A Room with a View — Page 12
It was a real catastrophe, not a mere episode, that evening of hers at Venice, when she had found in her bedroom something that is one worse than a flea, though one better than something else.
C'était une véritable catastrophe, non pas un simple épisode, que cette soirée à Venise, lorsqu'elle avait trouvé dans sa chambre quelque chose qui est un cran pire qu'une puce, tout en étant un cran meilleur que quelque chose d'autre.
"But here you are as safe as in England. Signora Bertolini is so English."
« Mais ici vous êtes aussi en sécurité qu'en Angleterre. La Signora Bertolini est tellement anglaise. »
"Yet our rooms smell," said poor Lucy. "We dread going to bed."
« Pourtant nos chambres sentent mauvais », dit la pauvre Lucy. « Nous redoutons d'aller nous coucher. »
"Ah, then you look into the court." She sighed. "If only Mr. Emerson was more tactful! We were so sorry for you at dinner."
« Ah, alors vous donnez sur la cour. » Elle soupira. « Si seulement M. Emerson était plus délicat ! Nous avons eu tellement de peine pour vous au dîner. »
"I think he was meaning to be kind."
« Je pense qu'il avait l'intention d'être aimable. »
"Undoubtedly he was," said Miss Bartlett.
« Sans aucun doute », dit Miss Bartlett.
"Mr. Beebe has just been scolding me for my suspicious nature. Of course, I was holding back on my cousin's account."
« M. Beebe vient de me gronder pour mon caractère méfiant. Bien sûr, je me retenais par égard pour ma cousine. »
"Of course," said the little old lady; and they murmured that one could not be too careful with a young girl.
« Bien sûr », dit la petite vieille dame ; et elles murmurèrent qu'on ne saurait être trop prudent avec une jeune fille.
Lucy tried to look demure, but could not help feeling a great fool. No one was careful with her at home; or, at all events, she had not noticed it.
Lucy essaya de prendre un air sage, mais ne put s'empêcher de se sentir parfaitement sotte. Personne ne se montrait aussi prudent avec elle à la maison ; ou, du moins, elle ne l'avait pas remarqué.
"About old Mr. Emerson—I hardly know. No, he is not tactful; yet, have you ever noticed that there are people who do things which are most indelicate, and yet at the same time—beautiful?"
« Quant au vieux M. Emerson — je ne sais trop que penser. Non, il n'est pas délicat ; et pourtant, avez-vous jamais remarqué qu'il y a des gens qui font des choses des plus indélicates, et qui sont pourtant en même temps — belles ? »
"Beautiful?" said Miss Bartlett, puzzled at the word. "Are not beauty and delicacy the same?"
« Belles ? » dit Miss Bartlett, déconcertée par le mot. « La beauté et la délicatesse ne sont-elles pas la même chose ? »
"So one would have thought," said the other helplessly. "But things are so difficult, I sometimes think.
« C'est ce qu'on aurait pu croire », dit l'autre avec désarroi. « Mais les choses sont si difficiles, je le pense parfois.
Vocabulary
- était
- Past tense of 'être'; was
- véritable
- True, genuine, or real
- catastrophe
- A terrible disaster or calamitous event
- simple
- Plain, basic, or not complicated
- épisode
- An incident or event within a larger sequence
- soirée
- An evening or evening social gathering
- Venise
- The Italian city of Venice
- lorsqu'
- Contraction of 'lorsque'; meaning 'when'
- avait
- Imperfect tense of 'avoir'; had
- trouvé
- Past participle of 'trouver'; found
- chambre
- A room, especially a bedroom
- quelque
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few'
- chose
- A thing or object
- cran
- A notch, level, or degree of intensity
- pire
- Worse or the worst
- puce
- A flea; also a tiny insect parasite
- tout
- All, everything, or entirely
- étant
- Present participle of 'être'; being
- meilleur
- Better or the best
- autre
- Another or other
- ici
- Adverb meaning 'here'
- aussi
- Also, too, or as (in comparisons)
- sécurité
- Safety or security
- Angleterre
- England, the country in the United Kingdom
- tellement
- So much, so very, or to such a degree
- anglaise
- Feminine adjective meaning 'English'
- Pourtant
- Yet, however, or nevertheless
- chambres
- Plural of 'chambre'; rooms or bedrooms
- sentent
- Third-person plural of 'sentir'; smell or feel
- mauvais
- Bad, unpleasant, or wrong
- dit
- Past tense of 'dire'; said
- pauvre
- Poor, unfortunate, or pitiful
- redoutons
- First-person plural of 'redouter'; we dread or fear
- aller
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to go'
- coucher
- To lie down or go to bed
- alors
- Then, so, or at that time
- donnez
- Second-person plural imperative of 'donner'; give
- cour
- A courtyard or inner court of a building
- soupira
- Past simple of 'soupirer'; she sighed
- seulement
- Only, merely, or just
- plus
- More, most, or no longer (in negation)
- délicat
- Delicate, refined, or tactful
- eu
- Past participle of 'avoir'; had
- peine
- Trouble, difficulty, or sorrow
- dîner
- Dinner or to have dinner
- pense
- First-person singular of 'penser'; I think
- intention
- An aim, plan, or purpose
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'
- aimable
- Kind, friendly, or pleasant
- Sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- aucun
- No, none, or not any
- doute
- Doubt or uncertainty
- vient
- Third-person singular of 'venir'; comes
- gronder
- To scold, reprimand, or tell off
- caractère
- Character, personality, or temperament
- méfiant
- Suspicious, distrustful, or wary
- sûr
- Sure, certain, or safe
- retenais
- Imperfect of 'retenir'; I was holding back
- égard
- Regard, consideration, or respect for someone
- cousine
- Female cousin
- petite
- Feminine adjective meaning 'small' or 'little'
- vieille
- Feminine adjective meaning 'old'
- dame
- A lady or woman of social standing
- murmurèrent
- Past simple of 'murmurer'; they murmured or whispered
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'we', or 'they'
- saurait
- Conditional of 'savoir'; would know or could
- trop
- Too much or too many
- prudent
- Careful, cautious, or prudent
- jeune
- Young or youthful
- fille
- A girl or daughter
- essaya
- Past simple of 'essayer'; tried or attempted
- prendre
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to take'
- air
- Air, atmosphere, or look, appearance
- sage
- Wise, sensible, or well-behaved
- put
- Past simple of 'pouvoir'; could or was able to
- empêcher
- To prevent, stop, or refrain from doing something
- sentir
- To feel, smell, or sense
- parfaitement
- Perfectly, completely, or absolutely
- sotte
- Feminine of 'sot'; foolish or silly
- Personne
- Nobody, no one, or a person
- montrait
- Imperfect of 'montrer'; was showing or pointed out
- maison
- A house or home
- moins
- Less, least, or fewer
- remarqué
- Past participle of 'remarquer'; noticed or observed
- Quant
- Used in 'quant à' meaning 'as for' or 'regarding'
- vieux
- Old (masculine), referring to an elderly man
- sais
- First-person singular of 'savoir'; I know
- penser
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to think'
- pourtant
- Yet, however, or nevertheless
- jamais
- Never or ever
- y
- Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'it' referring to a place
- gens
- People or persons in general
- font
- Third-person plural of 'faire'; do or make
- choses
- Plural of 'chose'; things or objects
- indélicates
- Indelicate, tactless, or lacking refinement
- même
- Same, even, or very
- temps
- Time or weather
- belles
- Feminine plural of 'beau'; beautiful or lovely
- Belles
- Feminine plural of 'beau'; beautiful or lovely
- déconcertée
- Past participle of 'déconcerter'; disconcerted or confused
- mot
- A word
- beauté
- Beauty or attractiveness
- délicatesse
- Delicacy, refinement, or tactfulness
- aurait
- Conditional of 'avoir'; would have
- pu
- Past participle of 'pouvoir'; been able to
- croire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to believe' or 'to think'
- désarroi
- Disarray, confusion, or distress
- si
- If, so, or whether
- difficiles
- Plural of 'difficile'; difficult or hard
- parfois
- Sometimes or occasionally
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