Harrigan — Page 1
They were past the thick of the mob now and they dodged rapidly among the cottages until the clamor of police fell away to a murmur behind them, and they swung out onto the narrow, dark street which led back toward the heart of Honolulu.
Ils avaient maintenant dépassé le gros de la foule et ils se faufilèrent rapidement entre les maisonnettes jusqu'à ce que la clameur de la police se réduisît à un murmure derrière eux, et ils débouchèrent sur l'étroite rue sombre qui menait vers le cœur d'Honolulu.
For ten minutes they strode along without a word.
Pendant dix minutes, ils marchèrent d'un pas vif sans prononcer un mot.
Under the light of a street lamp they stopped of one accord.
Sous la lumière d'un réverbère, ils s'arrêtèrent d'un commun accord.
"I'm McTee."
« Je suis McTee. »
"I'm Harrigan."
« Je suis Harrigan. »
The gripping of the hands was more than fellowship; it was like a test of strength which left each uncertain of the other's resources.
La poignée de mains était plus qu'une marque de camaraderie ; c'était comme une épreuve de force qui laissait chacun incertain des ressources de l'autre.
They were exactly opposite types.
Ils étaient de types exactement opposés.
McTee was long of face, with an arched, cruel nose, gleaming eyes, heavy, straight brows which pointed up and gave a touch of the Mephistophelian to his expression, a narrow, jutting chin, and lips habitually compressed to a thin line.
McTee avait le visage allongé, le nez busqué et cruel, les yeux brillants, des sourcils épais et droits qui se relevaient et conféraient une touche méphistophélique à son expression, un menton étroit et proéminent, et des lèvres habituellement serrées en une ligne fine.
It was a handsome face, in a way, but it showed such a brutal dominance that it inspired fear first and admiration afterward.
C'était un beau visage, en quelque sorte, mais il exprimait une domination si brutale qu'il inspirait d'abord la peur et ensuite l'admiration.
Such a man must command.
Un tel homme se devait de commander.
He might be only the boss of a gang of laborers, or he might be a financier, but never in any case an underling.
Il pouvait n'être que le chef d'une équipe d'ouvriers, ou bien un financier, mais jamais en aucun cas un subalterne.
Altogether he combined physical and intellectual strength to such a degree that both men and women would have stopped to look at him, and once seen he would be remembered.
En somme, il réunissait la force physique et intellectuelle à un tel degré que les hommes comme les femmes se seraient arrêtés pour le regarder, et une fois vu, il ne s'oubliait pas.
On the other hand, in Harrigan one felt only force, not directed and controlled as in McTee, but impulsive, irregular, irresponsible, uncompassed.
En revanche, chez Harrigan on ne sentait que la force, non pas dirigée et maîtrisée comme chez McTee, mais impulsive, irrégulière, irresponsable, sans bornes.
Vocabulary
- avaient
- Past tense of 'avoir'; they had
- maintenant
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'
- dépassé
- Past participle of 'dépasser'; surpassed or gone past
- gros
- Adjective meaning large, big, or main bulk
- foule
- Noun meaning a crowd of people
- faufilèrent
- They slipped or threaded their way through stealthily
- rapidement
- Adverb meaning quickly or rapidly
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- maisonnettes
- Small houses or little cottages
- jusqu'
- Preposition meaning 'until' or 'as far as'
- clameur
- Noun meaning a loud outcry or clamor
- police
- Noun meaning the police force
- réduisît
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'réduire'; reduced to a murmur
- murmure
- Noun meaning a murmur or soft sound
- derrière
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'behind'
- eux
- Stressed pronoun meaning 'them' (masculine)
- débouchèrent
- They emerged or opened out onto a street
- étroite
- Adjective meaning narrow or tight
- rue
- Noun meaning a street
- sombre
- Adjective meaning dark or gloomy
- menait
- Imperfect of 'mener'; was leading or heading toward
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'around'
- cœur
- Noun meaning heart or center of something
- Pendant
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a time period
- dix
- Number meaning ten
- minutes
- Units of time; sixty seconds each
- marchèrent
- They walked or marched at a brisk pace
- pas
- Noun meaning step or pace; negation particle
- vif
- Adjective meaning lively, brisk, or quick
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- prononcer
- Verb meaning to pronounce or utter a word
- mot
- Noun meaning a word
- Sous
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'beneath'
- lumière
- Noun meaning light or illumination
- réverbère
- Noun meaning a street lamp or lamppost
- arrêtèrent
- They stopped or came to a halt
- commun
- Adjective meaning common, shared, or mutual
- accord
- Noun meaning agreement or accord
- suis
- First person singular of 'être'; I am
- poignée
- Noun meaning handshake or handle of something
- mains
- Noun meaning hands
- était
- Imperfect of 'être'; was or used to be
- plus
- Adverb meaning more or no longer depending on context
- marque
- Noun meaning mark, sign, or token of something
- camaraderie
- Noun meaning comradeship or mutual goodwill between people
- comme
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'like' or 'as'
- épreuve
- Noun meaning test, trial, or ordeal
- force
- Noun meaning strength or force
- laissait
- Imperfect of 'laisser'; was leaving or letting remain
- chacun
- Pronoun meaning each one or everyone
- incertain
- Adjective meaning uncertain or unsure about something
- ressources
- Noun meaning resources, abilities, or inner reserves
- autre
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another'
- types
- Noun meaning types, guys, or kinds of people
- exactement
- Adverb meaning exactly or precisely
- opposés
- Adjective meaning opposite or contrasting in nature
- avait
- Imperfect of 'avoir'; he/she had
- visage
- Noun meaning face or facial appearance
- allongé
- Adjective meaning elongated or stretched out
- nez
- Noun meaning nose
- busqué
- Adjective meaning hooked or aquiline (describing a nose)
- cruel
- Adjective meaning cruel or harsh
- yeux
- Noun meaning eyes (plural of œil)
- brillants
- Adjective meaning bright, brilliant, or shining
- sourcils
- Noun meaning eyebrows
- épais
- Adjective meaning thick or dense
- droits
- Adjective meaning straight or right; plural form
- relevaient
- Imperfect; they lifted or gave an elevated quality
- conféraient
- Imperfect; they conferred or gave a particular quality
- touche
- Noun meaning touch or hint of a quality
- méphistophélique
- Adjective meaning Mephistophelian; diabolically cunning
- expression
- Noun meaning expression or look on one's face
- menton
- Noun meaning chin
- étroit
- Adjective meaning narrow or thin
- proéminent
- Adjective meaning prominent or projecting outward
- lèvres
- Noun meaning lips
- habituellement
- Adverb meaning habitually or usually
- serrées
- Adjective meaning tight, pressed, or compressed together
- ligne
- Noun meaning line or thin form
- fine
- Adjective meaning fine, thin, or delicate
- beau
- Adjective meaning handsome or beautiful
- quelque
- Adjective meaning some or a certain kind of
- sorte
- Noun meaning sort, kind, or type
- exprimait
- Imperfect of 'exprimer'; was expressing or showing
- domination
- Noun meaning domination or control over others
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'so', 'if', or 'such'
- brutale
- Adjective meaning brutal or raw and forceful
- inspirait
- Imperfect of 'inspirer'; was inspiring or provoking a feeling
- abord
- Noun used in 'd'abord' meaning first or at first
- peur
- Noun meaning fear or fright
- ensuite
- Adverb meaning then or afterward
- admiration
- Noun meaning admiration or deep respect
- tel
- Adjective meaning such or such a kind
- homme
- Noun meaning man
- devait
- Imperfect of 'devoir'; had to or was supposed to
- commander
- Verb meaning to command or lead others
- pouvait
- Imperfect of 'pouvoir'; could or was able to
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'
- chef
- Noun meaning chief, head, or leader
- équipe
- Noun meaning team or crew of workers
- ouvriers
- Noun meaning workers or laborers
- bien
- Adverb meaning well; 'ou bien' means 'or else'
- financier
- Noun meaning a financier or financial leader
- jamais
- Adverb meaning never or ever
- aucun
- Adjective or pronoun meaning no, none, or not any
- cas
- Noun meaning case or circumstance
- subalterne
- Noun or adjective meaning subordinate or inferior in rank
- somme
- Noun meaning sum; 'en somme' means in short or overall
- réunissait
- Imperfect of 'réunir'; was combining or bringing together
- physique
- Adjective or noun meaning physical or physical appearance
- intellectuelle
- Adjective meaning intellectual or of the mind
- degré
- Noun meaning degree or level of something
- hommes
- Noun meaning men or people in general
- femmes
- Noun meaning women
- seraient
- Conditional of 'être'; would be
- arrêtés
- Past participle of 'arrêter'; stopped or made to stop
- regarder
- Verb meaning to look at or watch
- fois
- Noun meaning time or instance; une fois means once
- vu
- Past participle of 'voir'; seen
- oubliait
- Imperfect of 'oublier'; was forgetting or used to forget
- revanche
- Noun meaning revenge; 'en revanche' means on the other hand
- chez
- Preposition meaning at someone's place or within someone
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning one, we, or people in general
- sentait
- Imperfect of 'sentir'; one felt or sensed something
- non
- Adverb meaning no or not
- dirigée
- Past participle of 'diriger'; directed or guided
- maîtrisée
- Past participle of 'maîtriser'; mastered or controlled
- impulsive
- Adjective meaning impulsive or acting on sudden urges
- irrégulière
- Adjective meaning irregular or unsteady in behavior
- irresponsable
- Adjective meaning irresponsible or lacking accountability
- bornes
- Noun meaning limits, boundaries, or bounds
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