Английский язык с Марком Твеном. Принц и нищий / Mark Twain. The Prince and the Pauper

The next moment Hendon sprang to the ground before the great door, helped the king down, then took him by the hand and rushed within. A few steps brought him to a spacious apartment; he entered, seated the king with more hurry than ceremony, then ran toward a young man who sat at a writing-table in front of a generous fire of logs.

'Embrace me, Hugh,' he cried, 'and say thou'rt glad I am come again! and call our father, for home is not home till I shall touch his hand, and see his face, and hear his voice once more!'

But Hugh only drew back, after betraying a momentary surprise, and bent a grave stare upon the intruder — a stare which indicated somewhat of offended dignity at first, then changed, in response to some inward thought or purpose, to an expression of marveling curiosity, mixed with a real or assumed compassion. Presently he said, in a mild voice:

'Thy wits seem touched, poor stranger; doubtless thou hast suffered privations and rude buffetings at the world's hands; thy looks and dress betoken it. Whom dost thou take me to be?'

'Take thee? Prithee, for whom else than whom thou art? I take thee to be Hugh Hendon,' said Miles, sharply.

The other continued, in the same soft tone:

'And whom dost thou imagine thyself to be?'

'Imagination hath naught to do with it! Dost thou pretend thou knowest me not for thy brother Miles Hendon?'

An expression of pleased surprise flitted across Hugh's face, and he exclaimed:

'What! thou art not jesting! can the dead come to life? God be praised if it be so! Our poor lost boy restored to our arms after all these cruel years! Ah, it seems too good to be true, it is too good to be true — I charge thee, have pity, do not trifle with me! Quick — come to the light — let me scan thee well!'

He seized Miles by the arm, dragged him to the window, and began to devour him from head to foot with his eyes, turning him this way and that, and stepping briskly around him and about him to prove him from all points of view; whilst the returned prodigal, all aglow with gladness, smiled, laughed, and kept nodding his head and saying:

'Go on, brother, go on, and fear not; thou'lt find nor limb nor feature that cannot bide the test. Scour and scan me to thy content, my dear old Hugh — I am indeed thy old Miles, thy same old Miles, thy lost brother, is't not so? Ah, 'tis a great day — I said 'twas a great day! Give me thy hand, give me thy cheek — lord, I am like to die of very joy!'