Middlemarch — Page 10
" She pressed her hands against the sides of her head and seemed to despair of her memory.
Elle pressa ses mains contre ses tempes et sembla désespérer de sa mémoire.
"They are here," said Celia, with whom this explanation had been long meditated and prearranged.
« Elles sont ici », dit Celia, avec qui cette explication avait été longuement méditée et arrangée à l'avance.
"Pray open the large drawer of the cabinet and get out the jewel-box."
« Veuillez ouvrir le grand tiroir du cabinet et sortir le coffret à bijoux. »
The casket was soon open before them, and the various jewels spread out, making a bright parterre on the table.
Le coffret fut bientôt ouvert devant elles, et les différents bijoux étalés, formant un brillant parterre sur la table.
It was no great collection, but a few of the ornaments were really of remarkable beauty, the finest that was obvious at first being a necklace of purple amethysts set in exquisite gold work, and a pearl cross with five brilliants in it.
Ce n'était pas une grande collection, mais quelques-uns des ornements étaient vraiment d'une beauté remarquable, le plus beau qui sautait aux yeux en premier étant un collier d'améthystes violettes serties dans un travail d'or exquis, et une croix de perles ornée de cinq brillants.
Dorothea immediately took up the necklace and fastened it round her sister's neck, where it fitted almost as closely as a bracelet; but the circle suited the Henrietta-Maria style of Celia's head and neck, and she could see that it did, in the pier-glass opposite.
Dorothea prit immédiatement le collier et le passa autour du cou de sa sœur, où il s'ajustait presque aussi étroitement qu'un bracelet ; mais le cercle convenait au style Henrietta-Maria de la tête et du cou de Celia, et elle pouvait le voir dans la glace en pied en face.
"There, Celia! you can wear that with your Indian muslin. But this cross you must wear with your dark dresses."
« Voilà, Celia ! vous pouvez porter cela avec votre mousseline des Indes. Mais cette croix, vous devez la porter avec vos robes sombres. »
Celia was trying not to smile with pleasure. "O Dodo, you must keep the cross yourself."
Celia s'efforçait de ne pas sourire de plaisir. « Oh Dodo, vous devez garder la croix pour vous-même. »
"No, no, dear, no," said Dorothea, putting up her hand with careless deprecation.
« Non, non, chère, non », dit Dorothea, levant la main avec une désinvolte protestation.
"Yes, indeed you must; it would suit you—in your black dress, now," said Celia, insistingly. "You _might_ wear that."
« Si, vraiment vous le devez ; cela vous irait — avec votre robe noire, maintenant », dit Celia, avec insistance. « Vous _pourriez_ porter cela. »
"Not for the world, not for the world. A cross is the last thing I would wear as a trinket." Dorothea shuddered slightly.
« Pour rien au monde, pour rien au monde. Une croix est la dernière chose que je porterais comme un bijou. » Dorothea frissonna légèrement.
Vocabulary
- pressa
- Past tense of 'presser'; pressed or pushed firmly
- mains
- Plural of 'main'; the hands of a person
- contre
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'opposite'
- tempes
- Plural of 'tempe'; the temples on the sides of the head
- sembla
- Past tense of 'sembler'; appeared or seemed to be
- désespérer
- To despair or lose all hope about something
- mémoire
- Feminine noun meaning memory or recollection
- explication
- Feminine noun meaning explanation or clarification given
- longuement
- Adverb meaning 'at length' or 'for a long time'
- méditée
- Past participle of 'méditer'; carefully thought over or pondered
- arrangée
- Past participle of 'arranger'; organized or planned in advance
- avance
- Noun meaning 'advance'; used in 'à l'avance' meaning beforehand
- Veuillez
- Polite imperative of 'vouloir'; please be so kind as to
- ouvrir
- Infinitive verb meaning to open something up
- tiroir
- Masculine noun meaning a drawer in furniture
- cabinet
- Masculine noun meaning cabinet or piece of storage furniture
- sortir
- Infinitive verb meaning to take out or go out
- coffret
- Masculine noun meaning a small box or casket
- bijoux
- Plural of 'bijou'; jewelry or ornamental accessories
- fut
- Simple past of 'être'; meaning 'was' in literary tense
- bientôt
- Adverb meaning 'soon' or 'shortly' in time
- ouvert
- Past participle of 'ouvrir'; meaning opened or unlocked
- devant
- Preposition meaning 'in front of' or 'before'
- différents
- Adjective meaning different or various, describing variety
- étalés
- Past participle of 'étaler'; spread out or displayed openly
- formant
- Present participle of 'former'; forming or creating a shape
- brillant
- Adjective or noun meaning brilliant, shining, or a diamond
- parterre
- Masculine noun meaning a flower bed or display arrangement
- collection
- Feminine noun meaning a collection or assembled group of items
- quelques-uns
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'some' or 'a few of them'
- ornements
- Plural noun meaning ornaments or decorative objects
- vraiment
- Adverb meaning 'truly' or 'really' emphasizing a statement
- beauté
- Feminine noun meaning beauty or remarkable aesthetic quality
- remarquable
- Adjective meaning remarkable or worthy of special attention
- beau
- Adjective meaning beautiful, handsome, or fine-looking
- sautait
- Imperfect of 'sauter'; jumped or leapt to the eye
- yeux
- Plural of 'œil'; the eyes used for seeing
- premier
- Adjective meaning 'first' in order or position
- étant
- Present participle of 'être'; meaning 'being'
- collier
- Masculine noun meaning a necklace worn around the neck
- améthystes
- Plural noun meaning amethysts, purple gemstones used in jewelry
- violettes
- Feminine adjective meaning violet or purple in color
- serties
- Past participle of 'sertir'; set or mounted in a framework
- travail
- Masculine noun meaning work, labor, or craftsmanship
- or
- Masculine noun meaning gold, the precious metal
- exquis
- Adjective meaning exquisite or of exceptionally fine quality
- croix
- Feminine noun meaning a cross shape or cruciform object
- perles
- Plural of 'perle'; pearls used as decorative jewelry elements
- ornée
- Past participle of 'orner'; decorated or adorned with something
- brillants
- Plural noun meaning diamonds or brilliant-cut precious gemstones
- prit
- Simple past of 'prendre'; took or picked up something
- immédiatement
- Adverb meaning immediately or right away without delay
- passa
- Simple past of 'passer'; passed or placed something around
- autour
- Preposition meaning 'around' encircling something or someone
- cou
- Masculine noun meaning the neck of a person
- sœur
- Feminine noun meaning sister, a female sibling
- ajustait
- Imperfect of 'ajuster'; fitted or adjusted snugly in place
- presque
- Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly' to a degree
- étroitement
- Adverb meaning tightly or closely fitting around something
- bracelet
- Masculine noun meaning a bracelet worn around the wrist
- cercle
- Masculine noun meaning a circle or circular band
- convenait
- Imperfect of 'convenir'; suited or was appropriate for something
- style
- Masculine noun meaning style or particular aesthetic manner
- tête
- Feminine noun meaning the head of a person
- voir
- Infinitive verb meaning to see or observe something
- glace
- Feminine noun meaning mirror or ice, depending on context
- pied
- Masculine noun meaning foot or the base of something
- face
- Feminine noun meaning face or front surface of something
- Voilà
- Exclamation meaning 'there you go' or 'here it is'
- porter
- Infinitive meaning to wear clothing or carry something
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this thing'
- mousseline
- Feminine noun meaning muslin, a light woven fabric
- Indes
- Plural proper noun meaning the Indies or India
- robes
- Plural of 'robe'; dresses or gowns worn as clothing
- sombres
- Plural adjective meaning dark, gloomy, or somber in color
- efforçait
- Imperfect of 's'efforcer'; was trying hard or striving to
- sourire
- Infinitive meaning to smile, or noun meaning a smile
- plaisir
- Masculine noun meaning pleasure or enjoyment felt internally
- garder
- Infinitive meaning to keep, retain, or hold onto something
- vous-même
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'yourself', emphatic second person
- chère
- Feminine adjective meaning dear, beloved, or expensive
- levant
- Present participle of 'lever'; raising or lifting something up
- main
- Feminine noun meaning hand, the body part used for grasping
- désinvolte
- Adjective meaning casual, offhand, or nonchalant in manner
- protestation
- Feminine noun meaning a protest or objection made verbally
- irait
- Conditional of 'aller'; would go or would suit well
- robe
- Feminine noun meaning a dress or gown worn by women
- noire
- Feminine adjective meaning black in color
- maintenant
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment in time'
- insistance
- Feminine noun meaning insistence or persistent emphasis on something
- _pourriez_
- Conditional of 'pouvoir'; you could or might be able to
- rien
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing' used in negative constructions
- monde
- Masculine noun meaning 'world'; 'pour rien au monde' means never
- dernière
- Feminine adjective meaning last or final in a sequence
- chose
- Feminine noun meaning a thing or an object
- porterais
- Conditional of 'porter'; I would wear or carry something
- bijou
- Masculine noun meaning a jewel or piece of fine jewelry
- frissonna
- Simple past of 'frissonner'; shuddered or shivered slightly
- légèrement
- Adverb meaning lightly or slightly, to a small degree
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