Well then – and I must premise that I am going, perforce, to rake up the very scandal which my dear Lady Burlesdon wishes forgotten – in the year 1733, George II sitting then on the throne, peace reigning for the moment, and the King and the Prince of Wales being not yet at loggerheads, there came on a visit to the English Court a certain prince, who was afterwards known to history as Rudolf the Third of Ruritania. The prince was a tall, handsome young fellow, marked (maybe marred, it is not for me to say) by a somewhat unusually long, sharp and straight nose, and a mass of dark-red hair – in fact, the nose and the hair which have stamped the Elphbergs time out of mind. He stayed some months in England, where he was most courteously received; yet, in the end, he left rather under a cloud.
For he fought a duel (поскольку он дрался на дуэли; to fight) (it was considered highly well bred of him to waive all question of his rank) with a nobleman ((с его стороны считалось весьма благородным не обращать внимания на свой высокий титул: «отказаться от всех вопросов о своем ранге») с одним дворянином); well bred – воспитанный; чистокровный, благородный; rank – звание, ранг; высокое социальное положение), well known in the society of the day (/который был/ хорошо известен в то время в обществе), not only for his own merits (не только за свои собственные заслуги), but as the husband of a very beautiful wife (но и как муж очень красивой женщины; wife – жена, супруга). In that duel Prince Rudolf received a severe wound (на этой дуэли принц Рудольф получил серьезную рану; severe – строгий, суровый; тяжелый, серьезный /о болезни, утрате и т. п./), and, recovering therefrom, was adroitly smuggled off by the Ruritanian ambassador (и оправляясь от нее, был ловко вывезен /из страны/ руританским послом; to recover – выздоравливать, оправляться от болезни; therefrom – оттуда, из этого; to smuggle – провозить контрабандой), who had found him a pretty handful (который нашел его довольно хлопотным /попутчиком/; handful – пригоршня, горсть; кто-л. или что-л., доставляющие много хлопот). The nobleman was not wounded in the duel (тот дворянин не был ранен на этой дуэли); but the morning being raw and damp on the occasion of the meeting (но /так как/ утро, когда они встретились, было сырым и промозглым; on the occasion – по случаю, по поводу /какого-л. события/; meeting – встреча), he contracted a severe chill (он подхватил сильную простуду; to contract – приобретать, получать; подхватывать /болезнь/; severe – строгий, суровый; тяжелый, серьезный /о болезни, утрате и т. п./; chill – холод; простуда, озноб), and, failing to throw it off, he died some six months after the departure of Prince Rudolf (и, не в силах от нее избавиться, умер месяцев через шесть после отъезда принца Рудольфа; to fail – потерпеть неудачу; to throw off – отбрасывать, снимать; отделываться, избавляться), without having found leisure to adjust his relations with his wife (так и не найдя времени уладить отношения со своей женой; leisure – досуг; свободное время; adjust – приводить в порядок; улаживать) – who, after another two months, bore an heir to the title and estates of the family of Burlesdon (которая спустя еще два месяца родила наследника титула и поместий рода Берлисдон; to bear – нести, носить; рождать, производить на свет).
For he fought a duel (it was considered highly well bred of him to waive all question of his rank) with a nobleman, well known in the society of the day, not only for his own merits, but as the husband of a very beautiful wife. In that duel Prince Rudolf received a severe wound, and, recovering therefrom, was adroitly smuggled off by the Ruritanian ambassador, who had found him a pretty handful. The nobleman was not wounded in the duel; but the morning being raw and damp on the occasion of the meeting, he contracted a severe chill, and, failing to throw it off, he died some six months after the departure of Prince Rudolf, without having found leisure to adjust his relations with his wife – who, after another two months, bore an heir to the title and estates of the family of Burlesdon.
This lady