A Study in Scarlet | Progressive French B1 Translation Books

A Study in Scarlet | Progressive French B1 Translation Books

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CHAPTERI.MR.SHERLOCKHOLMES.
Intheyear1878ItookmydegreeofDoctorof
Médecine
Medicine
oftheUniversityofLondon,andproceededtoNetleytogothroughthecourseprescribedforsurgeonsinthearmy.
Havingcompletedmystudiesthere,IwasdulyattachedtotheFifthNorthumberlandFusiliersas
Adjoint
Assistant
Surgeon.
TheregimentwasstationedinIndiaatthetime,andbeforeIcouldjoinit,thesecondAfghanwarhadbrokenout.
OnlandingatBombay,Ilearnedthatmycorpshad
avancé
advanced
throughthepasses,andwasalreadydeepintheenemy’scountry.
Ifollowed,however,withmanyotherofficerswhowereinthesamesituationasmyself,andsucceededinreachingCandaharin
sécurité
safety
,whereIfoundmyregiment,andatonce
entré
entered
uponmynewduties.
Thecampaignbroughthonoursandpromotiontomany,butformeithadnothingbutmisfortuneand
désastre
disaster
.
IwasremovedfrommybrigadeandattachedtotheBerkshires,withwhomI
servi
served
atthefatalbattleofMaiwand.
ThereIwas
frappé
struck
ontheshoulderbyaJezail
balle
bullet
,whichshatteredtheboneandgrazedthesubclavianartery.
IshouldhavefallenintothehandsofthemurderousGhazishaditnotbeenforthedevotionand
courage
courage
shownbyMurray,myorderly,whothrewmeacrossapack-horse,andsucceededinbringingmesafelytotheBritishlines.
Wornwithpain,andweakfromtheprolongedhardshipswhichIhadundergone,Iwasremoved,withagreattrainofwoundedsufferers,tothe
base
base
hospitalatPeshawar.
HereIrallied,andhadalreadyimprovedsofarastobeabletowalkaboutthewards,andeventobaskalittleupontheverandah,whenIwas
frappé
struck
downbyentericfever,that
malédiction
curse
ofourIndianpossessions.
Formonthsmylifewasdespairedof,andwhenatlastIcametomyselfandbecameconvalescent,Iwassoweakandemaciatedthata
médical
medical
boarddeterminedthatnotadayshouldbelostinsendingmebacktoEngland.
Iwasdispatched,accordingly,inthetroopship“Orontes,”andlandedamonthlateronPortsmouthjetty,withmy
santé
health
irretrievablyruined,butwith
permission
permission
fromapaternalgovernmenttospendthenextninemonthsin
tenter
attempting
toimproveit.
IhadneitherkithnorkininEngland,andwas
donc
therefore
asfreeasair—orasfreeasanincomeofelevenshillingsandsixpenceadaywillpermitamantobe.
Undersuchcircumstances,InaturallygravitatedtoLondon,thatgreatcesspoolintowhichalltheloungersandidlersoftheEmpireareirresistiblydrained.
ThereIstayedforsometimeataprivatehotelintheStrand,leadingacomfortless,meaninglessexistence,andspendingsuchmoneyasIhad,considerablymorefreelythanIought.
Soalarmingdidthestateofmyfinancesbecome,thatIsoonrealizedthatImusteitherleavethemetropolisandrusticatesomewhereinthecountry,orthatImustmakeacompletealterationinmystyleofliving.
Choosingthelatteralternative,Ibeganbymakingupmymindtoleavethehotel,andtotakeupmyquartersinsomelesspretentiousandless
coûteux
expensive
domicile.
OntheverydaythatIhadcometothisconclusion,IwasstandingattheCriterionBar,whensomeonetappedmeontheshoulder,andturningroundI
reconnu
recognized
youngStamford,whohadbeenadresserundermeatBarts.
The
vue
sight
ofafriendlyfaceinthegreatwildernessofLondonisapleasantthingindeedtoa
solitaire
lonely
man.
InolddaysStamfordhadneverbeena
particulier
particular
cronyofmine,butnowIhailedhimwithenthusiasm,andhe,inhisturn,
semblait
appeared
tobedelightedtoseeme.
Intheexuberanceofmy
joie
joy
,IaskedhimtolunchwithmeattheHolborn,andwestartedofftogetherinahansom.
“Whateverhaveyoubeendoingwithyourself,Watson?”
heaskedinundisguisedwonder,aswerattledthroughthecrowdedLondonstreets.
“Youareas
mince
thin
asalathandasbrownasanut.”
Igavehimashortsketchofmyadventures,andhad
à peine
hardly
concludeditbythetimethatwereachedourdestination.
“Poordevil!”
hesaid,commiseratingly,afterhehadlistenedtomymisfortunes.
“Whatareyouuptonow?”
“Lookingforlodgings,”Ianswered.
“Tryingto
résoudre
solve
theproblemastowhetheritispossibletogetcomfortableroomsatareasonableprice.”
“That’sastrangething,”remarkedmycompanion;
“youarethesecondmanto-daythathasusedthatexpressiontome.”
“Andwhowasthefirst?”
Iasked.
“Afellowwhoisworkingatthechemicallaboratoryupatthehospital.
Hewasbemoaninghimselfthismorningbecausehecouldnotgetsomeonetogohalveswithhiminsomeniceroomswhichhehadfound,andwhichweretoomuchforhispurse.”
“ByJove!”
Icried,“ifhereallywantssomeonetosharetheroomsandtheexpense,Iamtheverymanforhim.
Ishould
préfère
prefer
havingapartnertobeingalone.”
YoungStamfordlookedratherstrangelyatmeoverhiswine-glass.
“Youdon’tknowSherlockHolmesyet,”hesaid;
“perhapsyouwouldnotcareforhimasaconstantcompanion.”
“Why,whatisthereagainsthim?”
“Oh,Ididn’tsaytherewasanythingagainsthim.
Heisalittlequeerinhisideas—anenthusiastinsomebranchesof
science
science
.
AsfarasIknowheisa
décent
decent
fellowenough.”
“Amedicalstudent,Isuppose?”
saidI.
“No—Ihavenoideawhatheintendstogoinfor.
Ibelieveheiswellupinanatomy,andheisafirst-classchemist;
but,asfarasIknow,hehasnevertakenoutanysystematic
médecine
medical
classes.
Hisstudiesareverydesultoryandeccentric,buthehasamassedalotofout-of-theway
connaissances
knowledge
whichwouldastonishhisprofessors.”
“Didyouneveraskhimwhathewasgoinginfor?”
Iasked.
“No;
heisnotamanthatitiseasytodrawout,thoughhecanbecommunicativeenoughwhenthe
fantaisie
fancy
seizeshim.”
“Ishouldliketomeethim,”Isaid.
“IfIamtolodgewithanyone,Ishould
préférerais
prefer
amanofstudiousandquiethabits.
Iamnotstrongenoughyettostandmuch
bruit
noise
orexcitement.
IhadenoughofbothinAfghanistantolastmefortheremainderofmynaturalexistence.
HowcouldImeetthisfriendofyours?”
“Heissuretobeatthelaboratory,”returnedmycompanion.
“Heeither
évite
avoids
theplaceforweeks,orelseheworkstherefrommorningtonight.
Ifyoulike,weshalldriveroundtogetherafterluncheon.”
“Certainly,”Ianswered,andthe
conversation
conversation
driftedawayintootherchannels.
AswemadeourwaytothehospitalafterleavingtheHolborn,Stamfordgavemeafewmoreparticularsaboutthe
monsieur
gentleman
whomIproposedtotakeasafellow-lodger.
“Youmustn’tblamemeifyoudon’tgetonwithhim,”hesaid;
“IknownothingmoreofhimthanIhavelearnedfrommeetinghimoccasionallyinthelaboratory.
Youproposedthisarrangement,soyoumustnotholdmeresponsible.”
“Ifwedon’tgetonitwillbeeasytopartcompany,”Ianswered.
“Itseemstome,Stamford,”I
ajouté
added
,lookinghardatmycompanion,“thatyouhavesomereasonforwashingyourhandsofthematter.
Isthisfellow’stempersoformidable,orwhatisit?
Don’tbemealy-mouthedaboutit.”
“Itisnoteasytoexpresstheinexpressible,”heansweredwithalaugh.
“Holmesisalittletooscientificformytastes—itapproachestocold-bloodedness.
Icouldimaginehisgivingafriendalittlepinchofthe
dernier
latest
vegetablealkaloid,notoutofmalevolence,youunderstand,butsimplyoutofaspiritofinquiryinordertohaveanaccurateideaoftheeffects.
Todohim
justice
justice
,Ithinkthathewouldtakeithimselfwiththesamereadiness.
He
semble
appears
tohaveapassionfordefiniteand
exacte
exact
knowledge.”
“Veryrighttoo.”
“Yes,butitmaybepushedtoexcess.
Whenitcomestobeatingthesubjectsinthedissecting-roomswithastick,itiscertainlytakingratherabizarreshape.”
“Beatingthesubjects!”
“Yes,toverifyhowfarbruisesmaybeproducedafterdeath.
Isawhimatitwithmyowneyes.”
“Andyetyousayheisnota
médecine
medical
student?”
“No.
Heavenknowswhattheobjectsofhisstudiesare.
Buthereweare,andyoumustformyourownimpressionsabouthim.”
Ashespoke,weturneddownanarrowlaneandpassedthroughasmallside-door,whichopenedintoa
aile
wing
ofthegreathospital.
Itwas
familier
familiar
groundtome,andIneedednoguidingasweascendedthebleak
pierre
stone
staircaseandmadeourwaydownthelongcorridorwithitsvistaofwhitewashedwallanddun-coloureddoors.
Nearthefurtherendalowarchedpassagebranchedawayfromitandledtothechemicallaboratory.
Thiswasaloftychamber,linedandlitteredwithcountlessbottles.
Broad,lowtableswerescatteredabout,whichbristledwithretorts,test-tubes,andlittleBunsenlamps,withtheirblueflickeringflames.
Therewasonlyonestudentintheroom,whowasbendingoveradistanttableabsorbedinhiswork.
Atthesoundofourstepsheglancedroundandsprangtohisfeetwithacryofpleasure.
“I’vefoundit!
I’vefoundit,”he
cria
shouted
tomycompanion,running
vers
towards
uswithatest-tubeinhishand.
“Ihavefoundare-agentwhichisprecipitatedbyhæmoglobin,andbynothingelse.”
Hadhediscoveredagoldmine,
plus
greater
delightcouldnothave
briller
shone
uponhisfeatures.
“Dr.
Watson,Mr.SherlockHolmes,”saidStamford,
présentant
introducing
us.
“Howareyou?”
hesaidcordially,grippingmyhandwitha
force
strength
forwhichIshould
guère
hardly
havegivenhimcredit.
“YouhavebeeninAfghanistan,Iperceive.”
“Howonearthdidyouknowthat?”
Iaskedinastonishment.
“Nevermind,”saidhe,chucklingtohimself.
“Thequestionnowisabouthæmoglobin.
Nodoubtyouseethesignificanceofthisdiscoveryofmine?”
“Itisinteresting,chemically,nodoubt,”Ianswered,“butpractically——”.
“Why,man,itisthemostpracticalmedico-legaldiscoveryforyears.
Don’tyouseethatitgivesusaninfallibletestforbloodstains.
Comeoverherenow!”
Heseizedmebythecoat-sleeveinhiseagerness,and
attiré
drew
meovertothetableatwhichhehadbeenworking.
“Letushavesomefreshblood,”hesaid,
creusant
digging
alongbodkinintohis
doigt
finger
,anddrawingoffthe
résultait
resulting
dropofbloodinachemicalpipette.
“Now,Iaddthissmallquantityofbloodtoalitreofwater.
Youperceivethatthe
résulte
resulting
mixturehastheappearanceof
pure
pure
water.
Theproportionofbloodcannotbemorethanoneinamillion.
Ihavenodoubt,however,thatweshallbeabletoobtainthecharacteristicreaction.”
Ashespoke,hethrewintothevesselafewwhitecrystals,andthen
ajouta
added
somedropsofatransparentfluid.
Inaninstantthecontentsassumedadullmahoganycolour,andabrownish
poussière
dust
wasprecipitatedtothe
fond
bottom
oftheglassjar.
“Ha!
ha!”
hecried,clappinghishands,andlookingasdelightedasachildwithanew
jouet
toy
.
“Whatdoyouthinkofthat?”
“Itseemstobeaverydelicatetest,”Iremarked.
“Beautiful!
beautiful!
TheoldGuiacumtestwasveryclumsyanduncertain.
Soisthemicroscopicexaminationforbloodcorpuscles.
Thelatterisvaluelessifthestainsareafewhoursold.
Now,this
semble
appears
toactaswellwhetherthebloodisoldornew.
Hadthistestbeeninvented,therearehundredsofmennowwalkingtheearthwhowouldlongagohavepaidthepenaltyoftheircrimes.”
“Indeed!”
Imurmured.
“Criminalcasesarecontinuallyhinginguponthatonepoint.
Amanis
soupçonné
suspected
ofacrimemonthsperhapsafterithasbeen
commis
committed
.
Hislinenorclothesareexamined,andbrownishstainsdiscovereduponthem.
Aretheybloodstains,ormudstains,orruststains,or
fruits
fruit
stains,orwhatarethey?
Thatisaquestionwhichhaspuzzledmanyanexpert,andwhy?
Becausetherewasnoreliabletest.
NowwehavetheSherlockHolmes’test,andtherewillnolongerbeanydifficulty.”
Hiseyesfairlyglitteredashespoke,andheputhishandoverhisheartandbowedasiftosomeapplauding
foule
crowd
conjuredupbyhis
imagination
imagination
.
“Youaretobecongratulated,”Iremarked,considerablysurprisedathisenthusiasm.
“TherewasthecaseofVonBischoffatFrankfortlastyear.
Hewouldcertainlyhavebeenhunghadthistestbeeninexistence.
ThentherewasMasonofBradford,andthenotoriousMuller,andLefevreofMontpellier,andSamsonofNewOrleans.
Icouldnameascoreofcasesinwhichitwouldhavebeendecisive.”
“Youseemtobeawalkingcalendarofcrime,”saidStamfordwithalaugh.
“Youmightstartapaperonthoselines.
Callitthe‘PoliceNewsofthePast.’”.
“Veryinterestingreadingitmightbemade,too,”remarkedSherlockHolmes,stickingasmallpieceofplasterovertheprickonhis
doigt
finger
.
“Ihavetobecareful,”hecontinued,turningtomewithasmile,“forIdabblewithpoisonsagooddeal.”
Heheldouthishandashespoke,andInoticedthatitwasallmottledoverwithsimilarpiecesofplaster,anddiscolouredwithstrongacids.
“Wecamehereonbusiness,”saidStamford,sittingdownonahighthree-leggedstool,andpushinganotheroneinmy
direction
direction
withhisfoot.
“Myfriendherewantstotakediggings,andasyouwerecomplainingthatyoucouldgetnoonetogohalveswithyou,IthoughtthatIhadbetterbringyoutogether.”
SherlockHolmesseemeddelightedattheideaofsharinghisroomswithme.
“IhavemyeyeonasuiteinBakerStreet,”hesaid,“whichwouldsuitusdowntotheground.
Youdon’tmindthesmellofstrongtobacco,Ihope?”
“Ialwayssmoke‘ship’s’myself,”Ianswered.
“That’sgoodenough.
Igenerallyhavechemicalsabout,andoccasionallydoexperiments.
Wouldthatannoyyou?”
“Bynomeans.”
“Letmesee—whataremyothershortcomings.
Igetinthedumpsattimes,anddon’topenmymouthfordaysonend.
YoumustnotthinkIamsulkywhenIdothat.
Justletmealone,andI’llsoonberight.
Whathaveyoutoconfessnow?
It’sjustaswellfortwofellowstoknowtheworstofoneanotherbeforetheybegintolivetogether.”
Ilaughedatthiscross-examination.
“Ikeepabullpup,”Isaid,“andIobjecttorowsbecausemynervesareshaken,andIgetupatallsortsofungodlyhours,andIam
extrêmement
extremely
lazy.
IhaveanothersetofviceswhenI’mwell,butthosearetheprincipalonesatpresent.”
“Doyouincludeviolin-playinginyourcategoryofrows?”
heasked,anxiously.
“Itdependsontheplayer,”Ianswered.
“Awell-playedviolinisatreatforthegods—abadly-playedone——”.
“Oh,that’sallright,”hecried,withamerrylaugh.
“Ithinkwemay
considérer
consider
thethingassettled—thatis,iftheroomsareagreeabletoyou.”
“Whenshallweseethem?”
“Callformehereatnoonto-morrow,andwe’llgotogetherand
réglerons
settle
everything,”heanswered.
“Allright—noonexactly,”saidI,
serrant
shaking
hishand.
Welefthimworking
parmi
among
hischemicals,andwewalkedtogether
vers
towards
myhotel.
“Bytheway,”Iaskedsuddenly,stoppingandturninguponStamford,“howthedeucedidheknowthatIhadcomefromAfghanistan?”
Mycompanionsmiledanenigmaticalsmile.
“That’sjusthislittlepeculiarity,”hesaid.
“Agoodmanypeoplehavewantedtoknowhowhefindsthingsout.”
“Oh!
a
mystère
mystery
isit?”
Icried,rubbingmyhands.
“Thisisverypiquant.
Iammuchobligedtoyouforbringingustogether.
‘Theproperstudyofmankindisman,’youknow.”
“Youmuststudyhim,then,”Stamfordsaid,ashebademegood-bye.
“You’llfindhimaknottyproblem,though.
I’llwagerhelearnsmoreaboutyouthanyouabouthim.
Good-bye.”
CHAPTERII.THE
Science
SCIENCE
OFDEDUCTION.