The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Progressive French B1 Translation Books

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Progressive French B1 Translation Books

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I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihaveseldomheardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyessheeclipsesandpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
ItwasnotthathefeltanyemotionakintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatoneparticularly,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirably
équilibré
balanced
mind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonerto
admettre
admit
suchintrusionsintohisowndelicateandfinelyadjustedtemperamentwasto
introduire
introduce
adistractingfactorwhichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritina
sensible
sensitive
instrument,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrongemotioninanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmes
ces derniers temps
lately
.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncomplete
bonheur
happiness
,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisownestablishment,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,wholoathedeveryformof
société
society
withhiswholeBohemiansoul,
resté
remained
inourlodgingsinBakerStreet,
enterré
buried
amonghisoldbooks,andalternatingfromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthefierceenergyofhisownkeennature.
Hewasstill,asever,
profondément
deeply
attractedbythestudyofcrime,andoccupiedhisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedashopelessbytheofficialpolice.
FromtimetotimeIheardsomevagueaccountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingulartragedyoftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyandsuccessfullyforthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Au-delà
Beyond
thesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthe
quotidienne
daily
press,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendandcompanion.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethof
Mars
March
,1888—Iwasreturningfroma
voyage
journey
toapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethroughBakerStreet.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyinScarlet,Iwasseizedwithakeen
désir
desire
toseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewasemployinghisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroomswiftly,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhis
poitrine
chest
andhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhisevery
humeur
mood
andhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthe
cloche
bell
andwasshownuptothechamberwhichhadformerlybeeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
Itseldomwas;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
With
à peine
hardly
awordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,andindicatedaspiritcaseandagasogeneinthe
coin
corner
.
Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospective
façon
fashion
.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”heremarked.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfvery
mouillé
wet
lately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcarelessservantgirl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkon
Jeudi
Thursday
andcamehomeinadreadfulmess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.
AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfandrubbedhislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itissimplicityitself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleft
chaussure
shoe
,justwherethefirelight
frappe
strikes
it,theleatheris
marqué
scored
bysixalmostparallelcuts.
Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelesslyscrapedroundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrustedmudfromit.
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvile
temps
weather
,andthatyouhadaparticularlymalignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyourpractice,ifa
monsieur
gentleman
walksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,
en effet
indeed
,ifIdonotpronouncehimtobeanactive
membre
member
ofthemedicalprofession.”
Icouldnothelplaughingattheeasewithwhichheexplainedhis
processus
process
ofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”Iremarked,“thethingalways
semble
appears
tometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcould
facilement
easily
doitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyour
processus
process
.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,lightinga
cigarette
cigarette
,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
Thedistinctionisclear.
For
exemple
example
,youhavefrequentlyseenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenotobserved.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenandobserved.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewoverasheetofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
The
note
note
wasundated,andwithouteithersignatureoraddress.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“a
monsieur
gentleman
whodesirestoconsultyouuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehave
montré
shown
thatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofanimportancewhichcan
guère
hardly
beexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquarters
reçu
received
.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyourvisitorwearamask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”Iremarked.
“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihaveno
données
data
yet.
Itisa
capitale
capital
mistaketotheorisebeforeonehas
données
data
.
Insensiblyonebeginstotwistfactstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthe
note
note
itself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
I
soigneusement
carefully
examinedthewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.
“Themanwhowroteitwaspresumablywelltodo,”Iremarked,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfacrownapacket.
Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothetextureofthepaper.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthemaker,nodoubt;
orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdownaheavy
brun
brown
volumefromhisshelves.
“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyessparkled,andhesentupagreatbluetriumphantcloudfromhis
cigarette
cigarette
.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
Andthemanwhowrotethe
note
note
isaGerman.
Doyounotethepeculiar
construction
construction
ofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonly
reste
remains
,therefore,todiscoverwhatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesuponBohemianpaperand
préfère
prefers
wearingamasktoshowinghisface.
Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,toresolveallourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthecurb,followedbyasharppullatthe
cloche
bell
.
Holmeswhistled.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamanda
paire
pair
ofbeauties.
Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthepassage,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasa
fort
loud
andauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Aman
entré
entered
whocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthe
poitrine
chest
andlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-colouredsilkand
fixé
secured
attheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.
Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrownfur,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswholeappearance.
Hecarriedabroad-brimmed
chapeau
hat
inhishand,whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizard
masque
mask
,whichhehadapparentlyadjustedthatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitashe
entré
entered
.
Fromthelowerpartofthefacehe
semblait
appeared
tobeamanofstrong
caractère
character
,withathick,hanginglip,andalong,straightchinsuggestiveofresolutionpushedtothelengthofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeepharshvoiceandastronglymarkedGermanaccent.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendandcolleague,Dr.Watson,whoisoccasionallygoodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,aBohemiannobleman.
Iunderstandthatthis
monsieur
gentleman
,yourfriend,isamanofhonouranddiscretion,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemostextremeimportance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuch
préfère
prefer
tocommunicatewithyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythewristandpushedmebackintomy
chaise
chair
.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethis
monsieur
gentleman
anythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“bybindingyoubothtoabsolutesecrecyfortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuch
poids
weight
itmayhaveaninfluenceuponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrangevisitor.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobe
inconnu
unknown
toyou,andImayconfessatoncethatthe
titre
title
bywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”
“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmensescandalandseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Ourvisitorglancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmostenergeticagentinEurope.
Holmes
lentement
slowly
reopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgigantic
client
client
.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”heremarked,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhis
chaise
chair
andpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,withagestureofdesperation,he
déchiré
tore
themaskfromhisfaceandhurleditupontheground.
“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldI
essayer
attempt
toconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“Your
Majesté
Majesty
hadnotspokenbeforeIwas
conscient
aware
thatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,GrandDukeofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”
“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrangevisitor,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhiteforehead,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnotconfideittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthe
but
purpose
ofconsultingyou.”
“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsarebrieflythese:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubt
familier
familiar
toyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehadadoptedasystemofdocketingallparagraphs
concernant
concerning
menandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonamea
sujet
subject
orapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.
InthiscaseIfoundherbiographysandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
PrimadonnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiredfromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
Your
Majesté
Majesty
,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.