The Great Gatsby | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

The Great Gatsby | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

I
Inmyyounger
et
and
morevulnerableyearsmy
père
father
gavemesomeadvice
que
that
I’vebeenturningoverinmymindever
depuis
since
.
“Wheneveryoufeellikecriticizinganyone,”he
dit
told
me,“justrememberthat
toutes
all
thepeopleinthis
monde
world
haven’thadtheadvantages
que
that
you’vehad.”
Hedidn’t
dire
say
anymore,butwe’ve
toujours
always
beenunusuallycommunicativeinareserved
manière
way
,andIunderstoodthathemeantagreatdeal
plus
more
thanthat.
Inconsequence,I’minclinedtoreserve
tous
all
judgements,ahabitthathas
ouvert
opened
upmanycuriousnaturestome
et
and
alsomademethevictimofnot
une
a
fewveteranbores.
Theabnormalmindisquicktodetect
et
and
attachitselftothisqualitywhenitappearsinanormal
personne
person
,andsoitcameabout
que
that
incollegeIwasunjustlyaccusedofbeingapolitician,
parce que
because
Iwasprivytothesecretgriefsofwild,unknownmen.
Mostoftheconfidenceswereunsought—frequentlyIhavefeigned
sommeil
sleep
,preoccupation,orahostilelevity
quand
when
Irealizedbysomeunmistakable
signe
sign
thatanintimaterevelationwasquiveringonthehorizon;
fortheintimaterevelationsofyoungmen,
ou
or
atleastthetermsinwhichtheyexpressthem,areusuallyplagiaristic
et
and
marredbyobvioussuppressions.
Reservingjudgementsis
une
a
matterofinfinitehope.
Iamstill
un
a
littleafraidofmissing
quelque chose
something
ifIforgetthat,asmy
père
father
snobbishlysuggested,andIsnobbishlyrepeat,
un
a
senseofthefundamentaldecenciesisparcelledoutunequallyatbirth.
Et
And
,afterboastingthiswayofmytolerance,I
viens
come
totheadmissionthatithas
une
a
limit.
Conductmaybefoundedonthehardrock
ou
or
thewetmarshes,but
après
after
acertainpointIdon’tcarewhatit’sfounded
sur
on
.
WhenIcamebackfrom
le
the
EastlastautumnI
senti
felt
thatIwantedthe
monde
world
tobeinuniform
et
and
atasortofmoralattentionforever;
I
voulais
wanted
nomoreriotousexcursions
avec
with
privilegedglimpsesintothe
humain
human
heart.
OnlyGatsby,themanwho
donne
gives
hisnametothis
livre
book
,wasexemptfrommyreaction—Gatsby,whorepresented
tout
everything
forwhichIhave
un
an
unaffectedscorn.
Ifpersonalityisanunbrokenseriesofsuccessfulgestures,thentherewas
quelque chose
something
gorgeousabouthim,someheightenedsensitivitytothepromisesof
vie
life
,asifhewererelatedtooneof
ces
those
intricatemachinesthatregisterearthquakes
dix
ten
thousandmilesaway.
Thisresponsivenesshad
rien
nothing
todowiththatflabbyimpressionabilitywhichisdignifiedunderthe
nom
name
ofthe“creativetemperament”—itwasanextraordinarygiftforhope,aromanticreadinesssuchasIhave
jamais
never
foundinanyother
personne
person
andwhichitisnotlikelyIshallever
retrouverai
find
again.
No—Gatsbyturnedout
tout
all
rightattheend;
itiswhatpreyedonGatsby,whatfouldustfloatedinthe
sillage
wake
ofhisdreamsthattemporarily
fermé
closed
outmyinterestintheabortivesorrows
et
and
short-windedelationsofmen.
My
famille
family
havebeenprominent,well-to-dopeoplein
cette
this
MiddleWesterncityfor
trois
three
generations.
TheCarrawaysaresomethingofaclan,
et
and
wehaveatraditionthatwe’redescendedfromtheDukesofBuccleuch,
mais
but
theactualfounderofmylinewasmygrandfather’s
frère
brother
,whocamehereinfifty-one,
envoyé
sent
asubstitutetotheCivil
Guerre
War
,andstartedthewholesalehardwarebusinessthatmy
père
father
carriesontoday.
I
jamais
never
sawthisgreat-uncle,butI’msupposedto
ressembler
look
likehim—withspecialreferencetotheratherhard-boiledpainting
qui
that
hangsinfather’soffice.
IgraduatedfromNewHavenin1915,
juste
just
aquarterofacentury
après
after
myfather,anda
peu
little
laterIparticipatedinthatdelayedTeutonicmigrationknownas
le
the
GreatWar.
Ienjoyed
le
the
counter-raidsothoroughlythatIcamebackrestless.
Insteadofbeing
le
the
warmcentreofthe
monde
world
,theMiddleWestnowseemedlike
le
the
raggededgeoftheuniverse—soIdecidedtogoEast
et
and
learnthebondbusiness.
Tout le monde
Everybody
Iknewwasin
le
the
bondbusiness,soIsupposedit
pourrait
could
supportonemoresingle
homme
man
.
Allmyauntsanduncles
parlé
talked
itoverasiftheywerechoosing
une
a
prepschoolforme,
et
and
finallysaid,“Why—ye-es,”with
très
very
grave,hesitantfaces.
Fatheragreedtofinancemefor
un
a
year,andaftervariousdelaysIcameEast,permanently,I
pensais
thought
,inthespringoftwenty-two.
La
The
practicalthingwasto
trouver
find
roomsinthecity,
mais
but
itwasawarmseason,
et
and
Ihadjustlefta
pays
country
ofwidelawnsandfriendlytrees,so
quand
when
ayoungmanat
la
the
officesuggestedthatwe
prenions
take
ahousetogetherinacommutingtown,itsoundedlikeagreat
idée
idea
.
Hefoundthehouse,
un
a
weather-beatencardboardbungalowateighty
un
a
month,butatthe
dernière
last
minutethefirmorderedhimtoWashington,
et
and
Iwentouttothe
campagne
country
alone.
Ihadadog—at
moins
least
Ihadhimfora
quelques
few
daysuntilheranaway—andan
vieux
old
DodgeandaFinnish
femme
woman
,whomademybed
et
and
cookedbreakfastandmutteredFinnishwisdomtoherselfovertheelectricstove.
Itwaslonelyfora
jour
day
orsountilone
matin
morning
someman,morerecentlyarrived
que
than
I,stoppedmeon
la
the
road.
“HowdoyougettoWestEggvillage?”
he
demandé
asked
helplessly.
Itoldhim.
Et
And
asIwalkedonIwaslonelynolonger.
Iwasaguide,apathfinder,anoriginalsettler.
Hehadcasuallyconferredonme
la
the
freedomoftheneighbourhood.
Et
And
sowiththesunshine
et
and
thegreatburstsofleavesgrowingonthetrees,justasthingsgrowinfastmovies,Ihadthatfamiliarconvictionthat
vie
life
wasbeginningoveragain
avec
with
thesummer.
Therewassomuchto
lire
read
,foronething,andsomuchfinehealthtobepulleddownoutofthe
jeune
young
breath-givingair.
Ibought
une
a
dozenvolumesonbanking
et
and
creditandinvestmentsecurities,
et
and
theystoodonmyshelfin
rouge
red
andgoldlikenewmoneyfromthemint,
promettant
promising
tounfoldtheshiningsecrets
que
that
onlyMidasandMorgan
et
and
Maecenasknew.
AndIhadthehighintentionof
lire
reading
manyotherbooksbesides.
Iwasratherliteraryincollege—one
année
year
Iwroteaseriesof
très
very
solemnandobviouseditorialsfortheYaleNews—and
maintenant
now
Iwasgoingto
ramener
bring
backallsuchthingsintomy
vie
life
andbecomeagainthat
plus
most
limitedofallspecialists,the“well-roundedman.”
Ce
This
isn’tjustanepigram—lifeis
beaucoup
much
moresuccessfullylookedatfromasinglewindow,
après
after
all.
Itwasa
question
matter
ofchancethatIshouldhaverenteda
maison
house
inoneofthestrangestcommunitiesinNorthAmerica.
ItwasonthatslenderriotousislandwhichextendsitselfdueeastofNewYork—and
where
thereare,amongothernaturalcuriosities,
deux
two
unusualformationsofland.
Twentymilesfromthe
ville
city
apairofenormouseggs,identicalincontour
et
and
separatedonlybyacourtesybay,jutoutintothe
plus
most
domesticatedbodyofsaltwaterintheWesternhemisphere,thegreatwetbarnyardof
Long
Long
IslandSound.
Theyarenotperfectovals—like
les
the
eggintheColumbusstory,theyare
deux
both
crushedflatatthecontactend—buttheirphysicalresemblance
doit
must
beasourceofperpetualwonderto
les
the
gullsthatflyoverhead.
Tothewingless
un
a
moreinterestingphenomenonistheirdissimilarityin
tous
every
particularexceptshapeandsize.
IlivedatWestEgg,the—well,thelessfashionableofthe
deux
two
,thoughthisisamostsuperficialtagtoexpressthebizarre
et
and
notalittlesinistercontrast
entre
between
them.
Myhousewasattheverytipoftheegg,onlyfiftyyardsfromtheSound,
et
and
squeezedbetweentwohugeplaces
qui
that
rentedfortwelveorfifteenthousandaseason.
Theoneonmy
droite
right
wasacolossalaffairbyanystandard—itwasafactualimitationofsomeHôteldeVilleinNormandy,
avec
with
atoweronone
côté
side
,spankingnewunderathinbeardofrawivy,
et
and
amarbleswimmingpool,
et
and
morethanfortyacresoflawn
et
and
garden.
ItwasGatsby’smansion.
Ou
Or
,rather,asIdidn’t
connaissais
know
Mr.Gatsby,itwas
un
a
mansioninhabitedbyagentlemanofthat
nom
name
.
Myownhousewasaneyesore,
mais
but
itwasasmalleyesore,
et
and
ithadbeenoverlooked,soIhadaviewof
la
the
water,apartialviewofmyneighbour’slawn,
et
and
theconsolingproximityofmillionaires—allforeightydollarsamonth.
AcrossthecourtesybaythewhitepalacesoffashionableEastEggglitteredalongthewater,
et
and
thehistoryofthesummer
vraiment
really
beginsontheeveningIdroveover
là-bas
there
tohavedinnerwiththeTomBuchanans.
Daisywasmy
second
second
cousinonceremoved,andI’d
connu
known
Tomincollege.
And
juste
just
afterthewarIspent
deux
two
dayswiththeminChicago.
Her
mari
husband
,amongvariousphysicalaccomplishments,hadbeenoneof
les
the
mostpowerfulendsthatever
joué
played
footballatNewHaven—anationalfigureina
manière
way
,oneofthosemenwhoreachsuchanacutelimitedexcellenceattwenty-onethat
tout
everything
afterwardsavoursofanticlimax.
His
famille
family
wereenormouslywealthy—evenincollegehisfreedom
avec
with
moneywasamatterforreproach—but
maintenant
now
he’dleftChicagoand
venu
come
Eastinafashion
qui
that
rathertookyourbreathaway:
forinstance,he’d
apporté
brought
downastringofpoloponiesfromLakeForest.
Itwas
difficile
hard
torealizethata
homme
man
inmyowngenerationwaswealthyenoughto
faire
do
that.
WhytheycameEastIdon’t
sais
know
.
Theyhadspenta
an
year
inFrancefornoparticularreason,
et
and
thendriftedhereandthereunrestfullywherever
gens
people
playedpoloandwererich
ensemble
together
.
Thiswasapermanentmove,
dit
said
Daisyoverthetelephone,
mais
but
Ididn’tbelieveit—Ihad
pas
no
sightintoDaisy’sheart,
mais
but
IfeltthatTom
allait
would
driftonforeverseeking,
un
a
littlewistfully,forthedramaticturbulenceofsomeirrecoverablefootballgame.
Et
And
soithappenedthatonawarmwindyeveningIdroveovertoEastEggto
voir
see
twooldfriendswhomIscarcely
connaissais
knew
atall.
Theirhousewaseven
plus
more
elaboratethanIexpected,
un
a
cheerfulred-and-whiteGeorgianColonialmansion,overlooking
la
the
bay.
Thelawnstartedatthebeach
et
and
rantowardsthefront
porte
door
foraquarterof
un
a
mile,jumpingoversundials
et
and
brickwalksandburninggardens—finally
quand
when
itreachedthehousedriftingupthe
côté
side
inbrightvinesas
si
though
fromthemomentumofits
courait
run
.
Thefrontwasbrokenby
une
a
lineofFrenchwindows,glowing
maintenant
now
withreflectedgoldandwide
ouvert
open
tothewarmwindyafternoon,
et
and
TomBuchananinridingclotheswas
tenait
standing
withhislegsaparton
le
the
frontporch.
Hehad
changé
changed
sincehisNewHavenyears.
Maintenant
Now
hewasasturdystraw-haired
homme
man
ofthirty,witharatherhardmouth
et
and
asuperciliousmanner.
Twoshiningarroganteyeshadestablisheddominance
sur
over
hisfaceandgavehim
la
the
appearanceofalwaysleaningaggressivelyforward.
Not
même
even
theeffeminateswankofhisridingclothes
pouvait
could
hidetheenormouspowerofthatbody—heseemedtofill
ces
those
glisteningbootsuntilhestrained
le
the
toplacing,andyou
pouvait
could
seeagreatpackofmuscleshifting
quand
when
hisshouldermovedunderhisthincoat.
Itwas
un
a
bodycapableofenormousleverage—acruel
corps
body
.
Hisspeakingvoice,agruffhuskytenor,addedtotheimpressionoffractiousnessheconveyed.
Therewas
une
a
touchofpaternalcontemptinit,
même
even
towardpeopleheliked—andthereweremenatNewHaven
qui
who
hadhatedhisguts.
“Now,don’t
pensez
think
myopiniononthesemattersisfinal,”heseemedto
dire
say
,“justbecauseI’mstronger
et
and
moreofaman
que
than
youare.”
Wewerein
la
the
sameseniorsociety,andwhilewewere
jamais
never
intimateIalwayshad
la
the
impressionthatheapprovedofme
et
and
wantedmetolikehim
avec
with
someharsh,defiantwistfulnessofhis
propre
own
.
Wetalkedfora
quelques
few
minutesonthesunnyporch.
“I’vegot
une
a
niceplacehere,”he
dit
said
,hiseyesflashingaboutrestlessly.
Tournant
Turning
mearoundbyonearm,he
déplacé
moved
abroadflathandalongthe
avant
front
vista,includinginitssweepasunkenItaliangarden,a
demi
half
acreofdeep,pungentroses,
et
and
asnub-nosedmotorboatthatbumpedthetideoffshore.
“ItbelongedtoDemaine,theoilman.”
Heturnedmearound
nouveau
again
,politelyandabruptly.
“We’ll
irons
go
inside.”
Wewalkedthrough
un
a
highhallwayintoabrightrosy-colouredspace,fragilelyboundinto
la
the
housebyFrenchwindowsateitherend.
Thewindowswereajar
et
and
gleamingwhiteagainstthefreshgrassoutside
qui
that
seemedtogrowa
peu
little
wayintothehouse.
Abreezeblew
travers
through
theroom,blewcurtainsinatone
extrémité
end
andouttheotherlikepaleflags,twistingthemuptowardthefrostedwedding-cakeoftheceiling,
et
and
thenrippledoverthewine-colouredrug,makingashadowonitaswinddoesonthesea.
Theonlycompletelystationaryobjectintheroomwas
un
an
enormouscouchonwhich
deux
two
youngwomenwerebuoyedupasthoughupon
un
an
anchoredballoon.
Theywere
deux
both
inwhite,andtheirdresseswererippling
et
and
flutteringasiftheyhad
juste
just
beenblownbackin
après
after
ashortflightaroundthe
maison
house
.
Imusthavestoodfora
quelques
few
momentslisteningtothewhip
et
and
snapofthecurtains
et
and
thegroanofapictureon
le
the
wall.
Thentherewas
un
a
boomasTomBuchanan
fermait
shut
therearwindowsandthecaughtwinddiedoutabouttheroom,
et
and
thecurtainsandtherugs
et
and
thetwoyoungwomenballoonedslowlytothefloor.
Le
The
youngerofthetwowas
un
a
strangertome.
Shewasextendedfulllengthather
extrémité
end
ofthedivan,completelymotionless,
et
and
withherchinraised
un
a
little,asifshewerebalancing
quelque chose
something
onitwhichwas
tout à fait
quite
likelytofall.
Ifshe
voyait
saw
meoutofthecornerofhereyesshe
donnait
gave
nohintofit—indeed,Iwas
presque
almost
surprisedintomurmuringanapologyforhavingdisturbedherbycoming
en
in
.
Theothergirl,Daisy,
fait
made
anattempttorise—sheleanedslightlyforward
avec
with
aconscientiousexpression—thenshelaughed,anabsurd,charming
petit
little
laugh,andIlaughed
aussi
too
andcameforwardinto
la
the
room.
“I’mp-paralysedwithhappiness.”
Shelaughed
nouveau
again
,asifshesaid
quelque chose
something
verywitty,andheldmy
main
hand
foramoment,lookingupintomyface,
promettant
promising
thattherewasnoonein
le
the
worldshesomuchwantedto
voir
see
.
Thatwasawayshehad.
Shehintedin
un
a
murmurthatthesurnameofthebalancing
fille
girl
wasBaker.
(I’veheardit
dire
said
thatDaisy’smurmurwasonlyto
faire
make
peopleleantowardher;
une
an
irrelevantcriticismthatmadeit
pas
no
lesscharming.)
Atanyrate,
Mlle
Miss
Baker’slipsfluttered,shenoddedatme
presque
almost
imperceptibly,andthenquicklytippedher
tête
head
backagain—theobjectshewasbalancinghadobviouslytottered
un
a
littleandgivenher
quelque chose
something
ofafright.
Again
une
a
sortofapologyarosetomylips.
Presque
Almost
anyexhibitionofcompleteself-sufficiencydraws
un
a
stunnedtributefromme.
I
regardé
looked
backatmycousin,
qui
who
begantoaskmequestionsinherlow,thrillingvoice.
Itwas
le
the
kindofvoicethat
le
the
earfollowsupand
bas
down
,asifeachspeechis
un
an
arrangementofnotesthatwill
jamais
never
beplayedagain.
Her
visage
face
wassadandlovely
avec
with
brightthingsinit,brighteyes
et
and
abrightpassionatemouth,
mais
but
therewasanexcitementinhervoicethatmenwhohadcaredforher
trouvaient
found
difficulttoforget:
a
chanter
singing
compulsion,awhispered“Listen,”a
promesse
promise
thatshehaddonegay,excitingthingsjustawhilesince
et
and
thatthereweregay,excitingthingshoveringinthenexthour.
I
dit
told
herhowIhad
arrêté
stopped
offinChicagofor
une
a
dayonmywayEast,
et
and
howadozenpeoplehad
envoyé
sent
theirlovethroughme.
“Dothey
manque
miss
me?”
shecriedecstatically.
“The
toute
whole
townisdesolate.
Allthecars
ont
have
theleftrearwheelpainted
noir
black
asamourningwreath,
et
and
there’sapersistentwail
toutes
all
nightalongthenorthshore.”
“Howgorgeous!
Let’sgoback,Tom.
Tomorrow!”
Thensheaddedirrelevantly:
“Yououghtto
voir
see
thebaby.”
“I’dliketo.”
“She’sasleep.
She’s
trois
three
yearsold.
Haven’tyoueverseenher?”
“Never.”
“Well,yououghtto
voir
see
her.
She’s—”.
TomBuchanan,
qui
who
hadbeenhoveringrestlesslyabout
la
the
room,stoppedandrestedhis
main
hand
onmyshoulder.
“Whatyou
fais
doing
,Nick?”
“I’mabondman.”
“Whowith?”
I
dit
told
him.
“Neverheardofthem,”heremarkeddecisively.
Thisannoyedme.
“Youwill,”I
répondis
answered
shortly.
“Youwillifyou
restez
stay
intheEast.”
“Oh,I’ll
resterai
stay
intheEast,don’tyouworry,”he
dit
said
,glancingatDaisyandthenbackat
moi
me
,asifhewerealertfor
quelque chose
something
more.
“I’dbeaGoddamnedfoolto
vivre
live
anywhereelse.”
Atthispoint
Mlle
Miss
Bakersaid:
“Absolutely!”
withsuchsuddenness
que
that
Istarted—itwasthe
premier
first
wordshehaduttered
depuis
since
Icameintotheroom.
Evidentlyitsurprisedherasmuchasitdid
moi
me
,forsheyawnedand
avec
with
aseriesofrapid,deftmovementsstoodupinto
la
the
room.
“I’mstiff,”shecomplained,“I’vebeenlyingonthatsofaforaslongasIcanremember.”
“Don’t
regarde
look
atme,”Daisyretorted,“I’vebeen
essayé
trying
togetyoutoNewYork
tout
all
afternoon.”
“No,thanks,”said
Mlle
Miss
Bakertothefourcocktailsjustinfromthepantry.
“I’mabsolutelyintraining.”
Herhost
regarda
looked
atherincredulously.
“Youare!”
Hetookdownhisdrinkasifitwereadropin
le
the
bottomofaglass.
“Howyouevergetanything
faire
done
isbeyondme.”
I
regardé
looked
atMissBaker,wonderingwhatitwasshe“gotdone.”
Ienjoyed
regarder
looking
ather.
Shewasaslender,small-breasted
fille
girl
,withanerectcarriage,whichsheaccentuatedbythrowingher
corps
body
backwardattheshoulders
comme
like
ayoungcadet.
Hergreysun-strainedeyes
regardaient
looked
backatmewithpolitereciprocalcuriosityoutof
une
a
wan,charming,discontentedface.
Itoccurredtome
maintenant
now
thatIhadseenher,
ou
or
apictureofher,somewhere
avant
before
.
“YouliveinWestEgg,”sheremarkedcontemptuously.
“I
connais
know
somebodythere.”
“Idon’t
connais
know
asingle—”.
“Youmust
connaître
know
Gatsby.”
“Gatsby?”
demandedDaisy.
“WhatGatsby?”
Avant
Before
Icouldreplythathewasmyneighbour
dîner
dinner
wasannounced;
wedginghistensearmimperatively
sous
under
mine,TomBuchanancompelledmefromtheroomasthoughhewere
déplaçait
moving
acheckertoanothersquare.
Slenderly,languidly,theirhandssetlightlyontheirhips,the
deux
two
youngwomenprecededusoutonto
un
a
rosy-colouredporch,opentowardthesunset,
where
fourcandlesflickeredonthetableinthediminishedwind.
“Whycandles?”
objectedDaisy,frowning.
Shesnappedthemout
avec
with
herfingers.
“Intwoweeksit’llbe
le
the
longestdayintheyear.”
She
regardait
looked
atusallradiantly.
“Doyou
toujours
always
watchforthelongest
jour
day
oftheyearandthen
manquez
miss
it?
Ialwayswatchfor
le
the
longestdayintheyear
et
and
thenmissit.”
“Weoughtto
planifier
plan
something,”yawnedMissBaker,sittingdownat
la
the
tableasifsheweregettinginto
coucher
bed
.
“Allright,”saidDaisy.
“What’llweplan?”
Sheturnedtomehelplessly:
“Whatdo
gens
people
plan?”
BeforeIcould
répondre
answer
hereyesfastenedwith
une
an
awedexpressiononher
petit
little
finger.
“Look!”
shecomplained;
“I
blessé
hurt
it.”
Wealllooked—theknucklewasblack
et
and
blue.
“Youdidit,Tom,”she
dit
said
accusingly.
“Iknowyoudidn’tmeanto,
mais
but
youdiddoit.
That’swhatIgetfor
épousé
marrying
abruteofa
homme
man
,agreat,big,hulkingphysicalspecimenofa—”.
“I
déteste
hate
thatword‘hulking,’ ”objectedTomcrossly,“eveninkidding.”
“Hulking,”insistedDaisy.
Parfois
Sometimes
sheandMissBaker
parlaient
talked
atonce,unobtrusivelyand
avec
with
abanteringinconsequencethatwas
jamais
never
quitechatter,thatwasascoolastheirwhitedresses
et
and
theirimpersonaleyesintheabsenceof
tout
all
desire.
Theywerehere,
et
and
theyacceptedTomand
moi
me
,makingonlyapolitepleasantefforttoentertain
ou
or
tobeentertained.
They
savaient
knew
thatpresentlydinnerwouldbeover
et
and
alittlelatertheevening
aussi
too
wouldbeoverandcasuallyputaway.
Itwassharply
différent
different
fromtheWest,whereaneveningwashurriedfromphasetophasetowardsitsclose,inacontinuallydisappointedanticipation
ou
or
elseinsheernervousdreadofthemomentitself.
“You
faites
make
mefeeluncivilized,Daisy,”Iconfessedonmy
deuxième
second
glassofcorkybutratherimpressiveclaret.
“Can’tyou
parler
talk
aboutcropsorsomething?”
Imeant
rien
nothing
inparticularbythisremark,
mais
but
itwastakenupinanunexpected
manière
way
.
“Civilization’sgoingtopieces,”brokeoutTomviolently.
“I’vegottentobe
un
a
terriblepessimistaboutthings.
Haveyou
lu
read
TheRiseoftheColouredEmpiresby
cet
this
manGoddard?”
“Why,no,”I
répondis
answered
,rathersurprisedbyhistone.
“Well,it’s
un
a
finebook,andeverybodyoughtto
lire
read
it.
Theideais
si
if
wedon’tlookout
la
the
whiteracewillbe—willbeutterlysubmerged.
It’s
tout
all
scientificstuff;
it’sbeenproved.”