Rapidly I walked down to the bridge. Sapt and Fritz were waiting for me. Under their directions I changed my dress, and muffling my face, as I had done more than once before, I mounted with them at the door of the Castle, and we three rode through the night and on to the breaking day, and found ourselves at a little roadside station just over the border of Ruritania. The train was not quite due, and I walked with them in a meadow by a little brook while we waited for it. They promised to send me all news; they overwhelmed me with kindness – even old Sapt was touched to gentleness, while Fritz was half unmanned. I listened in a kind of dream to all they said. “Rudolf! Rudolf! Rudolf!” still rang in my ears – a burden of sorrow and of love. At last they saw that I could not heed them, and we walked up and down in silence, till Fritz touched me on the arm, and I saw, a mile or more away, the blue smoke of the train. Then I held out a hand to each of them.
“We are all but half-men this morning,” said I, smiling (этим утром нам всем немного не хватает мужественности, – сказал я, улыбнувшись; half – наполовину, полу-; man – человек; мужчина; мужественный человек). “But we have been men, eh, Sapt and Fritz, old friends (но мы остались мужчинами, а, Сэпт и Фриц, старые друзья)? We have run a good course between us (мы неплохо поладили между собой; course – курс, направление; линия поведения, действия).”
“We have defeated traitors and set the King firm on his throne (мы расстроили планы предателей и прочно усадили короля на трон),” said Sapt.
Then Fritz von Tarlenheim suddenly, before I could discern his purpose or stay him (тут Фриц фон Тарленхайм, прежде чем я смог догадаться о его намерениях или остановить его; to discern – разглядеть, различить; понять, разгадать), uncovered his head and bent as he used to do, and kissed my hand (обнажив голову, поклонился, как он делал это раньше, и поцеловал мне руку; use to do smth. – иметь в прошлом обыкновение делать что-л.); and as I snatched it away, he said, trying to laugh (а когда я ее отдернул, он сказал, пытаясь пошутить: «рассмеяться»; to snatch – хватать; выхватывать):
“Heaven doesn’t always make the right men kings (небеса не всегда делают достойных людей королями; right – верный, правильный; подходящий, именно тот, который нужен)!”
Old Sapt twisted his mouth as he wrung my hand (рот старика Сэпта скривился, когда он пожимал мне руку; to wring – скручивать; to wring smb.’s hand – крепко сжать, пожать кому-л. руку).
“The devil has his share in most things (в большинстве случаев дьявол играет свою роль: «имеет свою долю»),” said he.
The people at the station looked curiously at the tall man with the muffled face (люди на станции смотрели с любопытством на высокого мужчину с замотанным лицом = на высокого мужчину, скрывавшего свое лицо), but we took no notice of their glances (но мы не обращали внимания на их взгляды). I stood with my two friends and waited till the train came up to us (я стоял с двумя моими друзьями, ожидая, когда поезд подойдет: «подойдет к нам»). Then we shook hands again, saying nothing (потом мы снова пожали руки, не говоря ни слова); and both this time – and, indeed, from old Sapt it seemed strange – bared their heads (и на этот раз оба – в самом деле, со /стороны/ старика Сэпта это казалось странным – обнажили головы), and so stood still till the train bore me away from their sight (и стояли так, пока поезд со мной не скрылся из виду: «пока поезд не унес меня прочь от их глаз»; to bear; sight – зрение; поле зрения).
“We are all but half-men this morning,” said I, smiling. “But we have been men, eh, Sapt and Fritz, old friends? We have run a good course between us.”
“We have defeated traitors and set the King firm on his throne,” said Sapt.
Then Fritz von Tarlenheim suddenly, before I could discern his purpose or stay him, uncovered his head and bent as he used to do, and kissed my hand; and as I snatched it away, he said, trying to laugh:
“Heaven doesn’t always make the right men kings!”
Old Sapt twisted his mouth as he wrung my hand.
“The devil has his share in most things,” said he.
The people at the station looked curiously at the tall man with the muffled face, but we took no notice of their glances. I stood with my two friends and waited till the train came up to us. Then we shook hands again, saying nothing; and both this time – and, indeed, from old Sapt it seemed strange – bared their heads, and so stood still till the train bore me away from their sight.