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answering ['Q:ns(q)rIN] tight [taIt] neck [nek]

Cairo shook his head and smiled. "You will have to forgive my not answering that question."

"Will I?" Spade leaned forward smiling with tight lips. "I've got you by the neck, Cairo. You've walked in and tied yourself up, plenty strong enough to suit the police, with last night's killings. Well, now you'll have to play with me or else."

Cairo's smile was demure (улыбка Кейро было сдержанной/серьезной) and not in any way alarmed (и никак не тревожной). "I made somewhat extensive inquiries about you (я навел довольно обширные справки о вас) before taking any action (прежде чем предпринять какое-нибудь действие)," he said, "and was assured (и был убежден) that you were far too reasonable (что вы слишком уж разумны) to allow other considerations (чтобы позволить другим соображениям) to interfere with profitable business relations (вмешаться в выгодные деловые отношения; profitable — полезный, прибыльный)."

Spade shrugged (Спейд пожал плечами). "Where are they (где они)?" he asked (спросил он).

"I have offered you five thousand dollars for (я предложил вам пять тысяч долларов за) —."

demure [dI'mjVq] extensive [Ik'stensIv] relation [rI'leIS(q)n]

Cairo's smile was demure and not in any way alarmed. "I made somewhat extensive inquiries about you before taking any action," he said, "and was assured that you were far too reasonable to allow other considerations to interfere with profitable business relations."

Spade shrugged. "Where are they?" he asked.

"I have offered you five thousand dollars for — "

Spade thumped Cairo's wallet (Спейд тяжело ударил по бумажнику Кейро) with the backs of his fingers and said (тыльной частью своих пальцев и сказал): "There's nothing like five thousand dollars here (здесь нет ничего похожего на пять тысяч долларов). You're betting your eyes (вы держите пари на свои глаза). You could come in (вы могли бы войти) and say you'd pay me a million for a purple elephant (и сказать, вы заплатите мне миллион за фиолетового слона), but what in hell would that mean (но что, черт побери, это бы значило)?"

"I see, I see (я понимаю, я понимаю)," Cairo said thoughtfully (задумчиво сказал Кейро), screwing up his eyes (прищурившись; to screw up— завинчивать, сжимать, морщить). "You wish some assurance of my sincerity (вы хотите гарантии моей искренности)." He brushed his red lower lip with a fingertip (он погладил свою красную нижнюю губу кончиком пальца). "A retainer, would that serve (аванс, может это помочь: «послужить»)?"

"It might (может)."

thump [TAmp] purple ['pq:p(q)l] screw [skru:]

Spade thumped Cairo's wallet with the backs of his fingers and said: "There's nothing like five thousand dollars here. You're betting your eyes. You could come in and say you'd pay me a million for a purple elephant, but what in hell would that mean?"

"I see, I see," Cairo said thoughtfully, screwing up his eyes. "You wish some assurance of my sincerity." He brushed his red lower lip with a fingertip. "A retainer, would that serve?"

"It might."

Cairo put his hand out towards his wallet (Кейро протянул свою руку к своему бумажнику), hesitated (поколебался), withdrew the hand, and said (отдернул руку и сказал): "You will take, say, a hundred dollars (вы возьмете, скажем, сто долларов)?"

Spade picked up the wallet (Спейд поднял бумажник) and took out a hundred dollars (и взял сто долларов). Then he frowned, said (потом он нахмурился, сказал), "Better make it two hundred (лучше скажем: «сделаем» двести)," and did (и взял).

Cairo said nothing (Кейро ничего не сказал).

put [pVt] hundred ['hAndrqd] took [tVk]

Cairo put his hand out towards his wallet, hesitated, withdrew the hand, and said: "You will take, say, a hundred dollars?"

Spade picked up the wallet and took out a hundred dollars. Then he frowned, said, "Better make it two hundred," and did.

Cairo said nothing.

"Your first guess was (вашим первым предположением было) that I had the bird (что птица у меня)," Spade said in a crisp voice (сказал он бодрым голосом) when he had put the two hundred dollars into his pocket (когда он положил двести долларов в свой карман) and had dropped the wallet on the desk again (и снова бросил бумажник на стол). "There's nothing in that (это оказалось не так: «в этом ничего не оказалось»). What's your second (какое ваше второе /предположение/)?"

"That you know where it is (что вы знаете, где она /фигурка птицы/), or, if not exactly that (или, если не именно это), that you know it is where you can get it (то вы знаете, где вы можете достать ее)."

Spade neither denied nor affirmed that (Спейд не опроверг и не подтвердил это): he seemed hardly to have heard it (казалось, он едва ли слышал это). He asked (он спросил): "What sort of proof can you give me (какого рода доказательства вы мне можете дать) that your man is the owner (что ваш человек — владелец)?"

guess [ges] crisp [krIsp] affirm [q'fq:m]

"Your first guess was that I had the bird," Spade said in a crisp voice when he had put the two hundred dollars into his pocket and had dropped the wallet on the desk again. "There's nothing in that. What's your second?"

"That you know where it is, or, if not exactly that, that you know it is where you can get it."

Spade neither denied nor affirmed that: he seemed hardly to have heard it. He asked: "What sort of proof can you give me that your man is the owner?"

"Very little, unfortunately (очень немного /доказательств/, к сожалению). There is this (есть одно: «это»), though (хотя): nobody else (никто еще) can give you any authentic evidence (не сможет дать какие-либо подлинные доказательства) of ownership at all (прав собственности вовсе). And if you know as much about the affair (и если вы знаете так много об этом деле) as I suppose (как я предполагаю) — or I should not be here (или я бы не был здесь) — you know that the means (вы знаете, что способы) by which it was taken from him (которыми она была отнята у него) shows that his right to it (показывают, что его право на нее) was more valid than anyone else's (было более обоснованным, чем чье-либо еще; valid — действительный, имеющий силу; правомерный) — certainly more valid than Thursby's (конечно, более обоснованным, чем /право/ Терсби)."

"What about his daughter (что по поводу его дочери)?" Spade asked (спросил Спейд).

Excitement opened Cairo's eyes and mouth (волнение открыло глаза и рот Кейро), turned his face red (сделало его лицо красным), made his voice shrill (его голос пронзительным). "He is not the owner (он — не владелец)!"

unfortunately [An'fO:tSVnItlI] authentic [O:'TentIk] daughter ['dO:tq]

"Very little, unfortunately. There is this, though: nobody else can give you any authentic evidence of ownership at all. And if you know as much about the affair as I suppose — or I should not be here — you know that the means by which it was taken from him shows that his right to it was more valid than anyone else's — certainly more valid than Thursby's."