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"Immediately you left Cooler's, he telephoned to me."

"Then that lets him out. If he had been concerned, he wouldn't have wanted to tell you my story—to tell Koch's story, I mean."

"He might assume that you were a sensible man and would come to me with your story as soon as you learned of Koch's death. By the way, how did you learn of it?"

He told me promptly and I believed him. It was then I began to believe him altogether. He said, "I still can't believe Cooler's concerned. I'd stake anything on his honesty. He's one of those Americans with a real sense of duty."

"Yes," I said, "he told me about that when he phoned. He apologised for it. He said it was the worst of having been brought up to believe in citizenship. He said it made him feel a prig. To tell you the truth Cooler irritates me. Of course he doesn't know that I know about his tyre deals."

"Is he in a racket, too, then?"

"Not a very serious one. I daresay he's salted away twenty-five thousand dollars. But I'm not a good citizen. Let the Americans look after their own people."

"I'm damned." He said thoughtfully, "Is that the kind of thing Harry was up to?"

"No. It was not so harmless."

He said, "You know this business (вы знаете это дело)—Koch's death has shaken me (смерть Коха потрясла меня). Perhaps Harry did get mixed up in something pretty bad (возможно, Гарри действительно оказался замешанным в чем-то очень плохом; pretty — миловидный, прелестный, хорошенький; симпатичный, приятный; привлекательный /о человеке; обык. о женщине или ребенке/; довольно, достаточно, в значительной степени). Perhaps he was trying to clear out again (возможно, он пытался снова выйти из игры; to clear out — очищать; /разг./ внезапно уйти, уехать), and that's why they murdered him (и именно поэтому они убили его)."

"Or perhaps (или, возможно)," I said, "they wanted a bigger cut off the spoils (они хотели больший кусок от добычи). Thieves fall out (воры ссорятся; thief — вор; to fall out — скандалить, ссориться)."

He took it this time without any anger at all (он принял это на этот раз без какой бы то ни было злости; at all — вовсе). He said, "We won't agree about motives (мы не согласимся насчет мотивов), but I think you check your facts pretty well (но я думаю, что вы проверяете ваши факты весьма хорошо). I'm sorry about the other day (извините за давешнее: «я сожалею насчет другого дня»)."

"That's all right (все в порядке = ничего /страшного/)." There are times (бывают времена) when one has to make a flash decision (когда человек должен принять мгновенное решение; flash — вспышка, сверкание; миг, мгновение и любое обозначение очень короткого промежутка времени, ср.: in a flash — в один миг, в мгновение ока; внезапный, быстро возникающий и проходящий, мгновенный)—this was one of them (это было одно из них). I owed him something in return for the information he had given me (я задолжал ему кое-что в благодарность за информацию, которую он дал мне). I said (я сказал), "I'll show you enough of the facts in Lime's case for you to understand (я покажу вам достаточно фактов в деле Лайма, чтобы вы поняли). But don't fly off the handle (но не срывайтесь: «не слетайте с рукояти»). It's going to be a shock (это будет шоком)."

It couldn't help being a shock (это не могло не быть шоком: «это не могло помочь быть шоком»). The war and the peace (война и мир) (if you can call it peace (если вы можете называть это миром)) let loose a great number of rackets (провоцируют: «выпускают на волю» большое число мошенничеств; to let loose — выпустить, дать волю, свободу; loose — свободный; непривязанный, неприкрепленный), but none more vile than this one (но ни одного более отвратительного, чем это; vile — низкий, подлый; отвратительный). The black marketeers in food (спекулянты в еде) did at least supply food (по крайней мере, поставляли пищу), and the same applied to all the other racketeers (и то же самое относилось: «прилагалось» ко всем другим жуликам) who provided articles in short supply at extravagant prices (которые предоставляли товары дефицитные: «в недостаточной поставке» по экстравагантным ценам; to provide — снабжать; доставлять; обеспечивать /чем-л. материальным/). But the penicillin racket was a different affair altogether (но пенициллиновое мошенничество было совершенно другим делом). Penicillin in Austria was only supplied to the military hospitals (пенициллин в Австрии был поставляем только в военные госпитали): no civilian doctor (никакой гражданский врач), not even a civilian hospital (никакая даже гражданская больница), could obtain it by legal means (/не/ могли получить его легальными способами). As the racket started (когда махинация началась), it was relatively harmless (она была относительно безвредна). Penicillin would be stolen (пенициллин бывал украден; to steal) and sold to Austrian doctors (и продаваем австрийским врачам = пенициллин крали и продавали…) for very high sums (за очень высокие суммы)—a phial would fetch anything up to lb.70 (пузырек выручал что угодно вплоть до семидесяти фунтов). You might say (вы могли бы сказать) that this was a form of distribution (что это была форма распространения)—unfair distribution because it benefited only the rich patient (несправедливого распространения, потому что оно помогало только богатым пациентам), but the original distribution could hardly have a claim to greater fairness (но /и/ изначальное распространение могло едва ли иметь претензию на б'oльшую справедливость).

This racket went on quite happily for a while (мошенничество продолжалось совершенно безоблачно: «счастливо» в течение некоторого времени). Occasionally someone was caught and punished (иногда кто-то бывал пойман и наказан), but the danger simply raised the price of penicillin (но опасность просто поднимала цену пенициллина). Then the racket began to get organised (затем эта афера начала становиться организованной): the big men saw big money in it (большие люди увидели большие деньги в ней), and while the original thief got less for his spoils (и хотя изначальный вор = сам вор получал меньше за свою добычу; spoils — добыча; награбленное; to spoil — грабить; мародерствовать; расхищать), he received instead a certain security (он получал зато: «вместо этого» некоторую безопасность). If anything happened to him (если с ним что-то случалось) he would be looked after (о нем заботились; to look after — следить глазами, взглядом; присматривать, заботиться о /ком-л., чем-л./). Human nature too has curious twisted reasons (человеческая природа также имеет странные, запутанные резоны; to twist — крутить, сплетать/ся/; иться, изгибать(ся/; крутить, скручивать; кривить, искривлять) that the heart certainly knows nothing of (о которых сердце определенно ничего не знает). It eased the conscience of many small men (это облегчало совесть многих маленьких людей) to feel that they were working for an employer (чувствовать, что они работали для нанимателя; to employ — предоставлять работу; нанимать): they were almost as respectable soon in their own eyes (они скоро становились почти так же респектабельны в своих собственных глазах) as wage-earners (как наемные работники; wage — заработная плата; жалование; оклад; to earn — зарабатывать): they were one of a group (они одним из группы = принадлежали группе), and if there was guilt (и если была вина), the leaders bore the guilt (руководители несли эту вину; to bear — нести). A racket works very like a totalitarian party (афера работает = действует очень похоже на то, как /действует/ тоталитарная партия).

decision [di:'sIZ(q)n], provide [prq'vaId], article ['RtIkl], extravagant [Ik'strxvqgqnt], penicillin ["penI'sIlIn], affair [q'feq], supply [sq'plaI], military ['mIlIt(q)rI], civilian [sI'vIlIqn], distribution ["dIstrI'bju:S(q)n], benefit ['benIfIt], punish ['pAnIS], organise ['O:gqnaIz], thief [Ti:f], conscience ['kOnS(q)ns], employer [Im'plOIq], respectable [rIs'pektqbl], guilt [gIlt], totalitarian ["tqutqlI'teqrIqn]

He said, "You know this business—Koch's death has shaken me. Perhaps Harry did get mixed up in something pretty bad. Perhaps he was trying to clear out again, and that's why they murdered him."

"Or perhaps," I said, "they wanted a bigger cut off the spoils. Thieves fall out."

He took it this time without any anger at all. He said, "We won't agree about motives, but I think you check your facts pretty well. I'm sorry about the other day."

"That's all right." There are times when one has to make a flash decision—this was one of them. I owed him something in return for the information he had given me. I said, "I'll show you enough of the facts in Lime's case for you to understand. But don't fly off the handle. It's going to be a shock."

It couldn't help being a shock. The war and the peace (if you can call it peace) let loose a great number of rackets, but none more vile than this one. The black marketeers in food did at least supply food, and the same applied to all the other racketeers who provided articles in short supply at extravagant prices. But the penicillin racket was a different affair altogether. Penicillin in Austria was only supplied to the military hospitals: no civilian doctor, not even a civilian hospital, could obtain it by legal means. As the racket started, it was relatively harmless. Penicillin would be stolen and sold to Austrian doctors for very high sums—a phial would fetch anything up to lb.70. You might say that this was a form of distribution—unfair distribution because it benefited only the rich patient, but the original distribution could hardly have a claim to greater fairness.

This racket went on quite happily for a while. Occasionally someone was caught and punished, but the danger simply raised the price of penicillin. Then the racket began to get organised: the big men saw big money in it, and while the original thief got less for his spoils, he received instead a certain security. If anything happened to him he would be looked after. Human nature too has curious twisted reasons that the heart certainly knows nothing of. It eased the conscience of many small men to feel that they were working for an employer: they were almost as respectable soon in their own eyes as wage-earners: they were one of a group, and if there was guilt, the leaders bore the guilt. A racket works very like a totalitarian party.