Historia Qwerty'ego została przetłumaczona na angielski. Ta ostatnia wersja brzmi nieco inaczej niż polska, nie tylko ze względu na język, ale także posiada fragmenty, których oryginalna książka jeszcze nie zawiera. Dla tych, którzy angielski znają lub się go uczą i lubią czytać angielskie teksty, poniżej zamieszczam scenę, która otwiera angielską serię przygód Qwerty'ego Seymore'a. Oto spotkanie Collarda z Johnem - tuż przed śmiercią Matthew Seymore'a. Poziom tekstu: zaawansowany. Dla wygody czytelnika zamieszczam krótki słowniczek pod kolejnymi akapitami.
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| Po lewej - John White (rys.: Grzegorz Like) |
Prologue
*
There was something a little odd about the man sitting behind the desk. He was perfect; too perfect, in fact: grey suit without a single wrinkle, pale-pink shirt and a silvery tie made him look like he’d just left a tailor’s office. His straight teeth were appropriately white and his tanned, handsome face wore a neutral expression, bordering on a polite smile.
odd - dziwny, osobliwy
wrinkle - zmarszczka
tailor - krawiec
polite - grzeczny, uprzejmy
The latter appeared as soon as a tall, white-haired man entered the room. This one was almost an opposite of the other: dressed in a thick, brown, leather jacket, jeans and with a trace of stubble on his cheeks, he looked like a soldier about to engage in a fight with a grizzly.
trace - ślad
stubble - zarost
cheeks - policzki
about to engage in a fight - zamierzający wziąć udział w walce/zamierzający walczyć
‘Collard,’ he said in a decisive tone, nodding to his superior.
‘John. Have a seat, please,’ answered the man pointing at an empty chair opposite his desk.
The newcomer did as he was told, with a firm expression. He was not here to exchange polite remarks. Clearly, he had an agenda.
‘What can I do for you, John?’ Collard asked, flashing his teeth like it was a toothpaste commercial.
‘Matthew Seymore is dying,’ said John grimly.
to nod - kiwać głową, kłaniać się
remarks - uwagi
grimly - ponuro
‘I know. Sadly, he is,’ replied the man, his grin now replaced with a more serious mask, with just a hint of sadness and regret on it, like someone threw a pinch of salt into the sauce, to make it just right.
hint - aluzja, napomknięcie; tu: sugestia, ślad
pinch of salt - szczypta soli
‘He’s got days left. Maybe hours.’
‘Is that so,’ answered Collard, with no question mark at the end. It was obvious he was well informed of the catastrophic state of Matthew Seymore’s health.
‘Yes. And the boy…,’ John sighed and paused, looking to the side.
‘I hear Matthew’s made arrangements for him to stay with his sister, Adela. Isn’t that right?’ Collard offered.
‘Yes. That’s why I’m here.’
This time Collard seemed slightly disconcerted. It could’ve been genuine.
disconcerted - zakłopotany, zażenowany, niespokojny
genuine - prawdziwy
‘I’ve guessed, John. I know what you’re going to ask. I can’t do it.’
‘He must be protected,’ said John heatedly. ‘That was the deal…’
‘And he is. I respect the deal, you know that.’
‘It’s not enough, Collard. There should be a dedicated team. They should be there twenty-four-seven, and the security around him and his relatives’ house should be tightened. Collard, please, you know this is necessary…,’ if John’s voice could be pleading, it would be now.
twenty-four-seven - 24 godziny na dobę
relatives - krewni
necessary - konnieczny
pleading - tu: błagalny
‘John, there is no reason for it,’ stated Collard, turning a silver pen in his fingers. His nails were smooth and shaped into flawless half-moon arches. The man didn’t seem to get his hands dirty, ever. ‘The old bastard is playing it low, and has been for years –’
‘He’ll strike soon,’ John cut into the sentence, speaking with so much conviction that even fire would extinguish itself if he asked. But Collard was not swayed that easily.
bastard - drań
flawless - idealny
to play it low - nie przyciągać do siebie uwagi
extinguish - ugasić
‘We don’t know that.’
‘Don’t we?’ John asked bitterly. ‘That is exactly what I would do. What any of us would do. With Matt gone… He’s free to do whatever he likes. And the old Hill woman lives down the road. She’s just as bad. They’re watching him, the same way we are. And I don’t know what they’ll do to him…,’ John stopped again and rubbed his temple.
bitterly - gorzko
to live down the road - mieszkać niedaleko, na tej samej ulicy
to rub - pocierać
temple - skroń
‘John, I’d like to help, but I can’t. I can’t spare the whole team just to keep watch on a house on the suburbs of Poole. I have MI6 on my back. Prime Minister is chasing me. Hell, even the Queen requested the third audience this year. There are more pressing matters, and you are aware of that, too. Qwerty Seymore is not the only case on our agenda…,’ Collard sighed deeply this time, putting the pen firmly on the desk. The gesture suggested this was it.
John was not giving up, though.
‘At least keep someone on watch. Twenty-four hours. Someone should follow him, too…’
Collard looked at his visitor for a moment and finally nodded. He knew enough about John White to realise he wouldn’t leave this office without at least some of his demands being met.
suburbs - przedmieścia
to chase - gonić, ścigać, tu: chcieć czegoś pilnie
to request - żądać, prosić
pressing matters - pilne sprawy
to sigh - wzdychać
gesture - gest
to follow somebody - podążać za kimś, śledzić kogoś
‘Fine. Adela Gibble’s house will be watched twenty-four hours, seven days a week. I’ll assign a few people to take shifts. At the moment I can’t spare anyone to follow the boy. But –,’ Collard added quickly, as John was already opening his mouth to protest. ‘You’re more than welcomed to do it yourself. You’ll be on call, but I’ll cut your office hours. You won’t train anymore, either, I’ll transfer your groups to Anderson. Oh, and I’m calling your friends in…’
to assign - przypisać, wyznaczyć
shift - zmiana (w pracy)
you are welcomed - tu: jak najbardziej możesz (coś zrobić)
‘You can’t –,’ started John, this time moving uncomfortably in a chair, but Collard raised a hand calmingly.
‘Don’t worry, they will not be joining Brentwood,’ said Collard evenly. ‘But they will be looking after the boy. It’s a perfect arrangement, and no one will realise, including our young friend. This should more or less cover it, at least for now. Don’t you think?’
‘Fine,’ agreed John sourly.
‘OK,’ another polite smile appeared on Collard’s lips. ‘And if there is a sign things are going wrong, we’ll act, I promise,’ added the man, evidently meaning to reassure his companion. With little success. ‘Now… Any news of Lex?’
‘Yes. I got a message just twenty minutes ago,’ replied John.
‘And yet you brought up the Seymore case first. Amazing. So?’ Collard grabbed his silver pen once more, tapping it twice against the sleek surface.
to grab - złapać
to tap - stukać
sleek - gładki
‘He’s been seen in Italy again,’ stated John, ignoring the last remark.
‘How many casualties?’
‘None this time. But another priceless collection is gone. They didn’t see it coming. No one knows how he does it… No clues left, nothing.’
‘Indeed,’ said Collard with no surprise. ‘And it’s just a matter of time before he comes to us…’
John confirmed wordlessly, now looking worried.
‘Do we know who he was working for this time?’
‘Private collector, most likely. The Italians have at least ten suspects, but the truth is they’re in the dark, like everybody else...’
casualties - ofiary
priceless - bezcenny
clues - wskazówki, poszlaki
wordlessly - bez słów, w milczeniu
a suspect - podejrzany
to be in the dark - nie wiedzieć nic
‘Indeed,’ repeated Collard. ‘Shame. Did they request any further support?’
‘Not officially. They don’t want to look stupid, of course, but they’re forced to cooperate. We need to catch him; sooner or later everyone makes mistakes…’
to be forced to do sth - być zmuszonym do zrobienia czegoś
to catch - złapać
‘Yes,’ said Collard, glancing at John meaningfully. ‘Indeed,’ he repeated for the third time.
John almost rolled his eyes, but in the end nodded instead, saying nothing.
‘Well, I’ll deal with Durante, and see what I can do,’ said Collard, now almost cheerfully, with a positive attitude, which seemed to be – annoyingly – his usual one. ‘Anything else, John?’
‘No, nothing.’
‘Good. When can I expect your report?’
‘I’ll send it in an hour.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Collard, grabbing his pen tighter and reaching for a pile of papers that he produced from his desk’s drawer. The conversation was over. ‘I’ll see you soon, my friend.’
‘Thanks, Collard. Yeah, see you soon,’ said John and stood up, leaving the room with a curt nod.
to repeat - powtarzać
to roll one's eyes - przewracać oczami
cheerfully - wesoło
positive attitude - pozytywny stosunek do czegoś
a pile - stos
a drawer - szuflada
curt nod - tu: krótkie skinienie głowy
When the door closed, Collard looked after him for a few seconds and then turned in his chair. There was a panoramic window in his office, and behind it there was mostly forest and an emerging mist, starting to roll out slowly over the hills. Far in the distance, on the field, there was something else, a flash, as if a suggestion of explosion. Collard rubbed his perfectly shaved chin – an undeniable sign that he was thinking hard of something that posed a certain difficulty to him – and then went back to work.
mist - mgła
to roll out - roztaczać się, rozwijać
a flash - błysk
explosion - eksplozja
chin - podbródek
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