Finally he reached the corner of the passage that led to luckless Washington’s room. For a moment he paused there, the wind blowing his long grey locks about his head, and twisting into grotesque and fantastic folds the nameless horror of the dead man’s shroud. Then the clock struck the quarter, and he felt the time was come. He chuckled to himself, and turned the corner; but no sooner had he done so than, with a piteous wail of terror, he fell back, and hid his blanched face in his long, bony hands.

Right in front of him was standing a horrible spectre (прямо перед ним стояло ужасное привидение), motionless as a carven image (неподвижное, как изваяние; carven – высеченный из мрамора; to carve – резать, вырезать /по дереву или кости/; гравировать; высекать /из камня/; image – образ, изображение; статуя, идол), and monstrous as a madman’s dream (и кошмарное, как сон сумасшедшего; monstrous – чудовищный; уродливый, безобразный)! Its head was bald and burnished (его голова была лысой и блестящей; to burnish – шлифовать, полировать); its face round, and fat, and white (его лицо было круглым, толстым и бледным); and hideous laughter seemed to have writhed its features into an eternal grin (и казалось, жуткая улыбка искажала его черты в вечной ухмылке). From the eyes streamed rays of scarlet light (из его глаз лились лучи алого света), the mouth was a wide well of fire (изо рта он изрыгал пламя: «рот был широким колодцем огня»), and a hideous garment, like to his own (и жуткое одеяние, подобное его собственному), swathed with its silent snows the Titan form (обвивало белоснежным саваном фигуру Титана; silent – безмолвный; snow – снег). On its breast was a placard with strange writing in antique characters (на его груди был плакат со странной надписью старинными буквами), some scroll of shame it seemed (оно казалось свитком позора; scroll – свиток; послание), some record of wild sins (хроникой диких грехов), some awful calendar of crime (каким-то ужасным списком преступлений), and, with its right hand (и своей правой рукой), it bore aloft a falchion of gleaming steel (он поднимал искривленный меч из блестящей стали; to bear – нести; to gleam – светиться; мерцать).

“its head was bald and burnished”

Right in front of him was standing a horrible spectre, motionless as a carven image, and monstrous as a madman’s dream! Its head was bald and burnished; its face round, and fat, and white; and hideous laughter seemed to have writhed its features into an eternal grin. From the eyes streamed rays of scarlet light, the mouth was a wide well of fire, and a hideous garment, like to his own, swathed with its silent snows the Titan form. On its breast was a placard with strange writing in antique characters, some scroll of shame it seemed, some record of wild sins, some awful calendar of crime, and, with its right hand, it bore aloft a falchion of gleaming steel.

Never having seen a ghost before (никогда раньше не видевший призрака), he naturally was terribly frightened (он, естественно, был ужасно напуган), and, after a second hasty glance at the awful phantom (и, после второго, торопливого взгляда в сторону ужасного фантома), he fled back to his room (он убежал назад в свою комнату; to flee), tripping up in his long winding-sheet as he sped down the corridor (наступая на свой длинный саван и падая, в то время как он мчался вниз по коридору; to trip – спотыкаться, падать; to speed – двигаться поспешно; мчаться), and finally dropping the rusty dagger into the Minister’s jack-boots (и, наконец, уронил ржавый кинжал в сапог посла; jack-boots – военные жесткие сапоги выше колен), where it was found in the morning by the butler (где он был найден утром дворецким). Once in the privacy of his own apartment (оказавшись наконец в уединении своей собственной комнаты), he flung himself down on a small pallet-bed (он упал на маленький соломенный тюфяк; to fling oneself – броситься; to fling – бросать, швырять), and hid his face under the clothes (и спрятал лицо под одеждой). After a time, however (однако через некоторое время), the brave old Cantervill spirit asserted itself (храбрый дух старого Кентервиля вновь заявил о себе), and he determined to go and speak to the other ghost (и он решил пойти и поговорить с другим призраком), as soon as it was daylight (как только появится дневной свет).

Never having seen a ghost before, he naturally was terribly frightened, and, after a second hasty glance at the awful phantom, he fled back to his room, tripping up in his long winding-sheet as he sped down the corridor, and finally dropping the rusty dagger into the Minister’s jack-boots, where it was found in the morning by the butler. Once in the privacy of his own apartment, he flung himself down on a small pallet-bed, and hid his face under the clothes. After a time, however, the brave old Canterville spirit asserted itself, and he determined to go and speak to the other ghost as soon as it was daylight.

Accordingly, just as the dawn was touching the hills with silver (соответственно, как только рассвет осветил холмы серебристым светом; to touch – касаться, притрагиваться), he returned towards the spot (он вернулся к тому месту) where he had first laid eyes on the grisly phantom (где он впервые увидел зловещий фантом; to lay – класть; to lay eyes on smth. – увидеть что-либо), feeling that, after all, two ghosts were better than one (почувствовав, что два привидения в конце концов было бы лучше, чем одно), and that, by the aid of his new friend (и что с помощью своего нового друга) he might safely grapple with the twins (он мог бы спокойно справиться с близнецами; safely – безопасно; благополучно; не рискуя; безошибочно). On reaching the spot, however (однако, /когда он/ достиг того места), a terrible sight met his gaze (его взору открылся ужасный вид: «ужасный вид встретил его взор»). Something had evidently happened to the spectre (что-то очевидно случилось с привидением), for the light had entirely faded from its hollow eyes (так как свет совершенно исчез из его ввалившихся глаз; to fade – вянуть, увядать /о растениях и т. п./; выгорать, выцветать, блекнуть, тускнеть и т. п. /о цвете, красках или любом предмете, способном терять яркость, становиться тусклым/; hollow – пустой, полый), the gleaming falchion had fallen from its hand (светящийся/мерцающий меч выпал из его руки), and it was leaning up against the wall in a strained and uncomfortable attitude (и он был прислонен к стене в странной и неудобной позе).

Accordingly, just as the dawn was touching the hills with silver, he returned towards the spot where he had first laid eyes on the grisly phantom, feeling that, after all, two ghosts were better than one, and that, by the aid of his new friend, he might safely grapple with the twins. On reaching the spot, however, a terrible sight met his gaze. Something had evidently happened to the spectre, for the light had entirely faded from its hollow eyes, the gleaming falchion had fallen from its hand, and it was leaning up against the wall in a strained and uncomfortable attitude.

He rushed forward and seized it in his arms (он бросился вперед и схватил его на руки), when, to his horror (когда, к его ужасу), the head slipped off and rolled on the floor (голова отвалилась: «соскользнула» и покатилась по полу; to slip – скользить), the body assumed a recumbent posture (тело приняло лежачее положение), and he found himself clasping a white dimity bed-curtain (и он обнаружил, что держит белое хлопчатобумажное покрывало: «нашел себя держащим…»; to clasp – сдавливать, сжимать, крепко схватить), with a sweeping-brush, a kitchen cleaver, and a hollow turnip lying at his feet (а у его ног лежат метла, большой кухонный нож и полая репа; to sweep – мести; brush – щетка)!