The Hound of the Baskervilles / Собака Баскервилей. Книга для чтения на английском языке

’ What do you think of that, Watson?” cried Holmes in high glee, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction. “Don’t you think that is an admirable sentiment?”

Dr. Mortimer looked at Holmes with an air of professional interest, and Sir Henry Baskerville turned a pair of puzzled dark eyes upon me.

“I don’t know much about the tariff and things of that kind,” said he; “but it seems to me we’ve got a bit off the trail[38 - we’ve got a bit off the trail – (зд.) мы немного отклонились от темы] so far as that note is concerned.

”

“On the contrary, I think we are particularly hot upon the trail, Sir Henry. Watson here knows more about my methods than you do, but I fear that even he has not quite grasped the significance of this sentence.”

“No, I confess that I see no connection.”

“And yet, my dear Watson, there is so very close a connection that the one is extracted out of the other. �You,’ �your,’ �your,’ �life,’ �reason,’ �value,’ �keep away,’ �from the.

’ Don’t you see now whence these words have been taken?”

“By thunder, you’re right! Well, if that isn’t smart![39 - if that isn’t smart! – (воскл.) блестящая догадка!]” cried Sir Henry.

“If any possible doubt remained it is settled by the fact that �keep away’ and �from the’ are cut out in one piece.”

“Well, now – so it is!”

“Really, Mr. Holmes, this exceeds anything which I could have imagined,” said Dr.

Mortimer, gazing at my friend in amazement. “I could understand anyone saying that the words were from a newspaper; but that you should name which, and add that it came from the leading article, is really one of the most remarkable things which I have ever known. How did you do it?”

“I presume, Doctor, that you could tell the skull of a negro from that of an Esquimau?”

“Most certainly.”

“But how?”

“Because that is my special hobby.

The differences are obvious. The supra-orbital crest, the facial angle, the maxillary curve, the – ”

“But this is my special hobby, and the differences are equally obvious. There is as much difference to my eyes between the leaded bourgeois type[40 - bourgeois type – один из видов типографского шрифта] of a Times article and the slovenly print of an evening halfpenny paper as there could be between your negro and your Esquimau.