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The Great Gatsby | Gradually Hardening French A1-B2 Books

The Great Gatsby | Gradually Hardening French A1-B2 Books

Embrace the benefits of this cutting-edge translation method, offering a tailored learning experience by letting you select the difficulty level that fits you best. It improves your comprehension by urging you to deduce meanings from context, reducing the need for constant translation. While some translations are intentionally masked to encourage guessing, it's always acceptable to check unfamiliar words. This method strikes the perfect balance between challenge and accessibility, making language learning both effective and enjoyable. Immerse yourself in these translated classics and uncover the pleasure of learning through literary exploration.

I
Inmyyounger
et
andmorevulnerableyearsmy
père
fathergavemesomeadvice
que
thatI’vebeenturningoverinmymindever
depuis
since.
“Wheneveryoufeellike
critiquer
criticizinganyone,”hetoldme,“just
souvenez-vous
rememberthatallthepeoplein
ce
thisworldhaven’thadtheadvantages
que
thatyou’vehad.”
Hedidn’t
dire
sayanymore,butwe’ve
toujours
alwaysbeenunusuallycommunicativeinareserved
manière
way,andIunderstoodthathemeantagreatdeal
plus
morethanthat.
Inconsequence,I’minclinedto
réserver
reservealljudgements,ahabit
qui
thathasopenedupmanycuriousnaturestome
et
andalsomademethe
victime
victimofnotafewveteranbores.
The
anormal
abnormalmindisquickto
détecter
detectandattachitselfto
cette
thisqualitywhenitappearsinanormal
personne
person,andsoitcameabout
que
thatincollegeIwasunjustly
accusé
accusedofbeingapolitician,
parce que
becauseIwasprivytothesecretgriefsofwild,unknownmen.
Mostoftheconfidenceswereunsought—frequentlyIhavefeigned
sommeil
sleep,preoccupation,orahostilelevity
quand
whenIrealizedbysomeunmistakable
signe
signthatanintimaterevelationwasquiveringonthehorizon;
fortheintimaterevelationsofyoungmen,
ou
oratleastthetermsinwhichthey
expriment
expressthem,areusuallyplagiaristic
et
andmarredbyobvioussuppressions.
Réserver
Reservingjudgementsisamatterof
infini
infinitehope.
Iamstill
un
alittleafraidofmissing
quelque chose
somethingifIforgetthat,asmy
père
fathersnobbishlysuggested,andIsnobbishly
répète
repeat,asenseofthefundamentaldecenciesisparcelledoutunequallyat
naissance
birth.
And,afterboastingthiswayofmy
tolérance
tolerance,Icometotheadmissionthatithas
une
alimit.
Conductmaybefoundedonthehard
roche
rockorthewetmarshes,
mais
butafteracertainpointIdon’tcarewhatit’sfounded
sur
on.
WhenIcamebackfrom
le
theEastlastautumnI
senti
feltthatIwantedthe
monde
worldtobeinuniform
et
andatasortof
morale
moralattentionforever;
Iwantedno
plus
moreriotousexcursionswithprivilegedglimpsesinto
le
thehumanheart.
OnlyGatsby,themanwho
donne
giveshisnametothis
livre
book,wasexemptfrommyreaction—Gatsby,who
représentait
representedeverythingforwhichIhave
un
anunaffectedscorn.
Ifpersonalityisanunbroken
série
seriesofsuccessfulgestures,thentherewas
quelque chose
somethinggorgeousabouthim,someheightened
sensibilité
sensitivitytothepromisesof
vie
life,asifhewere
lié
relatedtooneofthoseintricatemachines
qui
thatregisterearthquakestenthousandmilesaway.
Cette
Thisresponsivenesshadnothingtodo
avec
withthatflabbyimpressionabilitywhichisdignifiedunderthe
nom
nameofthe“creativetemperament”—itwasan
extraordinaire
extraordinarygiftforhope,a
romantique
romanticreadinesssuchasIhave
jamais
neverfoundinanyother
personne
personandwhichitisnot
probable
likelyIshalleverfindagain.
No—Gatsbyturnedout
tout
allrightattheend;
itiswhatpreyedonGatsby,whatfoul
poussière
dustfloatedinthewakeofhisdreams
qui
thattemporarilyclosedoutmy
intérêt
interestintheabortivesorrows
et
andshort-windedelationsofmen.
My
famille
familyhavebeenprominent,well-to-dopeoplein
cette
thisMiddleWesterncityfor
trois
threegenerations.
TheCarrawaysaresomethingofa
clan
clan,andwehavea
tradition
traditionthatwe’redescendedfromtheDukesofBuccleuch,
mais
buttheactualfounderofmylinewasmygrandfather’s
frère
brother,whocamehereinfifty-one,
envoyé
sentasubstitutetothe
Civile
CivilWar,andstartedthewholesale
quincaillerie
hardwarebusinessthatmyfathercarrieson
aujourd'hui
today.
Ineversawthisgreat-uncle,
mais
butI’msupposedtolooklikehim—withspecial
référence
referencetotheratherhard-boiledpainting
qui
thathangsinfather’soffice.
IgraduatedfromNewHavenin1915,
juste
justaquarterofa
siècle
centuryaftermyfather,and
un
alittlelaterIparticipatedinthatdelayedTeutonic
migration
migrationknownastheGreat
Guerre
War.
Ienjoyedthecounter-raidsothoroughly
que
thatIcamebackrestless.
Insteadofbeing
le
thewarmcentreofthe
monde
world,theMiddleWestnow
semblait
seemedliketheraggededgeof
le
theuniverse—soIdecidedtogoEast
et
andlearnthebondbusiness.
Tout le monde
EverybodyIknewwasin
le
thebondbusiness,soI
supposé
supposeditcouldsupportone
plus
moresingleman.
Allmyaunts
et
andunclestalkeditoverasiftheywere
choisissaient
choosingaprepschoolfor
moi
me,andfinallysaid,“Why—ye-es,”
avec
withverygrave,hesitantfaces.
Père
Fatheragreedtofinancemefor
un
ayear,andaftervariousdelaysIcameEast,
définitivement
permanently,Ithought,inthe
printemps
springoftwenty-two.
Thepractical
chose
thingwastofindroomsin
la
thecity,butitwasawarm
saison
season,andIhadjust
quitter
leftacountryofwidelawns
et
andfriendlytrees,sowhena
jeune
youngmanattheoffice
suggéré
suggestedthatwetakea
maison
housetogetherinacommutingtown,itsoundedlikeagreat
idée
idea.
Hefoundthehouse,
un
aweather-beatencardboardbungalowateighty
un
amonth,butatthe
dernière
lastminutethefirmorderedhimtoWashington,
et
andIwentouttothe
campagne
countryalone.
Ihadadog—at
moins
leastIhadhimfora
quelques
fewdaysuntilheranaway—andan
vieux
oldDodgeandaFinnish
femme
woman,whomademybed
et
andcookedbreakfastandmutteredFinnish
sagesse
wisdomtoherselfoverthe
électrique
electricstove.
Itwaslonelyfora
jour
dayorsountilone
matin
morningsomeman,morerecently
arrivé
arrivedthanI,stoppedmeon
la
theroad.
“HowdoyougettoWestEggvillage?”
he
demandé
askedhelplessly.
Itoldhim.
Et
AndasIwalkedonIwas
seul
lonelynolonger.
Iwasa
guide
guide,apathfinder,anoriginalsettler.
Hehadcasuallyconferredonme
la
thefreedomoftheneighbourhood.
Et
Andsowiththesunshine
et
andthegreatburstsofleaves
poussent
growingonthetrees,justasthings
poussent
growinfastmovies,Ihadthatfamiliarconvictionthat
vie
lifewasbeginningoveragain
avec
withthesummer.
Therewassomuchto
lire
read,foronething,andsomuchfine
santé
healthtobepulleddownoutofthe
jeune
youngbreath-givingair.
Ibought
une
adozenvolumesonbanking
et
andcreditandinvestmentsecurities,
et
andtheystoodonmy
étagère
shelfinredandgold
comme
likenewmoneyfromthe
monnaie
mint,promisingtounfoldtheshiningsecrets
que
thatonlyMidasandMorgan
et
andMaecenasknew.
AndIhadthehighintentionof
lire
readingmanyotherbooksbesides.
Iwas
plutôt
ratherliteraryincollege—oneyearI
écrit
wroteaseriesofverysolemn
et
andobviouseditorialsfortheYaleNews—and
maintenant
nowIwasgoingto
ramener
bringbackallsuchthingsintomy
vie
lifeandbecomeagainthat
plus
mostlimitedofallspecialists,the“well-roundedman.”
Ce
Thisisn’tjustanepigram—lifeis
beaucoup
muchmoresuccessfullylookedatfromasingle
fenêtre
window,afterall.
Itwasa
question
matterofchancethatIshouldhave
loué
rentedahouseinoneof
les
thestrangestcommunitiesinNorthAmerica.
Itwasonthatslenderriotous
île
islandwhichextendsitselfdueeastofNewYork—and
où
wherethereare,amongothernaturalcuriosities,
deux
twounusualformationsofland.
Twentymilesfromthe
ville
cityapairofenormouseggs,identicalincontour
et
andseparatedonlybya
courtoisie
courtesybay,jutoutintothe
plus
mostdomesticatedbodyofsaltwaterintheWesternhemisphere,thegreat
humide
wetbarnyardofLongIslandSound.
Theyarenotperfectovals—like
les
theeggintheColumbusstory,theyare
deux
bothcrushedflatatthe
contact
contactend—buttheirphysicalresemblance
doit
mustbeasourceof
perpétuel
perpetualwondertothegulls
qui
thatflyoverhead.
Tothewingless
un
amoreinterestingphenomenonistheirdissimilarityin
tous
everyparticularexceptshapeand
taille
size.
IlivedatWestEgg,the—well,the
moins
lessfashionableofthetwo,though
ce
thisisamostsuperficial
étiquette
tagtoexpressthebizarre
et
andnotalittlesinister
contraste
contrastbetweenthem.
Myhousewasattheverytipoftheegg,onlyfiftyyardsfromtheSound,
et
andsqueezedbetweentwohugeplaces
qui
thatrentedfortwelveorfifteen
mille
thousandaseason.
Theoneonmy
droite
rightwasacolossalaffairbyanystandard—itwasafactual
imitation
imitationofsomeHôteldeVilleinNormandy,
avec
withatoweronone
côté
side,spankingnewundera
fine
thinbeardofrawivy,
et
andamarbleswimmingpool,
et
andmorethanfortyacresof
pelouse
lawnandgarden.
ItwasGatsby’s
manoir
mansion.
Or,rather,asIdidn’t
connaissais
knowMr.Gatsby,itwas
un
amansioninhabitedbya
gentleman
gentlemanofthatname.
My
propre
ownhousewasaneyesore,
mais
butitwasasmalleyesore,
et
andithadbeenoverlooked,soIhada
vue
viewofthewater,a
partielle
partialviewofmyneighbour’s
pelouse
lawn,andtheconsolingproximityofmillionaires—allforeightydollarsa
mois
month.
Acrossthecourtesybaythewhitepalacesof
mode
fashionableEastEggglitteredalongthewater,
et
andthehistoryofthesummer
vraiment
reallybeginsontheeveningIdroveover
là-bas
theretohavedinnerwiththeTomBuchanans.
Daisy
Daisywasmysecondcousinonceremoved,
et
andI’dknownTomincollege.
And
juste
justafterthewarI
passé
spenttwodayswiththeminChicago.
Her
mari
husband,amongvariousphysicalaccomplishments,hadbeenoneof
les
themostpowerfulendsthatever
joué
playedfootballatNewHaven—anational
figure
figureinaway,oneofthosemenwho
atteignent
reachsuchanacutelimited
excellence
excellenceattwenty-onethateverythingafterwardsavoursofanticlimax.
His
famille
familywereenormouslywealthy—evenincollegehis
liberté
freedomwithmoneywasa
question
matterforreproach—butnowhe’d
quitté
leftChicagoandcomeEastin
une
afashionthatrathertookyourbreathaway:
for
exemple
instance,he’dbroughtdowna
chaîne
stringofpoloponiesfromLakeForest.
Itwas
difficile
hardtorealizethata
homme
maninmyowngenerationwas
riche
wealthyenoughtodothat.
Pourquoi
WhytheycameEastIdon’t
sais
know.
Theyhadspenta
an
yearinFrancefornoparticularreason,
et
andthendriftedhereandthereunrestfullywherever
gens
peopleplayedpoloandwere
riches
richtogether.
Thiswasa
permanent
permanentmove,saidDaisyoverthe
téléphone
telephone,butIdidn’tbelieveit—Ihad
pas
nosightintoDaisy’sheart,
mais
butIfeltthatTom
allait
woulddriftonforeverseeking,
un
alittlewistfully,forthedramatic
turbulence
turbulenceofsomeirrecoverablefootballgame.
Et
Andsoithappenedthatona
chaud
warmwindyeveningIdroveovertoEastEggto
voir
seetwooldfriendswhomI
à peine
scarcelyknewatall.
Their
maison
housewasevenmoreelaborate
que
thanIexpected,acheerfulred-and-whiteGeorgian
Colonial
Colonialmansion,overlookingthebay.
The
pelouse
lawnstartedatthebeach
et
andrantowardsthefront
porte
doorforaquarterof
un
amile,jumpingoversundials
et
andbrickwalksandburninggardens—finally
quand
whenitreachedthehouse
dérivant
driftingupthesideinbrightvinesas
si
thoughfromthemomentumofits
courait
run.
Thefrontwasbrokenby
une
alineofFrenchwindows,glowing
maintenant
nowwithreflectedgoldandwide
ouvert
opentothewarmwindyafternoon,
et
andTomBuchananinriding
vêtements
clotheswasstandingwithhislegsaparton
le
thefrontporch.
Hehad
changé
changedsincehisNewHavenyears.
Maintenant
Nowhewasasturdystraw-haired
homme
manofthirty,witha
plutôt
ratherhardmouthandasupercilious
manière
manner.
Twoshiningarroganteyeshad
établi
establisheddominanceoverhisface
et
andgavehimtheappearanceof
toujours
alwaysleaningaggressivelyforward.
Not
même
eventheeffeminateswankofhisriding
vêtements
clothescouldhidetheenormous
puissance
powerofthatbody—heseemedto
remplir
fillthoseglisteningbootsuntilhestrained
le
thetoplacing,andyou
pouvait
couldseeagreatpackofmuscleshifting
quand
whenhisshouldermovedunderhis
mince
thincoat.
Itwasa
corps
bodycapableofenormousleverage—a
cruel
cruelbody.
Hisspeakingvoice,agruffhuskytenor,
ajoutait
addedtotheimpressionoffractiousnessheconveyed.
Therewas
une
atouchofpaternalcontemptinit,
même
eventowardpeopleheliked—andthereweremenatNewHaven
qui
whohadhatedhisguts.
“Now,don’t
pensez
thinkmyopiniononthesemattersisfinal,”heseemedto
dire
say,“justbecauseI’mstronger
et
andmoreofaman
que
thanyouare.”
Wewerein
la
thesameseniorsociety,andwhilewewere
jamais
neverintimateIalwayshad
la
theimpressionthatheapprovedofme
et
andwantedmetolikehim
avec
withsomeharsh,defiantwistfulnessofhis
propre
own.
Wetalkedfora
quelques
fewminutesonthesunny
porche
porch.
“I’vegotanice
place
placehere,”hesaid,hiseyes
clignotant
flashingaboutrestlessly.
Turningmearoundbyone
bras
arm,hemovedabroadflat
main
handalongthefrontvista,
y compris
includinginitssweepasunkenItalian
jardin
garden,ahalfacreofdeep,pungentroses,
et
andasnub-nosedmotorboatthatbumpedthe
marée
tideoffshore.
“ItbelongedtoDemaine,the
pétrole
oilman.”
Heturnedmearound
nouveau
again,politelyandabruptly.
“We’ll
irons
goinside.”
Wewalkedthrough
un
ahighhallwayintoabrightrosy-coloured
espace
space,fragilelyboundintothe
maison
housebyFrenchwindowsateitherend.
Thewindowswereajar
et
andgleamingwhiteagainstthefreshgrassoutside
qui
thatseemedtogrowa
peu
littlewayintothehouse.
Abreezeblew
travers
throughtheroom,blewcurtainsinatone
extrémité
endandouttheotherlikepaleflags,
tordant
twistingthemuptowardthefrostedwedding-cakeofthe
plafond
ceiling,andthenrippledoverthewine-coloured
tapis
rug,makingashadowonitaswinddoesonthe
mer
sea.
Theonlycompletelystationary
objet
objectintheroomwas
un
anenormouscouchonwhich
deux
twoyoungwomenwerebuoyedupasthoughupon
un
ananchoredballoon.
Theywere
deux
bothinwhite,andtheirdresseswererippling
et
andflutteringasiftheyhad
juste
justbeenblownbackin
après
afterashortflightaroundthe
maison
house.
Imusthavestoodfora
quelques
fewmomentslisteningtothe
fouet
whipandsnapofthecurtains
et
andthegroanofa
tableau
pictureonthewall.
Thentherewas
un
aboomasTomBuchanan
fermait
shuttherearwindowsandthecaught
vent
winddiedoutabouttheroom,
et
andthecurtainsandtherugs
et
andthetwoyoungwomenballooned
lentement
slowlytothefloor.
The
jeune
youngerofthetwowas
un
astrangertome.
Shewasextendedfull
longueur
lengthatherendofthedivan,
complètement
completelymotionless,andwithher
menton
chinraisedalittle,as
si
ifshewerebalancingsomethingonit
qui
whichwasquitelikelyto
tomber
fall.
Ifshesawmeoutofthe
coin
cornerofhereyesshe
donnait
gavenohintofit—indeed,Iwas
presque
almostsurprisedintomurmuringanapologyforhavingdisturbedherbycoming
en
in.
Theothergirl,Daisy,
fait
madeanattempttorise—sheleaned
légèrement
slightlyforwardwithaconscientiousexpression—thenshelaughed,an
absurde
absurd,charminglittlelaugh,andIlaughed
aussi
tooandcameforwardinto
la
theroom.
“I’mp-paralysedwithhappiness.”
Shelaughed
nouveau
again,asifshesaid
quelque chose
somethingverywitty,andheldmy
main
handforamoment,lookingupintomyface,
promettant
promisingthattherewasnoonein
le
theworldshesomuchwantedto
voir
see.
Thatwasawayshehad.
Shehintedin
un
amurmurthatthesurnameofthebalancing
fille
girlwasBaker.
(I’veheardit
dire
saidthatDaisy’smurmurwasonlyto
faire
makepeopleleantowardher;
une
anirrelevantcriticismthatmadeit
pas
nolesscharming.)
Atanyrate,
Mlle
MissBaker’slipsfluttered,she
hoché
noddedatmealmostimperceptibly,
et
andthenquicklytippedher
tête
headbackagain—theobjectshewasbalancinghad
évidemment
obviouslytotteredalittleand
donné
givenhersomethingofa
frayeur
fright.
Againasortofapologyarosetomylips.
Presque
Almostanyexhibitionofcompleteself-sufficiency
attire
drawsastunnedtributefromme.
I
regardé
lookedbackatmycousin,
qui
whobegantoaskmequestionsinherlow,thrilling
voix
voice.
Itwasthekindof
voix
voicethattheearfollowsupand
bas
down,asifeachspeechis
un
anarrangementofnotesthatwill
jamais
neverbeplayedagain.
Her
visage
facewassadandlovely
avec
withbrightthingsinit,
lumineux
brighteyesandabrightpassionate
bouche
mouth,buttherewasan
excitation
excitementinhervoicethatmenwhohadcaredforher
trouvaient
founddifficulttoforget:
a
chanter
singingcompulsion,awhispered“Listen,”a
promesse
promisethatshehaddonegay,excitingthingsjustawhilesince
et
andthatthereweregay,excitingthings
plane
hoveringinthenexthour.
I
dit
toldherhowIhad
arrêté
stoppedoffinChicagofor
une
adayonmywayEast,
et
andhowadozenpeoplehad
envoyé
senttheirlovethroughme.
“Dothey
manque
missme?”
shecriedecstatically.
“The
toute
wholetownisdesolate.
Allthecars
ont
havetheleftrearwheelpainted
noir
blackasamourningwreath,
et
andthere’sapersistentwail
toutes
allnightalongthenorthshore.”
“How
magnifique
gorgeous!
Let’sgoback,Tom.
Tomorrow!”
Thenshe
ajouté
addedirrelevantly:
“Yououghtto
voir
seethebaby.”
“I’dliketo.”
“She’sasleep.
She’s
trois
threeyearsold.
Haven’tyoueverseenher?”
“Never.”
“Well,yououghtto
voir
seeher.
She’s—”.
TomBuchanan,
qui
whohadbeenhoveringrestlesslyabout
la
theroom,stoppedandrestedhis
main
handonmyshoulder.
“Whatyou
fais
doing,Nick?”
“I’mabondman.”
“Whowith?”
I
dit
toldhim.
“Neverheardofthem,”he
remarquer
remarkeddecisively.
Thisannoyedme.
“Youwill,”I
répondis
answeredshortly.
“Youwillifyou
restez
stayintheEast.”
“Oh,I’ll
resterai
stayintheEast,don’tyouworry,”he
dit
said,glancingatDaisyandthenbackat
moi
me,asifhewere
alerte
alertforsomethingmore.
“I’dbe
un
aGoddamnedfoolto
vivre
liveanywhereelse.”
Atthispoint
Mlle
MissBakersaid:
“Absolutely!”
withsuchsuddenness
que
thatIstarted—itwasthe
premier
firstwordshehaduttered
depuis
sinceIcameintotheroom.
Évidemment
Evidentlyitsurprisedherasmuchasitdid
moi
me,forsheyawnedand
avec
withaseriesofrapid,deftmovementsstoodupinto
la
theroom.
“I’mstiff,”she
plainte
complained,“I’vebeenlyingonthat
canapé
sofaforaslongasIcanremember.”
“Don’t
regarde
lookatme,”Daisyretorted,“I’vebeen
essayé
tryingtogetyoutoNewYork
tout
allafternoon.”
“No,thanks,”said
Mlle
MissBakertothefourcocktailsjustinfromthe
garde-manger
pantry.
“I’mabsolutelyintraining.”
Her
hôte
hostlookedatherincredulously.
“Youare!”
Hetookdownhisdrinkasifitwerea
goutte
dropinthebottomofaglass.
“Howyouevergetanything
faire
doneisbeyondme.”
I
regardé
lookedatMissBaker,wonderingwhatitwasshe“gotdone.”
Ienjoyed
regarder
lookingather.
Shewasa
mince
slender,small-breastedgirl,withanerectcarriage,whichsheaccentuatedby
jetant
throwingherbodybackwardat
les
theshoulderslikeayoung
cadet
cadet.
Hergreysun-strainedeyes
regardaient
lookedbackatmewithpolitereciprocal
curiosité
curiosityoutofawan,charming,discontented
visage
face.
Itoccurredtome
maintenant
nowthatIhadseenher,
ou
orapictureofher,somewhere
avant
before.
“YouliveinWestEgg,”she
remarquer
remarkedcontemptuously.
“Iknowsomebodythere.”
“Idon’t
connais
knowasingle—”.
“Youmust
connaître
knowGatsby.”
“Gatsby?”
demandedDaisy.
“WhatGatsby?”
Avant
BeforeIcouldreplythathewasmy
voisin
neighbourdinnerwasannounced;
wedginghis
tendu
tensearmimperativelyundermine,TomBuchanancompelledmefromtheroomasthoughhewere
déplaçait
movingacheckertoanothersquare.
Slenderly,languidly,theirhandsset
légèrement
lightlyontheirhips,the
deux
twoyoungwomenprecededusoutonto
un
arosy-colouredporch,opentowardthe
coucher du soleil
sunset,wherefourcandlesflickeredonthe
table
tableinthediminishedwind.
“Whycandles?”
objected
Daisy
Daisy,frowning.
Shesnappedthemout
avec
withherfingers.
“Intwoweeksit’llbe
le
thelongestdayintheyear.”
She
regardait
lookedatusallradiantly.
“Doyou
toujours
alwayswatchforthelongest
jour
dayoftheyearandthen
manquez
missit?
Ialwayswatchfor
le
thelongestdayintheyear
et
andthenmissit.”
“Weoughtto
planifier
plansomething,”yawnedMissBaker,sittingdownat
la
thetableasifsheweregettinginto
coucher
bed.
“Allright,”saidDaisy.
“What’llweplan?”
Sheturnedtomehelplessly:
“Whatdo
gens
peopleplan?”
BeforeIcould
répondre
answerhereyesfastenedwith
une
anawedexpressiononher
petit
littlefinger.
“Look!”
shecomplained;
“I
blessé
hurtit.”
Wealllooked—theknucklewasblack
et
andblue.
“Youdidit,Tom,”she
dit
saidaccusingly.
“Iknowyoudidn’tmeanto,
mais
butyoudiddoit.
That’swhatIgetfor
épousé
marryingabruteofa
homme
man,agreat,big,hulking
physique
physicalspecimenofa—”.
“I
déteste
hatethatword‘hulking,’ ”objectedTomcrossly,“eveninkidding.”
“Hulking,”
insisté
insistedDaisy.
Sometimessheand
Mlle
MissBakertalkedatonce,unobtrusively
et
andwithabanteringinconsequencethatwas
jamais
neverquitechatter,thatwasascoolastheirwhitedresses
et
andtheirimpersonaleyesintheabsenceof
tout
alldesire.
Theywerehere,
et
andtheyacceptedTomand
moi
me,makingonlyapolite
agréable
pleasantefforttoentertainortobeentertained.
They
savaient
knewthatpresentlydinnerwouldbeover
et
andalittlelatertheevening
aussi
toowouldbeoverandcasuallyputaway.
Itwas
nettement
sharplydifferentfromtheWest,
où
whereaneveningwashurriedfrom
phase
phasetophasetowardsitsclose,ina
continuellement
continuallydisappointedanticipationorelsein
pure
sheernervousdreadofthemomentitself.
“You
faites
makemefeeluncivilized,Daisy,”I
avoué
confessedonmysecondglassofcorky
mais
butratherimpressiveclaret.
“Can’tyou
parler
talkaboutcropsorsomething?”
Imeant
rien
nothinginparticularbythis
remarque
remark,butitwastakenupinanunexpected
manière
way.
“Civilization’sgoingtopieces,”brokeoutTom
violemment
violently.
“I’vegottentobe
un
aterriblepessimistaboutthings.
Haveyou
lu
readTheRiseoftheColouredEmpiresby
cet
thismanGoddard?”
“Why,no,”I
répondis
answered,rathersurprisedbyhis
ton
tone.
“Well,it’safine
livre
book,andeverybodyoughtto
lire
readit.
Theideais
si
ifwedon’tlookout
la
thewhiteracewillbe—willbeutterlysubmerged.
It’s
tout
allscientificstuff;
it’sbeenproved.”