A Study in Scarlet — Page 3
So alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that I must make a complete alteration in my style of living.
L'état de mes finances devint si alarmant que je compris bientôt que je devais soit quitter la métropole et aller me retirer quelque part à la campagne, soit apporter un changement complet à mon train de vie.
Choosing the latter alternative, I began by making up my mind to leave the hotel, and to take up my quarters in some less pretentious and less expensive domicile.
Choisissant cette dernière option, je commençai par me résoudre à quitter l'hôtel et à m'installer dans un logement moins prétentieux et moins coûteux.
On the very day that I had come to this conclusion, I was standing at the Criterion Bar, when some one tapped me on the shoulder, and turning round I recognized young Stamford, who had been a dresser under me at Barts.
Le jour même où j'étais parvenu à cette conclusion, je me trouvais au Criterion Bar, lorsque quelqu'un me tapota sur l'épaule, et en me retournant je reconnus le jeune Stamford, qui avait été aide-chirurgien sous mes ordres à Barts.
The sight of a friendly face in the great wilderness of London is a pleasant thing indeed to a lonely man.
La vue d'un visage ami dans la grande solitude de Londres est vraiment une chose agréable pour un homme solitaire.
In old days Stamford had never been a particular crony of mine, but now I hailed him with enthusiasm, and he, in his turn, appeared to be delighted to see me.
Autrefois, Stamford n'avait jamais été un ami particulièrement proche, mais je l'accueillis à présent avec enthousiasme, et lui, à son tour, parut ravi de me voir.
In the exuberance of my joy, I asked him to lunch with me at the Holborn, and we started off together in a hansom.
Dans l'exubérance de ma joie, je l'invitai à déjeuner avec moi au Holborn, et nous partîmes ensemble dans un cab.
"Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?" he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets.
« Que diable avez-vous donc fait de vous-même, Watson ? » demanda-t-il avec un étonnement non dissimulé, tandis que nous cahotions à travers les rues encombrées de Londres.
"You are as thin as a lath and as brown as a nut."
« Vous êtes maigre comme un clou et bronzé comme une noisette. »
I gave him a short sketch of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our destination.
Je lui fis un bref récit de mes aventures, et je l'avais à peine terminé lorsque nous parvînmes à destination.
"Poor devil!
« Pauvre diable !
Vocabulary
- état
- State or condition of something.
- finances
- Financial situation or monetary resources.
- devint
- Past tense of 'devenir': became.
- alarmant
- Alarming; causing worry or concern.
- compris
- Past participle of 'comprendre': understood.
- bientôt
- Soon; in a short amount of time.
- devais
- Imperfect of 'devoir': had to, was obliged.
- soit
- Subjunctive of 'être'; used in 'soit...soit' (either...or).
- quitter
- To leave or abandon a place or person.
- métropole
- Metropolis; large, major city.
- retirer
- To withdraw or retire to a place.
- quelque
- Some; an indefinite adjective meaning 'some place'.
- part
- Place; used in 'quelque part' meaning 'somewhere'.
- campagne
- The countryside; rural area outside the city.
- apporter
- To bring; to carry something to somewhere.
- changement
- A change; transformation in situation or lifestyle.
- complet
- Complete; total, entire, thorough.
- train
- In 'train de vie': lifestyle, way of living.
- Choisissant
- Present participle of 'choisir': choosing.
- dernière
- Last; most recent (feminine form).
- option
- Option; a choice among several possibilities.
- commençai
- Simple past of 'commencer': I began.
- résoudre
- To resolve or decide; to solve a problem.
- installer
- To settle or set oneself up somewhere.
- logement
- Lodging or housing accommodation.
- prétentieux
- Pretentious; showy, overly ambitious in style.
- coûteux
- Costly; expensive, requiring much money.
- même
- Same; even; very (used for emphasis).
- parvenu
- Past participle of 'parvenir': arrived at, reached.
- conclusion
- Conclusion; final decision or end result.
- lorsque
- When; conjunction indicating a specific moment.
- quelqu'
- Someone; indefinite pronoun before a vowel.
- tapota
- Simple past of 'tapoter': tapped lightly.
- épaule
- Shoulder; the joint connecting arm to body.
- retournant
- Present participle of 'se retourner': turning around.
- reconnus
- Simple past of 'reconnaître': I recognized.
- aide-chirurgien
- Assistant surgeon; medical helper in surgery.
- ordres
- Orders; commands given by a superior.
- vue
- Sight; the act of seeing or a view.
- visage
- Face; the front part of the human head.
- solitude
- Solitude; the state of being alone.
- vraiment
- Truly; really, genuinely.
- agréable
- Pleasant; enjoyable, pleasing to the senses.
- solitaire
- Solitary; lonely, living or being alone.
- Autrefois
- Formerly; in the past, in earlier times.
- jamais
- Never; at no time (used in negation).
- particulièrement
- Particularly; especially, in a specific way.
- proche
- Close; near, intimate in relationship.
- accueillis
- Simple past of 'accueillir': I welcomed.
- présent
- Present; now, at this moment.
- enthousiasme
- Enthusiasm; eager excitement and energy.
- tour
- Turn; in 'à son tour' meaning 'in turn'.
- parut
- Simple past of 'paraître': appeared, seemed.
- ravi
- Delighted; very pleased, thrilled.
- exubérance
- Exuberance; overflowing enthusiasm or joy.
- joie
- Joy; a feeling of great happiness.
- invitai
- Simple past of 'inviter': I invited.
- déjeuner
- To have lunch; the midday meal.
- partîmes
- Simple past of 'partir': we left, departed.
- ensemble
- Together; as a group, jointly.
- cab
- Cab; a horse-drawn or motorized taxi.
- diable
- Devil; used in 'que diable' as an exclamation.
- donc
- Then, therefore; a discourse connector.
- vous-même
- Yourself; emphatic reflexive pronoun (formal).
- demanda-t-il
- He asked; inverted form of 'il demanda'.
- étonnement
- Astonishment; great surprise or amazement.
- dissimulé
- Concealed; hidden, not openly expressed.
- tandis
- While; used in 'tandis que' meaning 'whereas'.
- cahotions
- Imperfect of 'cahoter': we jolted along.
- travers
- Through; used in 'à travers' meaning 'across'.
- encombrées
- Congested; cluttered or blocked with traffic.
- maigre
- Thin; lean, lacking body weight.
- clou
- Nail; a metal fastener; 'maigre comme un clou' means very thin.
- bronzé
- Tanned; having a brown skin color from sun.
- noisette
- Hazelnut; also refers to a light brown color.
- fis
- Simple past of 'faire': I made, I did.
- bref
- Brief; short, concise.
- récit
- Account; a narrative or story told.
- aventures
- Adventures; exciting or unusual experiences.
- peine
- Barely; in 'à peine' meaning 'hardly, scarcely'.
- terminé
- Finished; completed, ended.
- parvînmes
- Simple past of 'parvenir': we arrived, reached.
- destination
- Destination; the place one is traveling toward.
- Pauvre
- Poor; lacking money or used to express pity.
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