The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Gradually Hardening French B2 Translation Books

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Gradually Hardening French B2 Translation Books

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I.ASCANDALINBOHEMIA
I.
ToSherlockHolmessheisalwaysthewoman.
Ihave
rarement
seldom
heardhimmentionherunderanyothername.
Inhiseyesshe
éclipse
eclipses
andpredominatesthewholeofhersex.
Itwasnotthathefeltany
émotion
emotion
akintoloveforIreneAdler.
Allemotions,andthatone
en particulier
particularly
,wereabhorrenttohiscold,precisebutadmirablybalancedmind.
Hewas,Itakeit,themostperfectreasoningandobservingmachinethattheworldhasseen,butasaloverhewouldhaveplacedhimselfinafalseposition.
Heneverspokeofthesofterpassions,savewithagibeandasneer.
Theywereadmirablethingsfortheobserver—excellentfordrawingtheveilfrommen’smotivesandactions.
Butforthetrainedreasonertoadmitsuchintrusionsintohisown
délicat
delicate
andfinelyadjustedtemperamentwastointroduceadistracting
facteur
factor
whichmightthrowadoubtuponallhismentalresults.
Gritinasensitive
instrument
instrument
,oracrackinoneofhisownhigh-powerlenses,wouldnotbemoredisturbingthanastrong
émotion
emotion
inanaturesuchashis.
Andyettherewasbutonewomantohim,andthatwomanwasthelateIreneAdler,ofdubiousandquestionablememory.
IhadseenlittleofHolmeslately.
Mymarriagehaddriftedusawayfromeachother.
Myowncompletehappiness,andthehome-centredinterestswhichriseuparoundthemanwhofirstfindshimselfmasterofhisown
établissement
establishment
,weresufficienttoabsorballmyattention,whileHolmes,who
détestait
loathed
everyformofsocietywithhiswholeBohemiansoul,remainedinourlodgingsin
Baker
Baker
Street,buriedamonghisoldbooks,and
alternant
alternating
fromweektoweekbetweencocaineandambition,thedrowsinessofthedrug,andthe
féroce
fierce
energyofhisownkeennature.
Hewasstill,asever,deeply
attiré
attracted
bythestudyofcrime,and
occupait
occupied
hisimmensefacultiesandextraordinarypowersofobservationinfollowingoutthoseclues,andclearingupthosemysterieswhichhadbeenabandonedas
sans espoir
hopeless
bytheofficialpolice.
FromtimetotimeIheardsome
vague
vague
accountofhisdoings:
ofhissummonstoOdessainthecaseoftheTrepoffmurder,ofhisclearingupofthesingular
tragédie
tragedy
oftheAtkinsonbrothersatTrincomalee,andfinallyofthemissionwhichhehadaccomplishedsodelicatelyand
succès
successfully
forthereigningfamilyofHolland.
Beyondthesesignsofhisactivity,however,whichImerelysharedwithallthereadersofthedailypress,Iknewlittleofmyformerfriendand
compagnon
companion
.
Onenight—itwasonthetwentiethofMarch,1888—Iwasreturningfromajourneytoapatient(forIhadnowreturnedtocivilpractice),whenmywayledmethrough
Baker
Baker
Street.
AsIpassedthewell-remembereddoor,whichmustalwaysbeassociatedinmymindwithmywooing,andwiththedarkincidentsoftheStudyin
Écarlate
Scarlet
,IwasseizedwithakeendesiretoseeHolmesagain,andtoknowhowhewas
employait
employing
hisextraordinarypowers.
Hisroomswerebrilliantlylit,and,evenasIlookedup,Isawhistall,sparefigurepasstwiceinadarksilhouetteagainsttheblind.
Hewaspacingtheroom
rapidement
swiftly
,eagerly,withhisheadsunkuponhischestandhishandsclaspedbehindhim.
Tome,whoknewhiseverymoodandhabit,hisattitudeandmannertoldtheirownstory.
Hewasatworkagain.
Hehadrisenoutofhisdrug-createddreamsandwashotuponthescentofsomenewproblem.
Irangthebellandwasshownuptothechamberwhichhad
auparavant
formerly
beeninpartmyown.
Hismannerwasnoteffusive.
It
rarement
seldom
was;
buthewasglad,Ithink,toseeme.
Withhardlyawordspoken,butwithakindlyeye,hewavedmetoanarmchair,threwacrosshiscaseofcigars,and
indiqué
indicated
aspiritcaseandagasogeneinthecorner.
Thenhestoodbeforethefireandlookedmeoverinhissingularintrospectivefashion.
“Wedlocksuitsyou,”he
remarquer
remarked
.
“Ithink,Watson,thatyouhaveputonsevenandahalfpoundssinceIsawyou.”
“Seven!”
Ianswered.
“Indeed,Ishouldhavethoughtalittlemore.
Justatriflemore,Ifancy,Watson.
Andinpracticeagain,Iobserve.
Youdidnottellmethatyouintendedtogointoharness.”
“Then,howdoyouknow?”
“Iseeit,Ideduceit.
HowdoIknowthatyouhavebeengettingyourselfverywetlately,andthatyouhaveamostclumsyandcareless
servante
servant
girl?”
“MydearHolmes,”saidI,“thisistoomuch.
Youwouldcertainlyhavebeenburned,hadyoulivedafewcenturiesago.
ItistruethatIhadacountrywalkonThursdayandcamehomeina
terrible
dreadful
mess,butasIhavechangedmyclothesIcan’timaginehowyoudeduceit.
AstoMaryJane,sheisincorrigible,andmywifehasgivenhernotice,butthere,again,Ifailtoseehowyouworkitout.”
Hechuckledtohimselfand
frotté
rubbed
hislong,nervoushandstogether.
“Itis
simplicité
simplicity
itself,”saidhe;
“myeyestellmethatontheinsideofyourleftshoe,justwherethefirelightstrikesit,the
cuir
leather
isscoredbysixalmostparallelcuts.
Obviouslytheyhavebeencausedbysomeonewhohasverycarelessly
gratté
scraped
roundtheedgesofthesoleinordertoremovecrusted
boue
mud
fromit.
Hence,yousee,mydoubledeductionthatyouhadbeenoutinvileweather,andthatyouhada
particulièrement
particularly
malignantboot-slittingspecimenoftheLondonslavey.
Astoyourpractice,ifagentlemanwalksintomyroomssmellingofiodoform,withablackmarkofnitrateofsilveruponhisrightforefinger,andabulgeontherightsideofhistop-hattoshowwherehehassecretedhisstethoscope,Imustbedull,indeed,ifIdonot
prononce
pronounce
himtobean
actif
active
memberofthemedicalprofession.”
Icouldnothelplaughingatthe
facilité
ease
withwhichheexplainedhisprocessofdeduction.
“WhenIhearyougiveyourreasons,”I
remarquer
remarked
,“thethingalwaysappearstometobesoridiculouslysimplethatIcouldeasilydoitmyself,thoughateachsuccessiveinstanceofyourreasoningIambaffleduntilyouexplainyourprocess.
AndyetIbelievethatmyeyesareasgoodasyours.”
“Quiteso,”heanswered,
allumant
lighting
acigarette,andthrowinghimselfdownintoanarmchair.
“Yousee,butyoudonotobserve.
The
distinction
distinction
isclear.
Forexample,youhave
souvent
frequently
seenthestepswhichleadupfromthehalltothisroom.”
“Frequently.”
“Howoften?”
“Well,somehundredsoftimes.”
“Thenhowmanyarethere?”
“Howmany?
Idon’tknow.”
“Quiteso!
Youhavenot
observé
observed
.
Andyetyouhaveseen.
Thatisjustmypoint.
Now,Iknowthatthereareseventeensteps,becauseIhavebothseenand
observé
observed
.
Bytheway,sinceyouareinterestedintheselittleproblems,andsinceyouaregoodenoughtochronicleoneortwoofmytriflingexperiences,youmaybeinterestedinthis.”
Hethrewovera
feuille
sheet
ofthick,pink-tintednotepaperwhichhadbeenlyingopenuponthetable.
“Itcamebythelastpost,”saidhe.
“Readitaloud.”
Thenotewasundated,andwithouteither
signature
signature
oraddress.
“Therewillcalluponyouto-night,ataquartertoeighto’clock,”itsaid,“agentlemanwhodesiresto
consulter
consult
youuponamatteroftheverydeepestmoment.
YourrecentservicestooneoftheroyalhousesofEuropehaveshownthatyouareonewhomaysafelybetrustedwithmatterswhichareofan
importance
importance
whichcanhardlybeexaggerated.
Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.
Beinyourchamberthenatthathour,anddonottakeitamissifyour
visiteur
visitor
wearamask.”
“Thisisindeedamystery,”I
remarquer
remarked
.
“Whatdoyouimaginethatitmeans?”
“Ihavenodatayet.
Itisacapitalmistaketotheorisebeforeonehasdata.
Insensiblyonebeginsto
tordre
twist
factstosuittheories,insteadoftheoriestosuitfacts.
Butthenoteitself.
Whatdoyoudeducefromit?”
Icarefully
examiné
examined
thewriting,andthepaperuponwhichitwaswritten.
“Themanwhowroteitwas
vraisemblablement
presumably
welltodo,”I
remarquer
remarked
,endeavouringtoimitatemycompanion’sprocesses.
“Suchpapercouldnotbeboughtunderhalfa
couronne
crown
apacket.
Itispeculiarlystrongandstiff.”
“Peculiar—thatistheveryword,”saidHolmes.
“ItisnotanEnglishpaperatall.
Holdituptothelight.”
Ididso,andsawalarge“E”withasmall“g,”a“P,”andalarge“G”withasmall“t”wovenintothe
texture
texture
ofthepaper.
“Whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
askedHolmes.
“Thenameofthe
fabricant
maker
,nodoubt;
orhismonogram,rather.”
“Notatall.
The‘G’withthesmall‘t’standsfor‘Gesellschaft,’whichistheGermanfor‘Company.’Itisacustomarycontractionlikeour‘Co.’‘P,’ofcourse,standsfor‘Papier.’Nowforthe‘Eg.’LetusglanceatourContinentalGazetteer.”
Hetookdownaheavybrown
volume
volume
fromhisshelves.
“Eglow,Eglonitz—hereweare,Egria.
ItisinaGerman-speakingcountry—inBohemia,notfarfromCarlsbad.
‘RemarkableasbeingthesceneofthedeathofWallenstein,andforitsnumerousglass-factoriesandpaper-mills.’Ha,ha,myboy,whatdoyoumakeofthat?”
Hiseyes
scintillaient
sparkled
,andhesentupagreatblue
triomphant
triumphant
cloudfromhiscigarette.
“ThepaperwasmadeinBohemia,”Isaid.
“Precisely.
AndthemanwhowrotethenoteisaGerman.
Doyounotethe
particulière
peculiar
constructionofthesentence—‘Thisaccountofyouwehavefromallquartersreceived.’AFrenchmanorRussiancouldnothavewrittenthat.
ItistheGermanwhoissouncourteoustohisverbs.
Itonlyremains,therefore,to
découvrir
discover
whatiswantedbythisGermanwhowritesupon
Bohémien
Bohemian
paperandpreferswearingamasktoshowinghisface.
Andherehecomes,ifIamnotmistaken,to
résoudre
resolve
allourdoubts.”
Ashespoketherewasthesharpsoundofhorses’hoofsandgratingwheelsagainstthe
trottoir
curb
,followedbyasharppullatthebell.
Holmes
sifflé
whistled
.
“Apair,bythesound,”saidhe.
“Yes,”hecontinued,glancingoutofthewindow.
“Anicelittlebroughamandapairofbeauties.
Ahundredandfiftyguineasapiece.
There’smoneyinthiscase,Watson,ifthereisnothingelse.”
“IthinkthatIhadbettergo,Holmes.”
“Notabit,Doctor.
Staywhereyouare.
IamlostwithoutmyBoswell.
Andthispromisestobeinteresting.
Itwouldbeapitytomissit.”
“Butyourclient—”.
“Nevermindhim.
Imaywantyourhelp,andsomayhe.
Herehecomes.
Sitdowninthatarmchair,Doctor,andgiveusyourbestattention.”
Aslowandheavystep,whichhadbeenhearduponthestairsandinthe
passage
passage
,pausedimmediatelyoutsidethedoor.
Thentherewasaloudandauthoritativetap.
“Comein!”
saidHolmes.
Amanenteredwhocouldhardlyhavebeenlessthansixfeetsixinchesinheight,withthechestandlimbsofaHercules.
Hisdresswasrichwitharichnesswhichwould,inEngland,belookeduponasakintobadtaste.
Heavybandsofastrakhanwereslashedacrossthesleevesandfrontsofhisdouble-breastedcoat,whilethedeepbluecloakwhichwasthrownoverhisshoulderswaslinedwithflame-coloured
soie
silk
andsecuredattheneckwithabroochwhichconsistedofasingleflamingberyl.
Bootswhichextendedhalfwayuphiscalves,andwhichweretrimmedatthetopswithrichbrown
fourrure
fur
,completedtheimpressionofbarbaricopulencewhichwassuggestedbyhiswhole
apparence
appearance
.
Hecarriedabroad-brimmedhatinhishand,whileheworeacrosstheupperpartofhisface,extendingdownpastthecheekbones,ablackvizardmask,whichhehadapparently
ajusté
adjusted
thatverymoment,forhishandwasstillraisedtoitasheentered.
Fromthelowerpartofthefaceheappearedtobeamanofstrongcharacter,withathick,hanging
lèvre
lip
,andalong,straight
menton
chin
suggestiveofresolutionpushedtothe
longueur
length
ofobstinacy.
“Youhadmynote?”
heaskedwithadeep
dure
harsh
voiceandastronglymarkedGerman
accent
accent
.
“ItoldyouthatIwouldcall.”
Helookedfromonetotheotherofus,asifuncertainwhichtoaddress.
“Praytakeaseat,”saidHolmes.
“Thisismyfriendand
collègue
colleague
,Dr.Watson,whois
occasionnellement
occasionally
goodenoughtohelpmeinmycases.
WhomhaveIthehonourtoaddress?”
“YoumayaddressmeastheCountVonKramm,a
Bohémien
Bohemian
nobleman.
Iunderstandthatthisgentleman,yourfriend,isamanofhonourand
discrétion
discretion
,whomImaytrustwithamatterofthemost
extrême
extreme
importance.
Ifnot,Ishouldmuchpreferto
communiquer
communicate
withyoualone.”
Irosetogo,butHolmescaughtmebythe
poignet
wrist
andpushedmebackintomychair.
“Itisboth,ornone,”saidhe.
“Youmaysaybeforethisgentlemananythingwhichyoumaysaytome.”
TheCountshruggedhisbroadshoulders.
“ThenImustbegin,”saidhe,“by
liant
binding
youbothtoabsolute
secret
secrecy
fortwoyears;
attheendofthattimethematterwillbeofnoimportance.
Atpresentitisnottoomuchtosaythatitisofsuchweightitmayhavean
influence
influence
uponEuropeanhistory.”
“Ipromise,”saidHolmes.
“AndI.”
“Youwillexcusethismask,”continuedourstrange
visiteur
visitor
.
“Theaugustpersonwhoemploysmewisheshisagenttobeunknowntoyou,andImay
avouer
confess
atoncethatthetitlebywhichIhavejustcalledmyselfisnotexactlymyown.”
“Iwasawareofit,”saidHolmesdryly.
“Thecircumstancesareofgreatdelicacy,andeveryprecautionhastobetakentoquenchwhatmightgrowtobeanimmense
scandale
scandal
andseriouslycompromiseoneofthereigningfamiliesofEurope.
Tospeakplainly,thematterimplicatesthegreatHouseofOrmstein,hereditarykingsofBohemia.”
“Iwasalsoawareofthat,”murmuredHolmes,settlinghimselfdowninhisarmchairandclosinghiseyes.
Our
visiteur
visitor
glancedwithsomeapparentsurpriseatthelanguid,loungingfigureofthemanwhohadbeennodoubtdepictedtohimasthemostincisivereasonerandmost
énergique
energetic
agentinEurope.
Holmesslowlyreopenedhiseyesandlookedimpatientlyathisgiganticclient.
“IfyourMajestywouldcondescendtostateyourcase,”he
remarquer
remarked
,“Ishouldbebetterabletoadviseyou.”
Themansprangfromhischairandpacedupanddowntheroominuncontrollableagitation.
Then,witha
geste
gesture
ofdesperation,hetorethemaskfromhisfaceand
jeté
hurled
itupontheground.
“Youareright,”hecried;
“IamtheKing.
WhyshouldIattempttoconcealit?”
“Why,indeed?”
murmuredHolmes.
“YourMajestyhadnotspokenbeforeIwasawarethatIwasaddressingWilhelmGottsreichSigismondvonOrmstein,Grand
Duc
Duke
ofCassel-Felstein,andhereditaryKingofBohemia.”
“Butyoucanunderstand,”saidourstrange
visiteur
visitor
,sittingdownoncemoreandpassinghishandoverhishighwhite
front
forehead
,“youcanunderstandthatIamnotaccustomedtodoingsuchbusinessinmyownperson.
YetthematterwassodelicatethatIcouldnot
confier
confide
ittoanagentwithoutputtingmyselfinhispower.
IhavecomeincognitofromPragueforthepurposeof
consulter
consulting
you.”
“Then,prayconsult,”saidHolmes,shuttinghiseyesoncemore.
“Thefactsare
brièvement
briefly
these:
Somefiveyearsago,duringalengthyvisittoWarsaw,Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-knownadventuress,IreneAdler.
Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou.”
“Kindlylookherupinmy
index
index
,Doctor,”murmuredHolmeswithoutopeninghiseyes.
Formanyyearshehad
adopté
adopted
asystemofdocketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings,sothatitwasdifficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotatoncefurnishinformation.
InthiscaseIfoundher
biographie
biography
sandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofastaff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes.
“Letmesee!”
saidHolmes.
“Hum!
BorninNewJerseyintheyear1858.
Contralto—hum!
LaScala,hum!
Prima
Prima
donnaImperialOperaofWarsaw—yes!
Retiré
Retired
fromoperaticstage—ha!
LivinginLondon—quiteso!
YourMajesty,asIunderstand,becameentangledwiththisyoungperson,wrotehersomecompromisingletters,andisnowdesirousofgettingthoselettersback.”
“Preciselyso.
Buthow—”.