He stood there, for some half minute or so, waiting for it to be renewed (он постоял там с полминуты или около того, ожидая услышать еще что-то: «ожидая, что он возобновится»), but beyond the usual chuckling and croaking (но кроме обычного шипения и треска; to chuckle – кудахтать; крякать; гоготать; to croak – каркать; квакать), which showed, however, that he was in communication with some other instrument, there was silence (которое однако показывало, что была установлена связь с другим аппаратом, в трубке: «там» была тишина). Then he replaced the receiver, rang up the Exchange, and gave his number (тогда он положил трубку, позвонил на коммутатор и назвал: «дал» свой номер; to replace – класть на место; exchange – обмен; коммутатор, центральная телефонная станция).

 His meditations, which were beginning to group themselves into definite sequence, were interrupted at this moment. On his desk near at hand stood his telephone, and the bell rang, not with its usual metallic insistence, but very faintly, as if the current was weak, or the mechanism impaired. However, it certainly was ringing, and he got up and took the combined ear and mouthpiece off its hook.

‘Yes, yes,’ he said, ‘who is it?’

There was a whisper in reply almost inaudible, and quite unintelligible.

‘I can’t hear you,’ he said.

Again the whisper sounded, but with no greater distinctness. Then it ceased altogether.

He stood there, for some half minute or so, waiting for it to be renewed, but beyond the usual chuckling and croaking, which showed, however, that he was in communication with some other instrument, there was silence. Then he replaced the receiver, rang up the Exchange, and gave his number.

‘Can you tell me what number rang me up just now?’ he asked (вы можете мне сказать, с какого номера мне только что звонили? – спросил он).

There was a short pause, then it was given him (последовала короткая пауза, затем ему назвали номер: «затем он был дан ему»). It was the number of the prison, where he was doctor (это был номер той тюрьмы, где он работал доктором).

‘Put me on to it, please (соедините меня, пожалуйста),’ he said.

This was done (это было сделано).

‘You rang me up just now,’ he said down the tube (вы мне только что звонили, – сказал он в трубку). ‘Yes; I am Doctor Teesdale (да, я доктор Тисдейл). What is it (что)? I could not hear what you said (я не расслышал, что вы сказали).’

The voice came back quite clear and intelligible (голос зазвучал опять, совершенно ясный и разборчивый).

‘Some mistake, sir,’ it said (какая-то ошибка, сэр, – сказал он). ‘We haven’t rang you up (мы вам не звонили).’

‘But the Exchange tells me you did, three minutes ago (но на коммутаторе мне сказали, что звонили, три минуты назад).’

‘Mistake at the Exchange, sir,’ said the voice (ошибка на коммутаторе, сэр, – сказал голос).

‘Very odd (очень странно). Well, good night (ну, спокойной ночи). Warder Draycott, isn’t it (надзиратель Дрэйкот, не так ли; warder – привратник; тюремный надзиратель; тюремщик)?’

‘Yes, sir; good night, sir (да, сэр; спокойной ночи, сэр).’

 ‘Can you tell me what number rang me up just now?’ he asked.

There was a short pause, then it was given him. It was the number of the prison, where he was doctor.

‘Put me on to it, please,’ he said.

This was done.

‘You rang me up just now,’ he said down the tube. ‘Yes; I am Doctor Teesdale. What is it? I could not hear what you said.’

The voice came back quite clear and intelligible.

‘Some mistake, sir,’ it said. ‘We haven’t rang you up.’

‘But the Exchange tells me you did, three minutes ago.’

‘Mistake at the Exchange, sir,’ said the voice.

‘Very odd. Well, good night. Warder Draycott, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, sir; good night, sir.’

Dr Teesdale went back to his big arm-chair, still less inclined to read (доктор Тисдейл вернулся в свое большое кресло, еще менее расположенный читать). He let his thoughts wander on for a while (он позволил своим мыслям блуждать какое-то время), without giving them definite direction (не пытаясь направить их в определенное русло: «не давая им определенного направления»), but ever and again his mind kept coming back to that strange little incident of the telephone (но они все время снова возвращались к этому странному маленькому инциденту с телефоном; mind – ум, разум; to keep – зд.: продолжать делать). Often and often he had been rung up by some mistake (довольно часто ему звонили по ошибке; often and often – весьма часто, зачастую; to ring), often and often he had been put on to the wrong number by the Exchange (довольно часто его соединяли не с тем номером на коммутаторе), but there was something in this very subdued ringing of the telephone bell (но было что-то в этом очень /уж/ приглушенном звонке: «звоне телефонного звонка»), and the unintelligible whisperings at the other end that suggested a very curious train of reflection to his mind (и неразборчивом шепоте на другом конце /линии/, что наводило его мысли на довольно любопытные размышления: «что подсказывало очень любопытный ход размышлений его уму»; train – ход /мыслей и т. п./; to train – тянуть, тащить), and soon he found himself pacing up and down his room (и вскоре он заметил, что он меряет шагами комнату; to pace – шагать; расхаживать; up and down – вверх и вниз; взад и вперед; туда и сюда), with his thoughts eagerly feeding on a most unusual pasture (а мысли его активно пасутся на крайне любопытном пастбище; to feed – кормить; пастись; unusual – необычный).

‘But it’s impossible,’ he said, aloud (но это невозможно, – сказал он вслух).

 Dr Teesdale went back to his big arm-chair, still less inclined to read. He let his thoughts wander on for a while, without giving them definite direction, but ever and again his mind kept coming back to that strange little incident of the telephone. Often and often he had been rung up by some mistake, often and often he had been put on to the wrong number by the Exchange, but there was something in this very subdued ringing of the telephone bell, and the unintelligible whisperings at the other end that suggested a very curious train of reflection to his mind, and soon he found himself pacing up and down his room, with his thoughts eagerly feeding on a most unusual pasture.

‘But it’s impossible,’ he said, aloud.