The Blue Castle | Gradually Hardening French A1-B2 Books

The Blue Castle | Gradually Hardening French A1-B2 Books

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CHAPTERI
Ifithadnot
plu
rained
onacertainMay
matin
morning
ValancyStirling’swholelife
été
would
havebeenentirelydifferent.
Shewouldhavegone,
avec
with
therestofher
clan
clan
,toAuntWellington’sengagement
pique-nique
picnic
andDr.TrentwouldhavegonetoMontreal.
Mais
But
itdidrainandyoushall
entendrez
hear
whathappenedtoher
cause
because
ofit.
Valancywakenedearly,inthe
sans vie
lifeless
,hopelesshourjustprecedingdawn.
Shehadnot
dormi
slept
verywell.
Onedoesnot
dort
sleep
well,sometimes,whenoneistwenty-nineonthemorrow,
et
and
unmarried,inacommunity
et
and
connectionwheretheunmarriedaresimply
ceux
those
whohavefailedtogeta
homme
man
.
DeerwoodandtheStirlingshad
longtemps
long
sincerelegatedValancyto
sans espoir
hopeless
oldmaidenhood.
ButValancyherselfhad
jamais
never
quiterelinquishedacertain
pitoyable
pitiful
,shamed,littlehopethat
Romance
Romance
wouldcomeherwayyet—never,
jusqu'à
until
thiswet,horriblemorning,
quand
when
shewakenedtothe
fait
fact
thatshewastwenty-nine
et
and
unsoughtbyanyman.
Ay,therelay
le
the
sting.
Valancydidnotmindsomuchbeing
une
an
oldmaid.
Afterall,she
pensait
thought
,beinganoldmaidcouldn’tpossiblybeas
terrible
dreadful
asbeingmarriedtoan
Oncle
Uncle
WellingtonoranUncleBenjamin,
ou
or
evenanUncleHerbert.
What
blessait
hurt
herwasthatshe
eu
had
neverhadachancetobeanythingbutanoldmaid.
Aucun
No
manhadeverdesiredher.
Les
The
tearscameintohereyesasshelaytherealonein
les
the
faintlygreyingdarkness.
Shedarednot
laisser
let
herselfcryashardasshe
voulait
wanted
to,fortworeasons.
Shewas
peur
afraid
thatcryingmightbringon
autre
another
attackofthatpain
autour
around
theheart.
Shehad
eu
had
aspellofit
après
after
shehadgotintobed—rather
pire
worse
thananyshehad
eu
had
yet.
Andshewas
peur
afraid
hermotherwouldnoticeherredeyesat
petit déjeuner
breakfast
andkeepatherwithminute,persistent,mosquito-likequestionsregarding
la
the
causethereof.
“Suppose,”thoughtValancy
avec
with
aghastlygrin,“I
répondu
answered
withtheplaintruth,‘Iam
pleure
crying
becauseIcannotgetmarried.’HowhorrifiedMotherwouldbe—thoughsheis
honte
ashamed
everydayofher
vie
life
ofheroldmaiddaughter.”
Mais
But
ofcourseappearancesshouldbekeptup.
“Itisnot,”Valancy
pouvait
could
hearhermother’sprim,dictatorial
voix
voice
asserting,“itisnotmaidenlyto
penser
think
aboutmen.”
Thethoughtofhermother’sexpression
faisait
made
Valancylaugh—forshehad
un
a
senseofhumournobodyinher
clan
clan
suspected.
Forthatmatter,therewereagood
beaucoup
many
thingsaboutValancythatnobody
soupçonnait
suspected
.
Butherlaughterwas
très
very
superficialandpresentlyshelaythere,ahuddled,
futile
futile
littlefigure,listeningto
la
the
rainpouringdownoutside
et
and
watching,withasickdistaste,
la
the
chill,mercilesslightcreepingintoherugly,
sordide
sordid
room.
Sheknewtheuglinessofthatroombyheart—knewit
et
and
hatedit.
Theyellow-painted
sol
floor
,withonehideous,“hooked”
tapis
rug
bythebed,witha
grotesque
grotesque
,“hooked”dogonit,
toujours
always
grinningatherwhenshe
réveille
awoke
;
thefaded,dark-redpaper;
le
the
ceilingdiscolouredbyoldleaks
et
and
crossedbycracks;
thenarrow,
pincé
pinched
littlewashstand;
thebrown-paperlambrequin
avec
with
purplerosesonit;
thespotted
vieux
old
looking-glasswiththecrackacrossit,proppeduponthe
inadéquate
inadequate
dressing-table;
thejarofancientpotpourri
fait
made
byhermotherinhermythicalhoneymoon;
la
the
shell-coveredbox,withone
éclaté
burst
corner,whichCousinStickleshadmadeinherequallymythicalgirlhood;
thebeadedpincushionwith
moitié
half
itsbeadfringegone;
la
the
onestiff,yellowchair;
thefaded
vieux
old
motto,“Gonebutnotforgotten,”workedincolouredyarns
sur
about
Great-grand-motherStirling’sgrimold
visage
face
;
theoldphotographsofancientrelatives
longtemps
long
banishedfromtherooms
dessous
below
.
Therewereonlytwopicturesthatwerenotofrelatives.
One,an
vieux
old
chromoofapuppy
assis
sitting
onarainydoorstep.
That
photo
picture
alwaysmadeValancyunhappy.
Thatforlorn
petit
little
dogcrouchedonthedoorstepinthedriving
pluie
rain
!
Whydidn’tsomeone
ouvert
open
thedoorandlethimin?
La
The
otherpicturewasafaded,passe-partoutedengravingof
Reine
Queen
Louisecomingdownastairway,which
Tante
Aunt
Wellingtonhadlavishlygivenheronher
dixième
tenth
birthday.
Fornineteenyearsshehadlookedatit
et
and
hatedit,beautiful,smug,self-satisfied
Reine
Queen
Louise.
Butshenever
osé
dared
destroyitorremoveit.
Mère
Mother
andCousinStickleswould
eu
have
beenaghast,or,asValancyirreverently
exprimé
expressed
itinherthoughts,
été
would
havehadafit.
Everyroominthe
maison
house
wasugly,ofcourse.
Mais
But
downstairsappearanceswerekeptupsomewhat.
Il
There
wasnomoneyforroomsnobodyeversaw.
Valancy
parfois
sometimes
feltthatshecouldhave
faire
done
somethingforherroomherself,
même
even
withoutmoney,ifshewere
permis
permitted
.
Buthermotherhadnegatived
chaque
every
timidsuggestionandValancydidnot
persisté
persist
.
Valancyneverpersisted.
Shewas
peur
afraid
to.
Hermothercouldnotbrookopposition.
Mrs.Stirlingwouldsulkfordays
si
if
offended,withtheairsofaninsulted
duchesse
duchess
.
TheonlythingValancy
aimait
liked
aboutherroomwas
que
that
shecouldbealone
y
there
atnighttocry
si
if
shewantedto.
But,
après
after
all,whatdiditmatter
si
if
aroom,whichyouusedfornothingexcept
dormir
sleeping
anddressingin,wereugly?
Valancywas
jamais
never
permittedtostayaloneinherroomforanyotherpurpose.
Gens
People
whowantedtobealone,soMrs.FrederickStirling
et
and
CousinSticklesbelieved,couldonlywanttobealoneforsome
sinistre
sinister
purpose.
Butherroominthe
Bleu
Blue
Castlewaseverythingaroom
devrait
should
be.
Valancy,socowed
et
and
subduedandoverriddenandsnubbedinreal
vie
life
,waswonttoletherself
aller
go
rathersplendidlyinherday-dreams.
Nobodyin
le
the
Stirlingclan,oritsramifications,
soupçonnait
suspected
this,leastofallher
mère
mother
andCousinStickles.
They
jamais
never
knewthatValancyhad
deux
two
homes—theuglyredbrickboxofa
maison
home
,onElmStreet,andthe
Bleu
Blue
CastleinSpain.
Valancyhad
vécu
lived
spirituallyintheBlue
Château
Castle
eversinceshecouldremember.
Shehadbeen
une
a
verytinychildwhenshefoundherselfpossessedofit.
Toujours
Always
,whensheshuthereyes,she
pouvait
could
seeitplainly,withitsturrets
et
and
bannersonthepine-clad
montagne
mountain
height,wrappedinitsfaint,blueloveliness,
contre
against
thesunsetskiesofafair
et
and
unknownland.
Everythingwonderful
et
and
beautifulwasinthat
château
castle
.
Jewelsthatqueensmighthave
porter
worn
;
robesofmoonlightand
feu
fire
;
couchesofrosesandgold;
longflightsofshallow
marbre
marble
steps,withgreat,whiteurns,
et
and
withslender,mist-cladmaidensgoingup
et
and
downthem;
courts,marble-pillared,
where
shimmeringfountainsfellandnightingales
chantaient
sang
amongthemyrtles;
hallsofmirrorsthat
reflétaient
reflected
onlyhandsomeknightsand
belle
lovely
women—herselftheloveliestof
toutes
all
,forwhoseglancemen
mouraient
died
.
Allthatsupportedherthrough
la
the
boredomofherdayswas
la
the
hopeofgoingona
rêver
dream
spreeatnight.
Most,
si
if
notall,oftheStirlingswouldhave
morts
died
ofhorroriftheyhad
su
known
halfthethingsValancy
faites
did
inherBlueCastle.
Foronethingshehadquiteafewloversinit.
Oh,onlyoneata
fois
time
.
Onewhowooedher
avec
with
alltheromanticardourof
la
the
ageofchivalryandwonher
après
after
longdevotionandmanydeedsofderring-do,
et
and
wasweddedtoher
avec
with
pompandcircumstancein
la
the
great,banner-hungchapelof
la
the
BlueCastle.
Attwelve,
cet
this
loverwasafair
garçon
lad
withgoldencurlsandheavenlyblueeyes.
Atfifteen,hewas
grand
tall
anddarkandpale,
mais
but
stillnecessarilyhandsome.
Attwenty,hewasascetic,
rêveur
dreamy
,spiritual.
Attwenty-five,hehadaclean-cut
mâchoire
jaw
,slightlygrim,anda
visage
face
strongandruggedrather
que
than
handsome.
Valancynevergrewolderthantwenty-fiveinher
Bleu
Blue
Castle,butrecently—veryrecently—her
héros
hero
hadhadreddish,tawny
cheveux
hair
,atwistedsmileand
un
a
mysteriouspast.
Idon’t
dis
say
Valancydeliberatelymurderedtheseloversassheoutgrew
les
them
.
Onesimplyfadedawayasanothercame.
Thingsare
très
very
convenientinthisrespectinBlueCastles.
Mais
But
,onthismorningofher
jour
day
offate,Valancycouldnot
trouver
find
thekeyofher
Bleu
Blue
Castle.
Realitypressedonher
trop
too
hardly,barkingatherheels
comme
like
amaddeninglittledog.
Shewastwenty-nine,lonely,undesired,ill-favoured—the
seule
only
homelygirlina
beau
handsome
clan,withnopast
et
and
nofuture.
Asfarasshe
pouvait
could
lookback,lifewasdrab
et
and
colourless,withnotonesinglecrimson
ou
or
purplespotanywhere.
As
loin
far
asshecouldlookforwardit
semblait
seemed
certaintobejust
le
the
sameuntilshewas
rien
nothing
butasolitary,littlewithered
feuille
leaf
clingingtoawintrybough.
Themomentwhen
une
a
womanrealisesthatshe
devoir
has
nothingtolivefor—neither
amour
love
,duty,purposenorhope—holdsforherthebitternessof
mort
death
.
“AndIjusthavetogoon
vivre
living
becauseIcan’tstop.
I
pourrais
may
havetoliveeightyyears,”
pensa
thought
Valancy,inakindof
panique
panic
.
“We’reallhorriblylong-lived.
Itsickensmeto
penser
think
ofit.”
Shewasgladitwasraining—or
plutôt
rather
,shewasdrearilysatisfiedthatitwas
pleuvrait
raining
.
Therewouldbeno
pique-nique
picnic
thatday.
Thisannual
pique-nique
picnic
,wherebyAuntandUncleWellington—one
toujours
always
thoughtofthemin
que
that
succession—inevitablycelebratedtheirengagementat
un
a
picnicthirtyyearsbefore,hadbeen,oflateyears,
un
a
veritablenightmaretoValancy.
By
une
an
impishcoincidenceitwasthe
même
same
dayasherbirthday
et
and
,aftershehadpassedtwenty-five,nobody
laissait
let
herforgetit.
Muchasshe
déteste
hated
goingtothepicnic,it
aller
would
neverhaveoccurredtoherto
rebeller
rebel
againstit.
Thereseemedtobe
rien
nothing
oftherevolutionaryinher
nature
nature
.
Andsheknewexactlywhateveryonewould
dirait
say
toheratthe
pique-nique
picnic
.
UncleWellington,whomshe
détestait
disliked
anddespisedeventhoughhehad
rempli
fulfilled
thehighestStirlingaspiration,“marryingmoney,”would
disait
say
toherinapig’s
chuchotant
whisper
,“Notthinkingofgettingmarriedyet,mydear?”
et
and
thengooffinto
le
the
bellowoflaughterwithwhichheinvariably
conclu
concluded
hisdullremarks.
AuntWellington,ofwhomValancystoodinabjectawe,wouldtellheraboutOlive’snewchiffon
robe
dress
andCecil’slastdevoted
lettre
letter
.
Valancywouldhavetolookaspleased
et
and
interestedasifthe
robe
dress
andletterhadbeenhersorelse
Tante
Aunt
Wellingtonwouldbeoffended.
Et
And
Valancyhadlongago
décidé
decided
thatshewouldrather
offenser
offend
GodthanAuntWellington,
parce que
because
Godmightforgiveher
mais
but
AuntWellingtonneverwould.
Tante
Aunt
Alberta,enormouslyfat,withanamiable
habitude
habit
ofalwaysreferringtoher
mari
husband
as“he,”asifhewerethe
seule
only
malecreatureinthe
monde
world
,whocouldneverforgetthatshehadbeenagreat
beauté
beauty
inheryouth,wouldcondole
avec
with
Valancyonhersallow
peau
skin—
.
“Idon’tknowwhy
toutes
all
thegirlsoftodayaresosunburned.
Quand
When
Iwasagirlmy
peau
skin
wasrosesandcream.
Iwascounted
la
the
prettiestgirlinCanada,mydear.”
Peut-être
Perhaps
UncleHerbertwouldn’tsayanything—or
peut-être
perhaps
hewouldremarkjocularly,“Howfatyou’regetting,Doss!”
Et
And
theneverybodywouldlaughover
le
the
excessivelyhumorousideaof
pauvre
poor
,scrawnylittleDossgettingfat.
Beau
Handsome
,solemnUncleJames,whomValancydisliked
mais
but
respectedbecausehewasreputedtobe
très
very
cleverandwasthereforethe
clan
clan
oracle—brainsbeingnonetooplentifulintheStirlingconnection—would
probablement
probably
remarkwiththeowl-like
sarcasme
sarcasm
thathadwonhimhis
réputation
reputation
,“Isupposeyou’rebusy
avec
with
yourhope-chestthesedays?”
Et
And
UncleBenjaminwouldask
certaines
some
ofhisabominableconundrums,
entre
between
wheezychuckles,andanswerthemhimself.
“Whatis
la
the
differencebetweenDossand
une
a
mouse?
“Themousewishesto
mal
harm
thecheeseandDoss
veut
wishes
tocharmthehe’s.”
Valancyhad
entendu
heard
himaskthatriddlefiftytimes
et
and
everytimeshewantedto
jeter
throw
somethingathim.
Butshe
jamais
never
did.
Inthefirst
lieu
place
,theStirlingssimplydidnot
jeté
throw
things;
inthesecond
lieu
place
,UncleBenjaminwasa
riche
wealthy
andchildlessoldwidower
et
and
Valancyhadbeenbroughtupin
la
the
fearandadmonitionofhis
argent
money
.
Ifsheoffendedhimhewouldcutheroutofhiswill—supposingshewereinit.
Valancydidnot
voulait
want
tobecutoutofUncleBenjamin’swill.
Shehadbeen
pauvre
poor
allherlifeand
connaissait
knew
thegallingbitternessofit.
Soshe
enduré
endured
hisriddlesandevensmiled
torturé
tortured
littlesmilesoverthem.
Tante
Aunt
Isabel,downrightanddisagreeableasaneast
vent
wind
,wouldcriticiseherinsomeway—Valancy
pouvait
could
notpredictjusthow,for
Tante
Aunt
Isabelneverrepeatedacriticism—she
trouvait
found
somethingnewwithwhichtojabyou
chaque
every
time.
AuntIsabelpridedherselfonsayingwhatshethought,
mais
but
didn’tlikeitsowell
quand
when
otherpeoplesaidwhattheythoughttoher.
Valancy
jamais
never
saidwhatshethought.
CousinGeorgiana—namedafterhergreat-great-grand-mother,whohadbeennamedafterGeorgetheFourth—wouldrecountdolorouslythenamesof
tous
all
relativesandfriendswhohad
décédés
died
sincethelastpicnic
et
and
wonder“whichofus
été
will
bethefirstto
partir
go
next.”
Oppressivelycompetent,AuntMildredwould
parlait
talk
endlesslyofherhusband
et
and
herodiousprodigiesofbabiestoValancy,
parce que
because
Valancywouldbetheonlyoneshe
pourrait
could
findtoputupwithit.
Forthe
même
same
reason,CousinGladys—reallyFirstCousinGladysonceremoved,
selon
according
tothestrictwayinwhichtheStirlingstabulatedrelationship—atall,
mince
thin
ladywhoadmittedshe
avoir
had
asensitivedisposition,would
décrirait
describe
minutelythetorturesofherneuritis.
Et
And
Olive,thewondergirlofthewholeStirling
clan
clan
,whohadeverythingValancyhadnot—beauty,
popularité
popularity
,love,—wouldshowoffher
beauté
beauty
andpresumeonher
popularité
popularity
andflauntherdiamondinsigniaof
amour
love
inValancy’sdazzled,enviouseyes.
Il
There
wouldbenoneof
tout
all
thistoday.
Andtherewouldbe
pas
no
packingupofteaspoons.
Thepackingupwas
toujours
always
leftforValancyand
Cousin
Cousin
Stickles.
Andonce,sixyearsago,
une
a
silverteaspoonfromAuntWellington’sweddingsethadbeenlost.
Valancy
jamais
never
heardthelastofthatsilverteaspoon.
Its
fantôme
ghost
appearedBanquo-likeateverysubsequentfamily
fête
feast
.
Oh,yes,Valancyknew
exactement
exactly
whatthepicnicwouldbelike
et
and
sheblessedtherainthathadsavedherfromit.
Il
There
wouldbenopicnic
cette
this
year.
IfAuntWellington
pouvait
could
notcelebrateonthesacred
jour
day
itselfshewouldhave
pas
no
celebrationatall.
Thankwhatevergodstherewereforthat.
Sincethere
irait
would
benopicnic,Valancymadeuphermind
que
that
,iftherainheldupin
la
the
afternoon,shewouldgoupto
la
the
libraryandgetanotherofJohnFoster’sbooks.
Valancywas
jamais
never
allowedtoreadnovels,
mais
but
JohnFoster’sbookswerenotnovels.
Theywere“naturebooks”—sothe
bibliothécaire
librarian
toldMrs.FrederickStirling—“all
sur
about
thewoodsandbirds
et
and
bugsandthingslikethat,youknow.”
SoValancywas
autorisé
allowed
toreadthem—underprotest,foritwasonly
trop
too
evidentthatsheenjoyedthem
trop
too
much.
Itwaspermissible,evenlaudable,to
lire
read
toimproveyourmind
et
and
yourreligion,buta
livre
book
thatwasenjoyablewas
dangereux
dangerous
.
Valancydidnotknow
si
whether
hermindwasbeing
amélioré
improved
ornot;
butshe
sentait
felt
vaguelythatifshehadcomeacrossJohnFoster’sbooksyearsago
vie
life
mighthavebeenadifferentthingforher.
They
semblaient
seemed
tohertoyield
aperçu
glimpses
ofaworldintowhichshe
pu
might
oncehaveentered,though
la
the
doorwasforeverbarredtoher
maintenant
now
.
Itwasonlywithinthe
dernière
last
yearthatJohnFoster’sbookshadbeenintheDeerwood
bibliothèque
library
,thoughthelibrariantoldValancy
que
that
hehadbeenawell-known
écrivain
writer
forseveralyears.
“Wheredoeshelive?”
Valancyhad
demandé
asked
.
“Nobodyknows.
Fromhisbookshe
doit
must
beaCanadian,but
pas
no
moreinformationcanbe
doit
had
.
Hispublisherswon’tsay
un
a
word.
QuitelikelyJohn
Foster
Foster
isanomdeplume.
Hisbooksaresopopularwecan’t
garder
keep
theminatall,
si
though
Ireallycan’tseewhat
gens
people
findinthemtoraveover.”
“I
pense
think
they’rewonderful,”saidValancy,timidly.
“Oh—well—”
Mlle
Miss
ClarksonsmiledinapatronisingfashionthatrelegatedValancy’sopinionstolimbo,“Ican’t
dire
say
Icaremuchforbugsmyself.
Mais
But
certainlyFosterseemsto
savoir
know
allthereisto
savoir
know
aboutthem.”
Valancydidn’t
savait
know
whethershecaredmuchforbugseither.
ItwasnotJohnFoster’suncanny
connaissance
knowledge
ofwildcreaturesandinsect
vie
life
thatenthralledher.
She
pouvait
could
hardlysaywhatitwas—sometantalisinglureof
un
a
mysteryneverrevealed—somehintof
un
a
greatsecretjusta
peu
little
furtheron—somefaint,elusive
écho
echo
oflovely,forgottenthings—JohnFoster’s
magie
magic
wasindefinable.
Yes,shewouldget
un
a
newFosterbook.
Itwas
un
a
monthsinceshehadThistleHarvest,so
sûrement
surely
Mothercouldnotobject.
Valancyhad
lu
read
itfourtimes—sheknewwholepassagesoffby
cœur
heart
.
And—shealmostthoughtshewouldgo
et
and
seeDr.Trentaboutthatqueer
douleur
pain
aroundtheheart.
Ithad
venu
come
ratheroftenlately,and
les
the
palpitationswerebecomingannoying,notto
parler
speak
ofanoccasionaldizzymoment
et
and
aqueershortnessofbreath.
Mais
But
couldshegoto
voir
see
himwithouttellinganyone?
Itwas
une
a
mostdaringthought.
NoneoftheStirlingsever
consulté
consulted
adoctorwithoutholding
un
a
familycouncilandgettingUncleJames’approval.
Then,they
allés
went
toDr.AmbroseMarshof
Port
Port
Lawrence,whohadmarriedSecondCousinAdelaideStirling.
Mais
But
ValancydislikedDr.Ambrose
Marsh
Marsh
.
And,besides,shecouldnotgetto
Port
Port
Lawrence,fifteenmilesaway,
sans
without
beingtakenthere.
Shedidnot
voulait
want
anyonetoknowabouther
cœur
heart
.
Therewouldbesuch
un
a
fussmadeandeverymemberofthe
famille
family
wouldcomedownand
parlaient
talk
itoverandadviseher
et
and
cautionherandwarnher
et
and
tellherhorribletalesofgreat-aunts
et
and
cousinsfortytimesremovedwhohadbeen“just
comme
like
that”and“droppeddead
sans
without
amoment’swarning,mydear.”
Tante
Aunt
Isabelwouldrememberthatshehad
toujours
always
saidDosslookedlike
une
a
girlwhowouldhavehearttrouble—“sopinched
et
and
peakedalways”;
andUncleWellingtonwould
prendrait
take
itasapersonal
insulte
insult
,when“noStirlingever
eu
had
heartdiseasebefore”;
andGeorgianawouldforebodein
parfaitement
perfectly
audibleasidesthat“poor,
cher
dear
littleDossisn’tlongfor
ce
this
world,I’mafraid”;
andCousinGladyswould
disait
say
,“Why,myhearthasbeen
comme
like
thatforyears,”ina
ton
tone
thatimpliednooneelse
avoir
had
anybusinessevento
avoir
have
aheart;
andOlive—Olivewouldmerelylook
belle
beautiful
andsuperioranddisgustinglyhealthy,asifto
dire
say
,“Whyallthisfuss
sur
over
afadedsuperfluitylikeDoss
quand
when
youhaveme?”
Valancyfeltthatshecouldn’t
dire
tell
anybodyunlessshehad
à
to
.
Shefeltquitesuretherewas
rien
nothing
atallseriouslywrong
avec
with
herheartandno
besoin
need
ofallthepother
qui
that
wouldensueifshe
mentionné
mentioned
it.
Shewouldjustslipup
tranquillement
quietly
andseeDr.Trentthatveryday.
Asforhis
facture
bill
,shehadthetwo
cents
hundred
dollarsthatherfatherhad
mis
put
inthebankforherthe
jour
day
shewasborn.
Shewas
jamais
never
allowedtouseeven
le
the
interestofthis,butshe
été
would
secretlytakeoutenoughto
payer
pay
Dr.Trent.
Dr.
Trentwasagruff,outspoken,absent-mindedoldfellow,
mais
but
hewasarecognised
autorité
authority
onheartdisease,evenifhewereonlyageneralpractitionerinout-of-the-worldDeerwood.
Dr.Trentwasoverseventy
et
and
therehadbeenrumoursthathemeantto
prendre sa retraite
retire
soon.
NoneoftheStirling
clan
clan
hadevergonetohim
depuis
since
hehadtoldCousinGladys,
dix
ten
yearsbefore,thatherneuritiswasall
imaginaire
imaginary
andthatsheenjoyedit.
Youcouldn’tpatronisea
médecin
doctor
whoinsultedyourfirst-cousin-once-removed
comme
like
that—nottomentionthathewasaPresbyterian
quand
when
alltheStirlingswentto
les
the
Anglicanchurch.
CHAPTERII
Quand
When
CousinSticklesknockedather
porte
door
,Valancyknewitwashalf-past
sept
seven
andshemustgetup.
As
longtemps
long
asshecouldremember,
Cousin
Cousin
Stickleshadknockedather
porte
door
athalf-pastseven.
CousinStickles
et
and
Mrs.FrederickStirlinghadbeenup
depuis
since
seven,butValancywasallowedtolieabed
demi
half
anhourlongerbecauseofafamily
tradition
tradition
thatshewasdelicate.
Valancygotup,thoughshe
déteste
hated
gettingupmorethis
matin
morning
thanevershehadbefore.