Энтони Хоуп - Английский язык с Энтони Хоупом. Узник Зенды / Anthony Hope. The Prisoner Of Zenda

If it were a three-cornered fight, I might yet bear my part (если бы бой вели /все/ три стороны, то я мог бы тоже поучаствовать; three-corner fight – борьба с участием трех сторон; to bear a part – принимать участие ). I turned the key in the door and looked out (я повернул ключ в двери и выглянул наружу).

What was the sound? Again a strange one for the place and time. An easy, scornful, merry laugh – the laugh of young Rupert Hentzau! I could scarcely believe that a sane man would laugh. Yet the laugh told me that my men had not come; for they must have shot Rupert ere now, if they had come. And the clock struck half past two! My God! The door had not been opened! They had gone to the bank! They had not found me! They had gone by now back to Tarlenheim, with the news of the King’s death – and mine. Well, it would be true before they got there. Was not Rupert laughing in triumph?

For a moment, I sank, unnerved, against the door. Then I started up alert again, for Rupert cried scornfully:

“Well, the bridge is there! Come over it! And in God’s name, let’s see Black Michael. Keep back, you curs! Michael, come and fight for her!”

If it were a three-cornered fight, I might yet bear my part. I turned the key in the door and looked out.

For a moment I could see nothing, for the glare of lanterns and torches (с минуту я ничего не мог разглядеть, потому что яркий свет фонарей и факелов) caught me full in the eyes from the other side of the bridge (бил мне прямо в глаза с той стороны моста; to catch – поймать, схватить; попасть, ударить ). But soon the scene grew clear: and it was a strange scene (но потом картина прояснилась: и она была /довольно/ странной; scene – место / действия, происшествия /). The bridge was in its place (мост был на своем месте). At the far end of it stood a group of the duke’s servants (на другом: «дальнем» его конце стояла кучка: «группа» слуг герцога); two or three carried the lights which had dazzled me (двое или трое держали факелы, которые и ослепили меня), three or four held pikes in rest (трое или четверо неподвижно держали пики; rest – покой, отдых; неподвижность ). They were huddled together; their weapons were protruded before them (они сгрудились в кучу, выставив перед собой оружие; to protrude – высовываться, торчать ); their faces were pale and agitated (лица их были бледны и взволнованы). To put it plainly, they looked in as arrant a fright as I have seen men look (иными словами, они выглядели такими испуганными, какими я /когда-либо/ видел людей; arrant – настоящий, сущий ), and they gazed apprehensively at a man (и они со страхом смотрели на человека; apprehensive – испытывающий тревогу, опасения ) who stood in the middle of the bridge, sword in hand (который стоял на середине моста с мечом в руке). Rupert Hentzau was in his trousers and shirt (Руперт Хенцо был в брюках и рубашке); the white linen was stained with blood (белое полотно /которой/ было запятнано кровью), but his easy, buoyant pose told me (но его непринужденная, исполненная энергии поза подсказала мне; buoyant – плавучий, способный держаться на поверхности; бодрый, энергичный ) that he was himself either not touched at all or merely scratched (что сам он не только не был ранен, но и не имел даже царапины; to touch – касаться, трогать; ранить, задеть; merely – только, просто; to scratch – царапать ).

For a moment I could see nothing, for the glare of lanterns and torches caught me full in the eyes from the other side of the bridge. But soon the scene grew clear: and it was a strange scene. The bridge was in its place. At the far end of it stood a group of the duke’s servants; two or three carried the lights which had dazzled me, three or four held pikes in rest. They were huddled together; their weapons were protruded before them; their faces were pale and agitated. To put it plainly, they looked in as arrant a fright as I have seen men look, and they gazed apprehensively at a man who stood in the middle of the bridge, sword in hand. Rupert Hentzau was in his trousers and shirt; the white linen was stained with blood, but his easy, buoyant pose told me that he was himself either not touched at all or merely scratched.

There he stood, holding the bridge against them, and daring them to come on (он стоял там, удерживая от них мост, и вызывал их на бой: «вызывал их подойти»; to dare – сметь, отваживаться; вызывать / кого-л. на что-л. /); or, rather, bidding them send Black Michael to him (или, вернее, уговаривал их прислать к нему Черного Михаэля); and they, having no firearms, cowered before the desperate man and dared not attack him (а они, не имея огнестрельного оружия, робели перед отчаянным парнем и не отваживались напасть на него; to cower – сжиматься, съеживаться / от холода, страха /). They whispered to one another (они перешептывались друг с другом); and in the backmost rank, I saw my friend Johann (и в заднем ряду я увидел своего приятеля Иоганна; backmost – самый задний; rank – звание, чин; ряд, линия ), leaning against the portal of the door and stanching with a handkerchief the blood (который прислонился к дверному косяку и при помощи носового платка останавливал кровь; portal – главный вход, портал ) which flowed from a wound in his cheek (которая текла из раны у него на щеке).

By marvellous chance, I was master (по счастливой случайности я стал хозяином /положения/; marvellous – изумительный, чудесный ). The cravens would oppose me no more than they dared attack Rupert (эти трусы противостояли бы мне не больше, чем они отваживались напасть на Руперта). I had but to raise my revolver (мне нужно было только поднять револьвер), and I sent him to his account with his sins on his head (и я отправил бы его на тот свет со всеми его грехами: «и я отослал бы его к счету с грехами на его голове»; to go to one’s account – умереть, свести счеты с жизнью ). He did not so much as know that I was there (он даже не знал, что я там; so much as – хотя бы; даже ). I did nothing – why, I hardly know to this day (я не сделал ничего – почему, я не знаю по сей день). I had killed one man stealthily that night (одного человека той ночью я убил исподтишка), and another by luck rather than skill – perhaps it was that (а другого – скорее благодаря везению, чем /своей/ ловкости, – возможно, поэтому).