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

The whole journey was made without an adventure of importance. But it ended with one. About ten o'clock on the night of the night of the 19th of February, they stepped upon London Bridge, in the midst of a writhing, struggling jam of howling and hurrahing people, whose beer-jolly faces stood out strongly in the glare from manifold torches — and at that instant the decaying head of some former duke or other grandee tumbled down between them, striking Hendon on the elbow and then bounding off among the hurrying confusion of feet. So evanescent and unstable are men's works in this world! — the late good king is but three weeks dead and three days in his grave, and already the adornments which he took such pains to select from prominent people for his noble bridge are falling. A citizen stumbled over that head, and drove his own head into the back of somebody in front of him, who turned and knocked down the first person that came handy, and was promptly laid out himself by that person's friend. It was the right ripe time for a free fight, for the festivities of the morrow — Coronation Day — were already beginning; everybody was full of strong drink and patriotism; within five minutes the free fight was occupying a good deal of ground; within ten or twelve it covered an acre or so, and was become a riot. By this time Hendon and the king were hopelessly separated from each other and lost in the rush and turmoil of the roaring masses of humanity. And so we leave them.

CHAPTER XXX (Глава тридцатая)

Tom's Progress (Успехи Тома)

WHILST the true king wandered about the land (пока настоящий король бродил по стране), poorly clad (плохо одетый), poorly fed (плохо накормленный; to feed — кормить), cuffed and derided by tramps (избиваемый и осмеиваемый бродягами) one while (в одно время), herding with thieves and murderers in a jail (сидящий с ворами и убийцами в тюрьме; to herd — ходить стадом) another (в другое /время/), and called idiot and impostor (и называемый идиотом и самозванцем) by all impartially (всеми беспристрастно), the mock King Tom Canty (поддельный король Том Кэнти) enjoyed a quite different experience (наслаждался совершенно иным опытом).

When we saw him last (когда мы видели его в последний раз; to see — видеть), royalty (королевское положение) was just beginning (как раз начинало) to have a bright side for him (иметь яркую сторону для него = радовать его). This bright side went on brightening (эта яркая сторона продолжала становиться ярче; to go on — продолжать: «идти дальше»; to brighten — становиться ярче) more and more every day (больше и больше каждый день); in a very little while (за очень маленькое время) it was become almost all sunshine and delightfulness (она стала почти вся солнечный свет и радость). He lost his fears (он потерял свои страхи; to lose — терять); his misgivings faded out and died (его опасения угасли и умерли); his embarrassments departed (его затруднения ушли), and gave place to an easy and confident bearing (и дали место легкой и уверенной манере держать себя). He worked the whipping-boy mine (он выработал шахту мальчика для битья = он получил всевозможные сведения от него) to ever-increasing profit (к /своей/ постоянно увеличивающейся выгоде; ever — все время; to increase — увеличиваться).