×

Select Store

Dowload from Google Play Dowload from the App Store

Scan with Camera

Dowload via QR Code
The Enchanted April | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

The Enchanted April | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

Chapter1
Itbeganin
un
aWoman’sClubinLondonon
un
aFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,
e
andamiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,
che
whohadcomedownfromHampsteadtoshop
e
andhadlunchedatherclub,
prese
tookupTheTimesfromthetableinthesmoking-room,
e
andrunningherlistlesseye
giù
downtheAgonyColumnsaw
questo
this:.
ToThosewhoAppreciateWistaria
e
andSunshine.
SmallmediaevalItalianCastleon
il
theshoresoftheMediterraneantobe
Lasciare
LetFurnishedforthemonthofApril.
Necessaryservantsremain.
Z,Box1000,
Il
TheTimes.
Thatwasitsconception;
yet,asinthe
caso
caseofmanyanother,theconceiverwasunawareofitatthe
momento
moment.
SoentirelyunawarewasMrs.Wilkins
che
thatherAprilforthatyearhadthen
e
andtherebeensettledforher
che
thatshedroppedthenewspaperwith
un
agesturethatwasbothirritated
e
andresigned,andwentovertothewindow
e
andstareddrearilyoutatthedripping
strada
street.
Notforherweremediaevalcastles,eventhose
che
thatarespeciallydescribedassmall.
NotforhertheshoresinApriloftheMediterranean,
e
andthewistariaandsunshine.
Suchdelightswere
solo
onlyfortherich.
Yettheadvertisement
ha
hadbeenaddressedtopersonswhoappreciatethesethings,sothatit
ha
hadbeen,anyhow,addressedtootoher,forshecertainlyappreciated
li
them;
morethananybodyknew;
morethanshe
avesse
hadevertold.
Butshewaspoor.
In
il
thewholeworldshepossessedofhervery
proprio
ownonlyninetypounds,savedfrom
anno
yeartoyear,putbycarefullypoundbypound,
fuori
outofherdressallowance.
She
aveva
hadscrapedthissumtogetheratthesuggestionofher
marito
husbandasashieldandrefuge
contro
againstarainyday.
Herdressallowance,givenherbyher
padre
father,was£100ayear,sothatMrs.Wilkins’sclotheswerewhather
marito
husband,urginghertosave,
chiamava
calledmodestandbecoming,andheracquaintancetoeachother,
quando
whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwasseldomforshewasverynegligible,
chiamava
calledaperfectsight.
Mr.
Wilkins,
un
asolicitor,encouragedthrift,exceptthatbranchofitwhichgotintohis
cibo
food.
Hedidnotcallthatthrift,he
chiamava
calleditbadhousekeeping.
Butfor
la
thethriftwhich,likemoth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’sclothes
e
andspoiltthem,hehadmuchpraise.
“Youneverknow,”he
disse
said,“whentherewillbe
un
arainyday,andyoumaybeverygladtofindyou
avere
haveanest-egg.
Indeedwe
entrambi
bothmay.”
Lookingoutof
il
theclubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswas
un
aneconomicalclub,butconvenientforHampstead,
dove
whereshelived,andforShoolbred’s,
dove
wheresheshopped—Mrs.
Wilkins,havingstoodtheresome
tempo
timeverydrearily,hermind’seyeontheMediterraneaninApril,
e
andthewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesoftherich,
mentre
whileherbodilyeyewatchedthe
davvero
reallyextremelyhorriblesootyrain
cadeva
fallingsteadilyonthehurryingumbrellas
e
andsplashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedwhether
forse
perhapsthiswasnottherainy
giorno
dayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooftenencouragedhertopreparefor,
e
andwhethertogetoutofsuch
un
aclimateandintothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’t
forse
perhapswhatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodowithhersavings.
Parte
Partofhersavings,ofcourse;
forse
perhapsquiteasmallpart.
Thecastle,beingmediaeval,
poteva
mightalsobedilapidated,anddilapidationsweresurelycheap.
Shewouldn’tin
le
theleastmindafewof
loro
them,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidations
che
whichwerealreadythere;
on
il
thecontrary—byreducingthepriceyou
hanno
hadtopaytheyreallypaidyou.
Ma
Butwhatnonsensetothinkofit...
Sheturnedawayfromthewindowwiththe
stesso
samegestureofmingledirritation
e
andresignationwithwhichshe
aveva
hadlaiddownTheTimes,
e
andcrossedtheroomtowardsthe
porta
doorwiththeintentionofgettinghermackintosh
e
andumbrellaandfightingher
strada
wayintooneoftheovercrowdedomnibuses
e
andgoingtoShoolbred’sonher
strada
wayhomeandbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficultwithfish
e
andlikedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,awomansheknewbysightasalsolivinginHampstead
e
andbelongingtotheclub,sittingatthetableinthemiddleoftheroomon
cui
whichthenewspapersandmagazineswerekept,absorbed,inherturn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.
Mrs.
Wilkins
aveva
hadneveryetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,
che
whobelongedtooneofthevariouschurchsets,
e
andwhoanalysed,classified,divided
e
andregisteredthepoor;
whereasshe
e
andMellersh,whentheydid
andavano
goout,wenttothepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadtherewere
molti
many.
Mellershhadasisterwho
aveva
hadmarriedoneofthem
e
andlivedupontheHeath,
e
andbecauseofthisallianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoacirclewhichwashighlyunnaturaltoher,
e
andshehadlearnedtodreadpictures.
Shehadto
dire
saythingsaboutthem,andshedidn’t
sapeva
knowwhattosay.
Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
e
andfeelthatitwasnot
abbastanza
enough.
Butnobodyminded.
Nobody
ascoltato
listened.
NobodytookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.
Shewas
il
thekindofpersonwhoisnotnoticedatparties.
Herclothes,infestedbythrift,
rendevano
madeherpracticallyinvisible;
her
faccia
facewasnon-arresting;
herconversationwasreluctant;
shewasshy.
E
Andifone’sclothesand
viso
faceandconversationareallnegligible,
pensò
thoughtMrs.Wilkins,whorecognisedherdisabilities,
cosa
what,atparties,isthereleftof
uno
one?
AlsoshewasalwayswithWilkins,thatclean-shaven,fine-lookingman,who
dava
gaveaparty,merelyby
venendo
comingtoit,agreat
aria
air.
Wilkinswasveryrespectable.
Hewasknowntobehighlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.
Hissister’scircleadmired
lo
him.
Hepronouncedadequatelyintelligentjudgmentsonart
e
andartists.
Hewaspithy;
hewasprudent;
henever
detto
saidawordtoomuch,nor,ontheotherhand,didheever
detto
sayawordtoolittle.
Heproducedtheimpressionof
tenere
keepingcopiesofeverythinghe
detto
said;
andhewassoobviouslyreliablethatitoften
accadeva
happenedthatpeoplewhomethimattheseparties
diventassero
becamediscontentedwiththeirownsolicitors,
e
andafteraperiodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselves
e
andwenttoWilkins.
NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”
disse
saidhissister,withsomethingherselfofthejudicial,thedigested,
e
andthefinalinhermanner,“shouldstayathome.”
Ma
ButWilkinscouldnotleavehis
moglie
wifeathome.
Hewas
un
afamilysolicitor,andallsuch
hanno
havewivesandshowthem.
Withhisinthe
settimana
weekhewenttoparties,
e
andwithhisonSundayshe
andava
wenttochurch.
Beingstillfairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousofoldladies,ofwhomhe
aveva
hadnotyetacquiredinhispractice
un
asufficientnumber,hecouldnotaffordto
perdere
misschurch,anditwasthere
che
thatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,
anche se
thoughneverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.
Shesawhermarshalling
i
thechildrenofthepoorintopews.
She
essere
wouldcomeinatthe
testa
headoftheprocessionfromtheSunday
Scuola
Schoolexactlyfiveminutesbeforethechoir,
e
andgetherboysandgirlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,
e
anddownontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminaryprayer,
e
andupagainontheirfeet
proprio
justas,totheswellingorgan,thevestry
porta
dooropened,andthechoir
e
andclergy,bigwiththelitanies
e
andcommandmentstheywerepresentlytoroll
uscivano
out,emerged.
Shehadasad
viso
face,yetshewasevidentlyefficient.
ThecombinationusedtomakeMrs.Wilkinswonder,forshehadbeen
detto
toldbyMellersh,ondayswhenshehad
solo
onlybeenabletogetplaice,
che
thatifonewereefficient
uno
onewouldn’tbedepressed,and
che
thatifonedoesone’s
lavoro
jobwellonebecomesautomaticallybright
e
andbrisk.
AboutMrs.Arbuthnottherewas
nulla
nothingbrightandbrisk,thoughmuchinher
modo
waywiththeSundaySchool
bambini
childrenthatwasautomatic;
but
quando
whenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthewindow,caughtsightofherintheclubshewasnotbeingautomaticatall,
ma
butwaslookingfixedlyat
una
oneportionofthefirstpageofTheTimes,
tenendo
holdingthepaperquitestill,hereyesnotmoving.
Shewas
solo
juststaring;
andherface,asusual,was
il
thefaceofapatient
e
anddisappointedMadonna.
Obeyinganimpulseshewonderedateven
mentre
whileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,theshy
e
andthereluctant,insteadofproceedingasshe
aveva
hadintendedtothecloakroom
e
andfromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsearchofMellersh’sfish,
fermò
stoppedatthetableand
sedette
satdownexactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshe
aveva
hadneveryetspokeninher
vita
life.
Itwasoneofthoselong,narrowrefectorytables,so
che
thattheywerequiteclosetoeachother.
Mrs.
Arbuthnot,however,didnot
sguardo
lookup.
Shecontinuedtogaze,witheyes
che
thatseemedtobedreaming,at
un
onespotonlyofTheTimes.
Mrs.
Wilkinswatchedher
un
aminute,tryingtoscrewupcouragetospeaktoher.
Shewantedtoaskher
se
ifshehadseentheadvertisement.
Shedidnot
sapeva
knowwhyshewantedtoaskher
questo
this,butshewantedto.
How
stupido
stupidnottobeabletospeaktoher.
Shelookedsokind.
Shelookedsounhappy.
Perché
Whycouldn’ttwounhappypeoplerefresheachotherontheirwaythrough
questo
thisdustybusinessoflifeby
una
alittletalk—real,naturaltalk,aboutwhatthey
sentivano
felt,whattheywouldhaveliked,whatthey
ancora
stilltriedtohope?
Andshecouldnothelp
pensare
thinkingthatMrs.Arbuthnot,too,was
leggendo
readingthatverysameadvertisement.
Hereyeswereon
i
theverypartofthepaper.
Was
lei
she,too,picturingwhatitwouldbelike—thecolour,thefragrance,the
luce
light,thesoftlappingoftheseaamonglittlehotrocks?
Colour,fragrance,
luce
light,sea;
insteadofShaftesburyAvenue,
e
andthewetomnibuses,andthefishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,
e
andtheTubetoHampstead,
e
anddinner,andto-morrowthe
stesso
sameandthedayafterthe
stesso
sameandalwaysthesame...
SuddenlyMrs.Wilkins
trovò
foundherselfleaningacrossthetable.
“Areyou
leggendo
readingaboutthemediaevalcastle
e
andthewistaria?”
sheheardherself
chiedere
asking.
NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwassurprised;
ma
butshewasnothalfsomuchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselffor
chiesto
asking.
Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnot
ancora
yettoherknowledgeseteyeson
la
theshabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherfigure
seduto
sittingoppositeher,withitssmallfreckled
faccia
faceandbiggreyeyes
quasi
almostdisappearingunderasmashed-downwet-weatherhat,
e
andshegazedather
un
amomentwithoutanswering.
Shewasreadingaboutthemediaevalcastle
e
andthewistaria,orrather
aveva
hadreadaboutittenminutes
prima
before,andsincethenhadbeenlostindreams—of
luce
light,ofcolour,offragrance,ofthesoftlappingoftheseaamonglittlehotrocks...
“Whydoyou
chiedi
askmethat?”
shesaidinhergravevoice,forhertrainingof
e
andbythepoorhadmadehergrave
e
andpatient.
Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
e
andlookedexcessivelyshyandfrightened.
“Oh,
solo
onlybecauseIsawittoo,
e
andIthoughtperhaps—Ithoughtsomehow—”
shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,her
mente
mindbeingusedtogetting
persone
peopleintolistsanddivisions,fromhabitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,
sotto
underwhatheading,supposingshehadtoclassify
sua
her,shecouldmostproperlybe
mettere
put.
“AndIknowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,
che
who,likealltheshy,
volta
onceshewasstartedplungedon,frighteningherselfto
più
moreandmorespeechbythesheer
suono
soundofwhatshehad
detto
saidlastinherears.
“EverySunday—I
vedo
seeyoueverySundayinchurch—”.
“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“And
questa
thisseemssuchawonderfulthing—thisadvertisementaboutthewistaria—and—”.
Mrs.
Wilkins,
che
whomusthavebeenat
almeno
leastthirty,brokeoffandwriggledinherchairwith
il
themovementofanawkward
e
andembarrassedschoolgirl.
“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentonin
una
akindofburst,“and—itissuch
una
amiserableday...”
E
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotwith
la
theeyesofanimprisoned
cane
dog.
“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,whose
vita
lifewasspentinhelping
e
andalleviating,“needsadvice.”
Sheaccordinglypreparedherselfpatientlytogiveit.
“Ifyou
vedi
seemeinchurch,”she
disse
said,kindlyandattentively,“Isupposeyou
abiti
liveinHampsteadtoo?”
“Ohyes,”
disse
saidMrs.Wilkins.
Andsherepeated,her
testa
headonitslongthinneckdrooping
un
alittleasiftherecollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”
“Where?”
chiesto
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,who,whenadvicewasneeded,naturally
prima
firstproceededtocollectthefacts.
Ma
ButMrs.Wilkins,layingher
mano
handsoftlyandcaressinglyonthe
parte
partofTheTimeswheretheadvertisementwas,asthoughthemereprintedwordsofitwereprecious,
solo
onlysaid,“Perhapsthat’swhy
questo
thisseemssowonderful.”
“No—I
penso
thinkthat’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,
dimenticando
forgettingfactsandfaintlysighing.
“Thenyouwere
leggendo
readingit?”
“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamy
di nuovo
again.
“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”
disse
saidMrs.Arbuthnot.
Herface,
che
whichhadlitup,fadedintopatience
di nuovo
again.
“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’s
non
nousewastingone’stime
pensare
thinkingofsuchthings.”
“Oh,
ma
butitis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’squick,surprisingreply;
surprising
perché
becauseitwassomuchunlikethe
resto
restofher—thecharacterlesscoat
e
andskirt,thecrumpledhat,theundecidedwispof
capelli
hairstragglingout.
“Andjusttheconsideringofthemisworthwhileinitself—sucha
cambiamento
changefromHampstead—andsometimesIbelieve—I
davvero
reallydobelieve—ifoneconsidershard
abbastanza
enoughonegetsthings.”
Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedherpatiently.
Inwhatcategorywouldshe,supposingshehadto,
metterebbe
puther?
“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaningforward
un
alittle,“youwilltellmeyour
nome
name.
Ifwearetobefriends”—shesmiledhergravesmile—“asIhopewe
siamo
are,wehadbetterbeginat
il
thebeginning.”
“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”
disse
saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Idon’texpect,”sheadded,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnot
diceva
saidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.
A volte
Sometimesit—itdoesn’tseemtoconvey
nulla
anythingtomeeither.
But”—she
guardò
lookedroundwithamovementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”
Shedidnotlikeher
nome
name.
Itwasamean,
piccolo
smallname,withakindoffacetioustwist,she
pensò
thought,aboutitsendliketheupwardcurveofapugdog’stail.
Thereitwas,however.
Therewas
non
nodoinganythingwithit.
Wilkinsshewas
e
andWilkinsshewouldremain;
e
andthoughherhusbandencouragedhertogiveiton
tutte
alloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshe
solo
onlydidthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshe
pensava
thoughtMellershmadeWilkinsworse,emphasisingitinthe
modo
wayChatsworthonthegate-postsof
una
avillaemphasisesthevilla.
Quando
Whenfirsthesuggestedshe
dovesse
shouldaddMellershshehadobjectedfor
la
theabovereason,andafterapause—Mellershwasmuchtooprudentto
parlare
speakexceptafterapause,duringwhichpresumablyhewastakingacarefulmentalcopyofhiscomingobservation—he
disse
said,muchdispleased,“ButIamnotavilla,”
e
andlookedatherashe
guardò
lookswhohopes,forperhaps
la
thehundredthtime,thathemaynothave
sposato
marriedafool.
Ofcoursehewasnot
una
avilla,Mrs.Wilkinsassured
lo
him;
shehadneversupposedhewas;
she
aveva
hadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonlyjust
pensando
thinking...
The
più
moresheexplainedthemoreearnest
diventava
becameMellersh’shope,familiartohimbythis
tempo
time,forhehadthenbeena
marito
husbandfortwoyears,thathe
potesse
mightnotbyanychancehavemarriedafool;
e
andtheyhadaprolongedquarrel,ifthatcanbe
chiamare
calledaquarrelwhichisconductedwithdignifiedsilenceonone
lato
sideandearnestapologyontheother,astowhether
o
ornoMrs.WilkinshadintendedtosuggestthatMr.Wilkinswasavilla.
“Ibelieve,”shehad
pensato
thoughtwhenitwasatlastover—ittook
un
alongwhile—“thatanybodywouldquarrel
su
aboutanythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeing
insieme
togetherforasingledayfor
due
twowholeyears.
Whatwe
entrambi
bothneedisaholiday.”
“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,tryingtothrowsome
luce
lightonherself,“isasolicitor.
He—”
Shecast
su
aboutforsomethingshecould
dire
sayelucidatoryofMellersh,and
trovato
found:
“He’sveryhandsome.”
“Well,”
disse
saidMrs.Arbuthnotkindly,“thatmustbe
un
agreatpleasuretoyou.”
“Why?”
chiesto
askedMrs.Wilkins.
“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,
un
alittletakenaback,forconstantintercoursewiththepoorhadaccustomedhertohaveherpronouncementsaccepted
senza
withoutquestion,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isagift
come
likeanyother,andifitisproperlyused—”.
Shetrailedoffintosilence.
Mrs.Wilkins’sgreatgreyeyeswerefixedonher,
e
anditseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnot
che
thatperhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoahabitofexposition,
e
andofexpositionafterthemannerofnursemaids,
attraverso
throughhavinganaudiencethatcouldn’tbutagree,
che
thatwouldbeafraid,ifitwished,tointerrupt,
che
thatdidn’tknow,thatwas,in
fatto
fact,athermercy.
ButMrs.Wilkinswasnot
ascoltando
listening;
forjustthen,absurdasitseemed,apicturehadflashedacrossherbrain,
e
andthereweretwofiguresinitsitting
insieme
togetherunderagreattrailingwistaria
che
thatstretchedacrossthebranchesofatreeshedidn’tknow,
e
anditwasherselfandMrs.Arbuthnot—shesawthem—shesawthem.
E
Andbehindthem,brightinsunshine,wereoldgreywalls—themediaevalcastle—she
vide
sawit—theywerethere...
ShethereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnot
e
anddidnotheara
parola
wordshesaid.
AndMrs.ArbuthnotstaredtooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedbytheexpressiononher
viso
face,whichwassweptbytheexcitementofwhatshe
vedeva
saw,andwasasluminous
e
andtremulousunderitaswaterinsunlight
quando
whenitisruffledby
una
agustofwind.
At
questo
thismoment,ifshehadbeenat
una
aparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldhavebeenlookedatwithinterest.
Theystaredateachother;
Mrs.Arbuthnotsurprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkinswith
la
theeyesofsomeone
che
whohashadarevelation.
Ofcourse.
Thatwashowitcouldbe
fare
done.
Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’taffordit,
e
andwouldn’tbeable,even
se
ifshecouldaffordit,togothereallalone;
ma
butsheandMrs.Arbuthnot
insieme
together...
Sheleanedacrossthetable.
“Whydon’twetryandgetit?”
shewhispered.
Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecame
ancora
evenmorewide-eyed.
“Getit?”
sherepeated.
“Yes,”
disse
saidMrs.Wilkins,stillasthoughshewereafraidofbeingoverheard.
“Notjustsit
qui
hereandsayHowwonderful,
e
andthengohometoHampstead
senza
withouthavingputoutafinger—go
casa
homejustasusualandseeaboutthe
cena
dinnerandthefishjustaswe’vebeendoingforyears
e
andyearsandwillgoondoingforyears
e
andyears.
Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingtotherootsofher
capelli
hair,forthesoundofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwas
venendo
comingpouringout,frightenedher,andyetshecouldn’tstop,“I
vedo
seenoendtoit.
Thereis
non
noendtoit.
So
che
thatthereoughttobe
una
abreak,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.
Why,itwould
davvero
reallybebeingunselfishtogoaway
e
andbehappyforalittle,becausewewouldcomebacksomuchnicer.
You
vedi
see,afterabiteverybodyneedsaholiday.”
“But—howdoyou
dire
mean,getit?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”
disse
saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Takeit?”