At the close there was silence again (когда священник закончил, снова наступила тишина; close – зд.: завершение, окончание).

 Then again the telephone bell rang. This time the chaplain needed no prompting. He went to it at once and the ringing ceased. For a while he listened in silence.

‘Charles Linkworth,’ he said at length, ‘in the sight of God, in whose presence you stand, are you truly sorry for your sin?’

Some answer inaudible to the doctor came, and the chaplain closed his eyes. And Dr Teesdale knelt as he heard the words of the Absolution.

At the close there was silence again.

‘I can hear nothing more,’ said the chaplain, replacing the receiver (больше я ничего не слышу, – сказал священник, положив трубку; to replace – класть на место).

Presently the doctor’s man-servant came in with the tray of spirits and siphon (вскоре появился слуга с подносом, на котором стояли спиртные напитки и сифон; man-servant – слуга мужского пола). Dr Teesdale pointed without looking to where the apparition had been (доктор Тисдейл не глядя указал на то место, где было привидение).

‘Take the rope that is there and burn it, Parker (возьмите веревку, что лежит там, и сожгите ее, Паркер),’ he said.

There was a moment’s silence (последовала краткая пауза; moment – миг, минута, момент; silence – тишина, безмолвие).

‘There is no rope, sir (тут нет никакой веревки, сэр),’ said Parker.

 ‘I can hear nothing more,’ said the chaplain, replacing the receiver.

Presently the doctor’s man-servant came in with the tray of spirits and syphon. Dr Teesdale pointed without looking to where the apparition had been.

‘Take the rope that is there and burn it, Parker,’ he said.

There was a moment’s silence.

‘There is no rope, sir,’ said Parker.