Все приключения Шерлока Холмса. Сборник. Уровень 2

Thus day followed day; and as sure as morning came he found that his unseen enemies were telling him how many days he had. Sometimes the fatal numbers appeared upon the walls, sometimes upon the floors, occasionally they were on small placards upon the garden gate or the railings. A horror came upon him at the sight of them. He became haggard and restless. He had but one hope in life now, and that was for the arrival of the young hunter from Nevada.

Twenty changed to fifteen and fifteen to ten, but there was no news of Jefferson Hope.

There came no sign of him. At last, when the old farmer saw three, he lost heart[56 - he lost heart – он пал духом], and abandoned all hope of escape. With his limited knowledge of the mountains which surrounded the settlement, he knew that he was powerless. The roads were strictly watched and guarded, and none could pass along them without an order from the Council.

He was sitting alone one evening. That morning showed the figure 2 upon the wall of his house.

The next day will be the last. What will happen then? Was there no escape from the invisible network round them?

What was that? In the silence he heard a gentle scratching sound. It came from the door of the house. Ferrier crept into the hall and listened intently. There was a pause for a few moments, and then the insidious sound was repeated. Someone was evidently tapping very gently upon one of the panels of the door. Was it some midnight assassin? The suspense shook his nerves and chilled his heart.

John Ferrier sprang forward and drew the bolt and opened the door.

Outside all was calm and quiet. The night was fine, and the stars were twinkling brightly overhead. The little front garden lay before the farmer’s eyes. Ferrier looked to right and to left, and at his own feet he saw astonishment a man upon the ground. It was Jefferson Hope.

“Good God!” gasped John Ferrier. “How you scared me!”

“Give me food,” the other said, hoarsely.

He saw the cold meat and bread which were lying upon the table, and devoured it voraciously.

“How is Lucy?” he asked.

“All right. She does not know the danger,” her father answered.

“That is well. They watch the house on every side[57 - on every side – со всех сторон]. That is why I crawled.”

John Ferrier realized that he had a devoted ally. He seized the young man’s hand and wrung it cordially.

“I am proud of you,” he said.