Harrigan — Page 4
For answer he dragged a crimson carnation from the buttonhole of a tall man who stood at his side.
Per tutta risposta trascinò fuori un garofano cremisi dall'occhiello di un uomo alto che stava al suo fianco.
"What in hell--" began the victim, but Harrigan smiled and the other drew slowly back through the crowd.
«Che diavolo--» cominciò la vittima, ma Harrigan sorrise e l'altro si ritirò lentamente attraverso la folla.
"Now send them away."
«Ora mandali via.»
She looked at him an instant longer with a light coming slowly up behind her eyes.
Lei lo guardò ancora un istante con una luce che saliva lentamente dietro i suoi occhi.
Then she leaned out and waved to the chuckling semicircle.
Poi si sporse e fece un cenno al semicerchio ridacchiante.
"Run away for a while," she said; "I want to talk to my brother."
«Andatevene per un po'», disse; «voglio parlare con mio fratello.»
She patted the thick red hair to emphasize the relationship, and the little crowd departed, laughing uproariously.
Accarezzò i folti capelli rossi per sottolineare la parentela, e il piccolo gruppo se ne andò ridendo a crepapelle.
Harrigan slipped the carnation into the jetty hair.
Harrigan infilò il garofano tra i capelli corvini.
His hand lingered a moment against the soft masses, and she drew it down, grown suddenly serious.
La sua mano si attardò un momento tra le morbide ciocche, e lei gliela abbassò, diventando all'improvviso seria.
"There are three policemen in the shadow of that cottage over there. They're watching you."
«Ci sono tre poliziotti all'ombra di quel cottage laggiù. Ti stanno osservando.»
"Ah-h!"
«Ah-h!»
The sound was so soft that it was almost a sigh, but she shivered perceptibly.
Il suono era così tenue che era quasi un sospiro, ma lei rabbrividì visibilmente.
"What have you been doing?"
«Cosa hai fatto?»
He answered regretfully: "Nothing."
Lui rispose con rammarico: «Niente.»
"They're coming this way. The man who had the carnation is with them. You better beat it."
«Stanno venendo da questa parte. L'uomo che aveva il garofano è con loro. Faresti meglio a dartela a gambe.»
"Nope. I like it here."
«No. Sto bene qui.»
She shook her head, but the flame was blowing high now in her eyes.
Lei scosse la testa, ma la fiamma ardeva alta ormai nei suoi occhi.
A hand fell on Harrigan's shoulder.
Una mano cadde sulla spalla di Harrigan.
"Hey!" said the sergeant in a loud voice.
«Ehi!» disse il sergente ad alta voce.
Harrigan turned slowly and the sergeant's hand fell away.
Harrigan si girò lentamente e la mano del sergente ricadde.
The man of the carnation was far in the background.
L'uomo del garofano era lontano sullo sfondo.
"Well?"
«Ebbene?»
"That flower.
«Quel fiore.
Vocabulary
- Per
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'by', or 'through'
- tutta
- Feminine form of 'all' or 'entire'
- risposta
- An answer or reply to a question
- trascinò
- He/she dragged or pulled something along forcefully
- fuori
- Outside or out of a place
- garofano
- A carnation, a type of flowering plant
- cremisi
- Crimson, a deep red color
- occhiello
- A buttonhole or small eyelet in clothing
- uomo
- A man or adult male person
- alto
- Tall in stature or high in position
- stava
- He/she was staying or standing somewhere
- fianco
- Side of the body or flank
- diavolo
- Devil; used in exclamations expressing surprise or anger
- cominciò
- He/she began or started something
- vittima
- A victim of a crime or misfortune
- sorrise
- He/she smiled at someone or something
- altro
- Another person or thing; the other one
- ritirò
- He/she withdrew or retreated from a place
- lentamente
- Slowly, in an unhurried manner
- attraverso
- Through or across a space or obstacle
- folla
- A crowd or large group of people
- Ora
- Now, at this moment in time
- mandali
- Imperative form of 'mandare', meaning 'send them'
- via
- Away; also means street or road
- Lei
- Formal 'you' or third-person feminine pronoun 'she'
- guardò
- He/she looked at or watched someone
- ancora
- Again, still, or yet
- istante
- An instant or very brief moment in time
- luce
- Light, either natural or artificial
- saliva
- Was rising or climbing upward; also means saliva
- dietro
- Behind or at the back of something
- occhi
- Eyes, the organs of sight
- Poi
- Then, afterwards, or next in sequence
- sporse
- She/he leaned out or extended outward
- fece
- He/she did or made something
- cenno
- A gesture, nod, or signal to someone
- semicerchio
- A semicircle, half of a circular shape
- ridacchiante
- Giggling or sniggering in a light-hearted way
- Andatevene
- Imperative telling a group to go away
- po'
- A little, a bit, a small amount
- disse
- He/she said or told something to someone
- voglio
- I want or I wish to do something
- parlare
- To speak or to talk with someone
- fratello
- A brother, a male sibling
- Accarezzò
- He/she caressed or gently stroked something
- folti
- Thick or dense, often describing hair
- capelli
- Hair on a person's head
- rossi
- Red, plural masculine adjective for color
- sottolineare
- To underline or emphasize a point
- parentela
- Kinship or family relationship between people
- piccolo
- Small or little in size
- gruppo
- A group or cluster of people or things
- ne
- Pronoun meaning 'of it', 'of them', or 'away'
- andò
- He/she went or departed somewhere
- ridendo
- Laughing, present participle of 'ridere'
- crepapelle
- To burst with laughter; used in 'ridere a crepapelle'
- infilò
- He/she slipped or threaded through something
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- corvini
- Raven-black, describing very dark hair
- mano
- A hand, the body part at the end of the arm
- attardò
- Lingered or delayed in a particular place
- momento
- A moment or brief period of time
- morbide
- Soft or gentle to the touch
- ciocche
- Locks or strands of hair
- gliela
- Combined pronoun meaning 'it to him/her'
- abbassò
- He/she lowered or pushed down something
- diventando
- Becoming, growing into a different state
- improvviso
- Sudden or unexpected; used in 'all'improvviso'
- seria
- Serious or grave in manner or expression
- Ci
- There, here, or reflexive/reciprocal pronoun 'us'
- poliziotti
- Police officers or policemen
- ombra
- Shadow or shade cast by an object
- quel
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that'
- laggiù
- Down there, at a distance below or away
- stanno
- They are, third-person plural of 'stare'
- osservando
- Observing or watching carefully
- suono
- A sound or noise
- così
- So or thus, in this manner
- tenue
- Faint, soft, or delicate in intensity
- quasi
- Almost or nearly, not quite reaching something
- sospiro
- A sigh, a long deep breath expressing emotion
- rabbrividì
- He/she shuddered or shivered visibly
- visibilmente
- Visibly or noticeably in an evident way
- Cosa
- What, used to ask about something
- fatto
- Done or made; past participle of 'fare'
- rispose
- He/she answered or responded to a question
- rammarico
- Regret or sorrow over something done or missed
- Niente
- Nothing, not anything at all
- Stanno
- They are, third-person plural of 'stare'
- venendo
- Coming, present participle of 'venire'
- questa
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this'
- parte
- Part, side, or direction toward here
- Faresti
- You would do; conditional of 'fare'
- meglio
- Better, the comparative of 'bene'
- dartela
- To give it to yourself; used in 'dartela a gambe'
- gambe
- Legs; used in 'darsela a gambe' meaning to run away
- bene
- Well or fine; indicating good condition
- qui
- Here, in this place
- scosse
- He/she shook something; past of 'scuotere'
- testa
- Head, the top part of the body
- fiamma
- A flame or fire burning brightly
- ardeva
- It was burning or blazing intensely
- alta
- High or tall, feminine form of 'alto'
- ormai
- By now, already, at this point
- cadde
- He/she/it fell down from a position
- spalla
- A shoulder, part of the upper body
- Ehi
- Hey, an exclamation to get someone's attention
- sergente
- A sergeant, a military or police rank
- voce
- Voice, the sound produced when speaking
- girò
- He/she turned or rotated around
- ricadde
- He/she/it fell back or fell again
- lontano
- Far away or distant in space
- sfondo
- Background or backdrop of a scene
- Ebbene
- Well then, an interjection introducing a conclusion
- Quel
- Masculine demonstrative adjective meaning 'that'
- fiore
- A flower or blossom of a plant
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