in der letzten Phase des Zweifels und des Elends befindet. L'homme nous a regardés d'une manière impuissante, et il s'est tordu les mains comme celui qui est dans la dernière extrémité du doute et de la misère. Хлопець безпорадно дивився на нас і стискав руки, як людина, що перебуває в останній межі сумнівів і страждань.

"I was doing no harm, sir.

I was holding a candle to the window. "And why were you holding a candle to the window?

"Don’t ask me, Sir Henry—don’t ask me!

I give you my word, sir, that it is not my secret, and that I cannot tell it. Ich gebe Ihnen mein Wort, mein Herr, dass es nicht mein Geheimnis ist und dass ich es nicht verraten kann. If it concerned no one but myself I would not try to keep it from you. Wenn es niemanden außer mir selbst beträfe, würde ich nicht versuchen, es vor Ihnen zu verbergen. Якби це не стосувалося нікого, крім мене, я б не намагався приховати це від вас. A sudden idea occurred to me, and I took the candle from the trembling hand of the butler. Plötzlich kam mir eine Idee, und ich nahm die Kerze aus der zitternden Hand des Butlers. Мені раптом спала на думку ідея, і я взяв свічку з тремтячої руки дворецького.

"He must have been holding it as a signal," said I. "Er muss es als Signal in der Hand gehabt haben", sagte ich.

"Let us see if there is any answer." I held it as he had done, and stared out into the darkness of the night. Vaguely I could discern the black bank of the trees and the lighter expanse of the moor, for the moon was behind the clouds. Vage konnte ich das schwarze Ufer der Bäume und die hellere Weite des Moors erkennen, denn der Mond war hinter den Wolken. Я невиразно розрізняв чорний берег з деревами і світліший простір болота, бо місяць сховався за хмарами. And then I gave a cry of exultation, for a tiny pinpoint of yellow light had suddenly transfixed the dark veil, and glowed steadily in the centre of the black square framed by the window. Und dann stieß ich einen Jubelschrei aus, denn ein winziger gelber Lichtpunkt hatte plötzlich den dunklen Schleier durchdrungen und leuchtete unablässig in der Mitte des schwarzen Quadrats, das vom Fenster umrahmt wurde. Et puis j'ai poussé un cri d'exultation, car un minuscule point de lumière jaune avait soudainement transpercé le voile sombre, et brillait régulièrement au centre du carré noir encadré par la fenêtre. І тоді я вигукнув радісний крик, бо крихітна точка жовтого світла раптом прорвала темну завісу і рівномірно світилася в центрі чорного квадрата, обрамленого вікном. "There it is!

I cried. "No, no, sir, it is nothing—nothing at all!

the butler broke in; "I assure you, sir—" "Move your light across the window, Watson! "Посвітіть на вікно, Ватсоне!

cried the baronet. "See, the other moves also! "Siehst du, der andere bewegt sich auch! Now, you rascal, do you deny that it is a signal? Nun, du Schlingel, leugnest du, dass es ein Signal ist? Тепер, негіднику, ти заперечуєш, що це сигнал? Come, speak up! Who is your confederate out yonder, and what is this conspiracy that is going on? Wer ist Ihr Verbündeter da draußen und was ist das für eine Verschwörung, die da im Gange ist? Qui est votre confédéré là-bas, et quelle est cette conspiration qui se passe? Хто ваш спільник там, і що це за змова, яка відбувається? The man’s face became openly defiant. Das Gesicht des Mannes wurde offen trotzig. Обличчя чоловіка стало відверто зухвалим.

"It is my business, and not yours. "Das ist meine Sache und nicht Ihre. I will not tell. "Then you leave my employment right away. "Тоді ти негайно звільняєшся з моєї роботи.

"Very good, sir.

If I must I must. "And you go in disgrace.

By thunder, you may well be ashamed of yourself. Під час грому вам може стати соромно за себе. Your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under this roof, and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me. "No, no, sir; no, not against you!

It was a woman’s voice, and Mrs. Barrymore, paler and more horror-struck than her husband, was standing at the door. Es war eine Frauenstimme, und Mrs. Barrymore, blasser und entsetzter als ihr Mann, stand an der Tür. Це був жіночий голос, і місіс Беррімор, блідіша і більш налякана, ніж її чоловік, стояла у дверях. Her bulky figure in a shawl and skirt might have been comic were it not for the intensity of feeling upon her face. Ihre massige Gestalt in Schal und Rock hätte komisch wirken können, wäre da nicht die Intensität der Gefühle in ihrem Gesicht gewesen. Її громіздка постать у хустці та спідниці могла б бути комічною, якби не інтенсивність почуттів на її обличчі. "We have to go, Eliza.

This is the end of it. You can pack our things," said the butler. "Oh, John, John, have I brought you to this? «Oh, John, John, est-ce que je t'ai amené à ça? "О, Джоне, Джоне, невже я довела тебе до цього?

It is my doing, Sir Henry—all mine. He has done nothing except for my sake and because I asked him. "Speak out, then!

What does it mean? "My unhappy brother is starving on the moor.

We cannot let him perish at our very gates. Wir können nicht zulassen, dass er vor unseren Toren untergeht. Nous ne pouvons pas le laisser périr à nos portes mêmes. Ми не можемо дозволити йому загинути біля наших воріт. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it. Das Licht ist ein Signal für ihn, dass das Essen für ihn bereitsteht, und sein Licht da draußen zeigt ihm, wohin er es bringen muss. La lumière lui indique que la nourriture est prête pour lui, et sa lumière là-bas est de montrer l'endroit où l'amener. Світло - це сигнал для нього, що їжа готова, а світло ззовні показує місце, куди її принести. "Then your brother is—"

"The escaped convict, sir—Selden, the criminal. "Der entflohene Sträfling, Sir - Selden, der Kriminelle. "В'язень-утікач, сер Селден, злочинець.

"That’s the truth, sir," said Barrymore. "Das ist die Wahrheit, Sir", sagte Barrymore.

"I said that it was not my secret and that I could not tell it to you. "Ich habe gesagt, dass es nicht mein Geheimnis ist und dass ich es Ihnen nicht sagen kann. But now you have heard it, and you will see that if there was a plot it was not against you. Aber jetzt haben Sie es gehört, und Sie werden sehen, dass, wenn es ein Komplott gab, es nicht gegen Sie gerichtet war. This, then, was the explanation of the stealthy expeditions at night and the light at the window. Dies war also die Erklärung für die nächtlichen Streifzüge und das Licht am Fenster.

Sir Henry and I both stared at the woman in amazement. Ми з сером Генрі здивовано витріщилися на жінку. Was it possible that this stolidly respectable person was of the same blood as one of the most notorious criminals in the country? Était-il possible que cette personne profondément respectable soit du même sang que l'un des criminels les plus notoires du pays? Чи могло статися так, що ця респектабельна людина була однієї крові з одним із найвідоміших злочинців країни? "Yes, sir, my name was Selden, and he is my younger brother.

We humoured him too much when he was a lad and gave him his own way in everything until he came to think that the world was made for his pleasure, and that he could do what he liked in it. Nous l'avons trop comblé quand il était enfant et nous lui avons donné son propre chemin en tout jusqu'à ce qu'il en vienne à penser que le monde était fait pour son plaisir et qu'il pouvait y faire ce qu'il voulait. Коли він був малим, ми надто забавлялися з ним і в усьому дозволяли йому робити все по-своєму, аж поки він не зрозумів, що світ створений для його задоволення, і що він може робити в ньому все, що йому заманеться. Then as he grew older he met wicked companions, and the devil entered into him until he broke my mother’s heart and dragged our name in the dirt. From crime to crime he sank lower and lower until it is only the mercy of God which has snatched him from the scaffold; but to me, sir, he was always the little curly-headed boy that I had nursed and played with as an elder sister would. Від злочину до злочину він опускався все нижче і нижче, поки тільки милосердя Боже не врятувало його від ешафота; але для мене, сер, він завжди був маленьким кучерявим хлопчиком, якого я няньчила і гралася з ним, як старша сестра. That was why he broke prison, sir. C'est pourquoi il a cassé la prison, monsieur. He knew that I was here and that we could not refuse to help him. When he dragged himself here one night, weary and starving, with the warders hard at his heels, what could we do? Коли він приповз сюди однієї ночі, втомлений і голодний, під наглядачами, що наступали йому на п'яти, що ми могли вдіяти? We took him in and fed him and cared for him. Then you returned, sir, and my brother thought he would be safer on the moor than anywhere else until the hue and cry was over, so he lay in hiding there. Потім ви повернулися, сер, і мій брат подумав, що на болоті йому буде безпечніше, ніж деінде, поки не вщухне галас і крики, тож він сховався там. But every second night we made sure if he was still there by putting a light in the window, and if there was an answer my husband took out some bread and meat to him. Every day we hoped that he was gone, but as long as he was there we could not desert him. Щодня ми сподівалися, що він поїхав, але поки він був там, ми не могли його покинути. That is the whole truth, as I am an honest Christian woman and you will see that if there is blame in the matter it does not lie with my husband but with me, for whose sake he has done all that he has. The woman’s words came with an intense earnestness which carried conviction with them.

"Is this true, Barrymore?

"Yes, Sir Henry.

Every word of it. "Well, I cannot blame you for standing by your own wife.

Forget what I have said. Go to your room, you two, and we shall talk further about this matter in the morning. When they were gone we looked out of the window again.

Sir Henry had flung it open, and the cold night wind beat in upon our faces. Сер Генрі відчинив його, і холодний нічний вітер вдарив нам в обличчя. Far away in the black distance there still glowed that one tiny point of yellow light. "I wonder he dares," said Sir Henry. "Дивно, що він наважився", - сказав сер Генрі.

"It may be so placed as to be only visible from here. "Він може бути розміщений так, щоб його було видно лише звідси.

"Very likely.

How far do you think it is? "Out by the Cleft Tor, I think. "Гадаю, біля Ущелини Тор.

"Not more than a mile or two off.

"Hardly that.

"Well, it cannot be far if Barrymore had to carry out the food to it.

And he is waiting, this villain, beside that candle. І він чекає, цей лиходій, біля тієї свічки. By thunder, Watson, I am going out to take that man! Клянуся громом, Ватсоне, я йду за ним! The same thought had crossed my own mind. Така ж думка прийшла і мені в голову.

It was not as if the Barrymores had taken us into their confidence. Не було схоже на те, що Баррімори ввірили нам у свою довіру. Their secret had been forced from them. Їхню таємницю від них силоміць витягли. The man was a danger to the community, an unmitigated scoundrel for whom there was neither pity nor excuse. Він був небезпечним для суспільства, негідником, якому не було ні жалю, ні виправдання. We were only doing our duty in taking this chance of putting him back where he could do no harm. With his brutal and violent nature, others would have to pay the price if we held our hands. З його брутальним і жорстоким характером іншим довелося б розплачуватися, якби ми трималися за руки. Any night, for example, our neighbours the Stapletons might be attacked by him, and it may have been the thought of this which made Sir Henry so keen upon the adventure. Наприклад, будь-якої ночі на наших сусідів Стейплтонів він міг напасти, і, можливо, саме думка про це змусила сера Генрі так захопитися цією пригодою. "I will come," said I.

"Then get your revolver and put on your boots.

The sooner we start the better, as the fellow may put out his light and be off. In five minutes we were outside the door, starting upon our expedition.

We hurried through the dark shrubbery, amid the dull moaning of the autumn wind and the rustle of the falling leaves. The night air was heavy with the smell of damp and decay. Now and again the moon peeped out for an instant, but clouds were driving over the face of the sky, and just as we came out on the moor a thin rain began to fall. The light still burned steadily in front. "Are you armed?

I asked. "I have a hunting-crop. "Ich habe eine Jagdsaat. "У мене є мисливська культура.

"We must close in on him rapidly, for he is said to be a desperate fellow. "Wir müssen uns ihm schnell nähern, denn er soll ein verzweifelter Kerl sein.

We shall take him by surprise and have him at our mercy before he can resist. Wir werden ihn überrumpeln und ihn in unsere Gewalt bringen, bevor er sich wehren kann. "I say, Watson," said the baronet, "what would Holmes say to this?

How about that hour of darkness in which the power of evil is exalted? Як щодо тієї години темряви, коли сила зла підноситься? As if in answer to his words there rose suddenly out of the vast gloom of the moor that strange cry which I had already heard upon the borders of the great Grimpen Mire. Немов у відповідь на його слова, з безкрайньої темряви болота раптом пролунав дивний крик, який я вже чув на кордоні великого Грімпенського болота.

It came with the wind through the silence of the night, a long, deep mutter, then a rising howl, and then the sad moan in which it died away. Es kam mit dem Wind durch die Stille der Nacht, ein langes, tiefes Murmeln, dann ein anschwellendes Heulen, und dann das traurige Stöhnen, in dem es verklang. Again and again it sounded, the whole air throbbing with it, strident, wild, and menacing. The baronet caught my sleeve and his face glimmered white through the darkness. "My God, what’s that, Watson?

"I don’t know.

It’s a sound they have on the moor. I heard it once before. It died away, and an absolute silence closed in upon us. Він стих, і настала абсолютна тиша.

We stood straining our ears, but nothing came. Ми стояли, нашорошивши вуха, але нічого не було чутно. "Watson," said the baronet, "it was the cry of a hound.

My blood ran cold in my veins, for there was a break in his voice which told of the sudden horror which had seized him.

"What do they call this sound?

he asked. "Who?

"The folk on the countryside.

"Oh, they are ignorant people.

Why should you mind what they call it? "Tell me, Watson.

What do they say of it? I hesitated but could not escape the question.

"They say it is the cry of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

He groaned and was silent for a few moments.

"A hound it was," he said at last, "but it seemed to come from miles away, over yonder, I think.

"It was hard to say whence it came.

"It rose and fell with the wind.

Isn’t that the direction of the great Grimpen Mire? "Yes, it is.

"Well, it was up there.

Come now, Watson, didn’t you think yourself that it was the cry of a hound? I am not a child. You need not fear to speak the truth. "Stapleton was with me when I heard it last.

He said that it might be the calling of a strange bird. "No, no, it was a hound.

My God, can there be some truth in all these stories? Is it possible that I am really in danger from so dark a cause? Чи можливо, що мені дійсно загрожує небезпека з такої темної причини? You don’t believe it, do you, Watson? "No, no.

"And yet it was one thing to laugh about it in London, and it is another to stand out here in the darkness of the moor and to hear such a cry as that.

And my uncle! There was the footprint of the hound beside him as he lay. It all fits together. I don’t think that I am a coward, Watson, but that sound seemed to freeze my very blood. Feel my hand! It was as cold as a block of marble.

"You’ll be all right tomorrow.

"I don’t think I’ll get that cry out of my head.

What do you advise that we do now? "Shall we turn back?

"No, by thunder; we have come out to get our man, and we will do it.

We after the convict, and a hell-hound, as likely as not, after us. Ми - за в'язнем, а пекельний пес, швидше за все, за нами. Come on! We’ll see it through if all the fiends of the pit were loose upon the moor. Ми доведемо справу до кінця, навіть якщо всі демони ями опиняться на волі. We stumbled slowly along in the darkness, with the black loom of the craggy hills around us, and the yellow speck of light burning steadily in front.

There is nothing so deceptive as the distance of a light upon a pitch-dark night, and sometimes the glimmer seemed to be far away upon the horizon and sometimes it might have been within a few yards of us. Nichts ist so trügerisch wie die Entfernung eines Lichts in einer stockdunklen Nacht, und manchmal schien der Schimmer weit weg am Horizont zu sein, und manchmal war er vielleicht nur wenige Meter von uns entfernt. But at last we could see whence it came, and then we knew that we were indeed very close. A guttering candle was stuck in a crevice of the rocks which flanked it on each side so as to keep the wind from it and also to prevent it from being visible, save in the direction of Baskerville Hall. Une bougie de gouttière était coincée dans une crevasse des rochers qui la flanquaient de chaque côté de manière à en éloigner le vent et aussi à l'empêcher d'être visible, sauf en direction de Baskerville Hall. У розколину скель, що оточували його з обох боків, встромили водостічну свічку, щоб її не заносив вітер, а також щоб її не було видно, окрім як у напрямку Баскервіль-холу. A boulder of granite concealed our approach, and crouching behind it we gazed over it at the signal light. It was strange to see this single candle burning there in the middle of the moor, with no sign of life near it—just the one straight yellow flame and the gleam of the rock on each side of it. "What shall we do now?

whispered Sir Henry. "Wait here.

He must be near his light. Let us see if we can get a glimpse of him. The words were hardly out of my mouth when we both saw him.

Over the rocks, in the crevice of which the candle burned, there was thrust out an evil yellow face, a terrible animal face, all seamed and scored with vile passions. Au-dessus des rochers, dans la crevasse dont brûlait la bougie, était jeté un visage jaune maléfique, un visage animal terrible, tout cousu et marqué de viles passions. З-за скель, в ущелині яких горіла свічка, випиналося злісне жовте обличчя, жахлива звіряча морда, вся зшита і пронизана мерзенними пристрастями. Foul with mire, with a bristling beard, and hung with matted hair, it might well have belonged to one of those old savages who dwelt in the burrows on the hillsides. Забруднений болотом, з щетинистою бородою і скуйовдженим волоссям, він цілком міг належати одному з тих старих дикунів, що жили в норах на схилах пагорбів. The light beneath him was reflected in his small, cunning eyes which peered fiercely to right and left through the darkness like a crafty and savage animal who has heard the steps of the hunters. Світло під ним відбивалося в його маленьких хитрих очах, які люто вдивлялися в темряву направо і наліво, як хитрий і дикий звір, що почув кроки мисливців. Something had evidently aroused his suspicions. Очевидно, щось викликало його підозри.

It may have been that Barrymore had some private signal which we had neglected to give, or the fellow may have had some other reason for thinking that all was not well, but I could read his fears upon his wicked face. Vielleicht hatte Barrymore ein privates Signal, das wir versäumt hatten zu geben, oder der Kerl hatte einen anderen Grund zu denken, dass nicht alles in Ordnung war, aber ich konnte seine Ängste in seinem bösen Gesicht lesen. Можливо, Баррімор подав якийсь приватний сигнал, на який ми не звернули уваги, або ж у хлопця була якась інша причина вважати, що все не в порядку, але я міг прочитати його страх на його злісному обличчі. Any instant he might dash out the light and vanish in the darkness. Будь-якої миті він може погасити світло і зникнути в темряві. I sprang forward therefore, and Sir Henry did the same. At the same moment the convict screamed out a curse at us and hurled a rock which splintered up against the boulder which had sheltered us. Au même moment, le forçat nous a crié une malédiction et a jeté un rocher qui s'est brisé contre le rocher qui nous abritait. I caught one glimpse of his short, squat, strongly built figure as he sprang to his feet and turned to run. J'aperçus sa silhouette courte, trapue et fortement bâtie alors qu'il sautait sur ses pieds et se retournait pour courir. At the same moment by a lucky chance the moon broke through the clouds. У той самий момент завдяки щасливому випадку крізь хмари пробився місяць. We rushed over the brow of the hill, and there was our man running with great speed down the other side, springing over the stones in his way with the activity of a mountain goat. Ми кинулися через гребінь пагорба, і побачили нашу людину, яка з великою швидкістю бігла вниз по іншому боці, перестрибуючи через каміння на своєму шляху з активністю гірського козла. A lucky long shot of my revolver might have crippled him, but I had brought it only to defend myself if attacked and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running away. Вдалий дальній постріл з мого револьвера міг би його покалічити, але я взяв його з собою лише для того, щоб захистити себе в разі нападу, а не для того, щоб стріляти в беззбройну людину, яка тікає. We were both swift runners and in fairly good training, but we soon found that we had no chance of overtaking him. Ми обидва були швидкими бігунами і досить добре тренованими, але незабаром зрозуміли, що не маємо жодних шансів його наздогнати.

We saw him for a long time in the moonlight until he was only a small speck moving swiftly among the boulders upon the side of a distant hill. Nous l'avons vu pendant longtemps au clair de lune jusqu'à ce qu'il ne soit plus qu'un petit point se déplaçant rapidement parmi les rochers sur le flanc d'une colline lointaine. We ran and ran until we were completely blown, but the space between us grew ever wider. Wir rannten und rannten, bis wir völlig aufgeflogen waren, aber der Raum zwischen uns wurde immer größer. Ми бігли і бігли, поки не задихалися, але простір між нами ставав дедалі ширшим. Finally we stopped and sat panting on two rocks, while we watched him disappearing in the distance. And it was at this moment that there occurred a most strange and unexpected thing. І саме в цей момент сталася найдивніша і найнесподіваніша річ.

We had risen from our rocks and were turning to go home, having abandoned the hopeless chase. Ми піднялися зі своїх скель і повернули додому, покинувши безнадійну гонитву. The moon was low upon the right, and the jagged pinnacle of a granite tor stood up against the lower curve of its silver disc. Місяць був низько праворуч, і зубчаста вершина гранітного тору впиралася в нижній вигин його сріблястого диска. There, outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining background, I saw the figure of a man upon the tor. Там, на цьому сяючому тлі, я побачив чорну, наче статуя з чорного дерева, фігуру чоловіка на торі. Do not think that it was a delusion, Holmes. I assure you that I have never in my life seen anything more clearly. As far as I could judge, the figure was that of a tall, thin man. He stood with his legs a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay before him. Il se tenait les jambes un peu écartées, les bras croisés, la tête penchée, comme s'il rêvait de cet immense désert de tourbe et de granit qui se trouvait devant lui. Він стояв, трохи розставивши ноги, склавши руки, схиливши голову, ніби замислившись над величезною пустелею торфу і граніту, що лежала перед ним. He might have been the very spirit of that terrible place. It was not the convict. This man was far from the place where the latter had disappeared. Besides, he was a much taller man. With a cry of surprise I pointed him out to the baronet, but in the instant during which I had turned to grasp his arm the man was gone. There was the sharp pinnacle of granite still cutting the lower edge of the moon, but its peak bore no trace of that silent and motionless figure. I wished to go in that direction and to search the tor, but it was some distance away.

The baronet’s nerves were still quivering from that cry, which recalled the dark story of his family, and he was not in the mood for fresh adventures. He had not seen this lonely man upon the tor and could not feel the thrill which his strange presence and his commanding attitude had given to me. Він не бачив цього самотнього чоловіка на торі і не міг відчути того трепету, який викликала у мене його дивна присутність і владна поведінка. "A warder, no doubt," said he. "Наглядач, без сумніву", - сказав він. "The moor has been thick with them since this fellow escaped." "Відтоді, як цей хлопець втік, болото кишить ними". Well, perhaps his explanation may be the right one, but I should like to have some further proof of it. Що ж, можливо, його пояснення і є правильним, але я хотів би мати додаткові докази цього. Today we mean to communicate to the Princetown people where they should look for their missing man, but it is hard lines that we have not actually had the triumph of bringing him back as our own prisoner. Сьогодні ми маємо намір повідомити мешканцям Принстона, де їм шукати свого зниклого чоловіка, але нам важко усвідомлювати, що ми ще не здобули перемогу, повернувши його назад як нашого власного полоненого. Such are the adventures of last night, and you must acknowledge, my dear Holmes, that I have done you very well in the matter of a report. Ось такі пригоди сталися минулої ночі, і ви повинні визнати, мій любий Холмсе, що я дуже добре допоміг вам у питанні звіту. Much of what I tell you is no doubt quite irrelevant, but still I feel that it is best that I should let you have all the facts and leave you to select for yourself those which will be of most service to you in helping you to your conclusions. Багато з того, що я вам розповім, без сумніву, не має відношення до справи, але все ж я вважаю, що найкраще буде, якщо я надам вам усі факти і дозволю вибрати для себе ті, які найбільше допоможуть вам зробити свої висновки. We are certainly making some progress. So far as the Barrymores go we have found the motive of their actions, and that has cleared up the situation very much. Що стосується "Барріморів", то ми знайшли мотив їхніх дій, і це дуже прояснило ситуацію. But the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants remains as inscrutable as ever. Але болото з його таємницями і дивними мешканцями залишається таким же незбагненним, як і раніше. Perhaps in my next I may be able to throw some light upon this also. Можливо, в наступній статті я зможу пролити світло і на це питання. Best of all would it be if you could come down to us. In any case you will hear from me again in the course of the next few days.