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

Soon I entered the forest, and walked on for an hour or more in its cool sombre shade. The great trees enlaced with one another over my head, and the sunshine stole through in patches as bright as diamonds, and hardly bigger. I was enchanted with the place, and, finding a felled tree-trunk, propped my back against it, and stretching my legs out gave myself up to undisturbed contemplation of the solemn beauty of the woods and to the comfort of a good cigar. And when the cigar was finished and I had (I suppose) inhaled as much beauty as I could, I went off into the most delightful sleep, regardless of my train to Strelsau and of the fast-waning afternoon. To remember a train in such a spot would have been rank sacrilege. Instead of that, I fell to dreaming that I was married to the Princess Flavia and dwelt in the Castle of Zenda, and beguiled whole days with my love in the glades of the forest – which made a very pleasant dream. In fact, I was just impressing a fervent kiss on the charming lips of the princess, when I heard (and the voice seemed at first a part of the dream) someone exclaim, in rough strident tones.

“Why, the devil’s in it! Shave him, and he’d be the King (ба! что за черт! побрить его, и он был бы /вылитый/ король)!”

The idea seemed whimsical enough for a dream (эта идея казалась достаточно причудливой для сна; whim – каприз, причуда): by the sacrifice of my heavy moustache and carefully pointed imperial (пожертвовав своими шикарными усами и заботливо подстригаемой: «заостряемой» эспаньолкой; heavy – тяжелый; обильный, буйный /о растительности/; imperial – эспаньолка /узкая остроконечная бородка/), I was to be transformed into a monarch (я должен был преобразиться в монарха; to transform – превращаться, изменяться; преображаться)! I was about to kiss the princess again (я снова собирался поцеловать принцессу; about – вокруг; около, близ; to be about to do smth. – собираться что-л. сделать), when I arrived (very reluctantly) at the conclusion (когда пришел (очень неохотно) к выводу; to arrive – прибывать, приезжать; приходить /к чему-л./) that I was awake (что /уже/ не сплю; awake – бодрствующий).