The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes — Page 13
In this case I found her biography sandwiched in between that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of a staff-commander who had written a monograph upon the deep-sea fishes.
Dans ce cas, je trouvai sa biographie encadrée entre celle d'un rabbin hébreu et celle d'un commandant d'état-major qui avait écrit une monographie sur les poissons des grandes profondeurs.
"Let me see!" said Holmes.
« Voyons ! » dit Holmes.
"Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year 1858.
« Hum ! Née dans le New Jersey en l'année 1858.
Contralto—hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera of Warsaw—yes!
Contralto — hum ! La Scala, hum ! Prima donna à l'Opéra Impérial de Varsovie — oui !
Retired from operatic stage—ha! Living in London—quite so!
Retirée de la scène lyrique — ha ! Vivant à Londres — tout à fait !
Your Majesty, as I understand, became entangled with this young person, wrote her some compromising letters, and is now desirous of getting those letters back."
Votre Majesté, si je comprends bien, s'est liée avec cette jeune personne, lui a écrit des lettres compromettantes, et souhaite maintenant récupérer ces lettres. »
"Precisely so. But how—"
« Précisément. Mais comment — »
"Was there a secret marriage?"
« Y a-t-il eu un mariage secret ? »
"None."
« Non. »
"No legal papers or certificates?"
« Pas de documents légaux ni de certificats ? »
"None."
« Non. »
"Then I fail to follow your Majesty.
« Alors je ne comprends pas Votre Majesté.
If this young person should produce her letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how is she to prove their authenticity?"
Si cette jeune personne venait à produire ses lettres à des fins de chantage ou à d'autres fins, comment pourrait-elle en prouver l'authenticité ? »
"There is the writing."
« Il y a l'écriture. »
"Pooh, pooh! Forgery."
« Allons donc ! Un faux. »
"My private note-paper."
« Mon papier à lettres personnel. »
"Stolen."
« Volé. »
"My own seal."
« Mon propre sceau. »
"Imitated."
« Imité. »
"My photograph."
« Ma photographie. »
"Bought."
« Achetée. »
"We were both in the photograph."
« Nous étions tous les deux sur la photographie. »
"Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed an indiscretion."
« Oh, mon Dieu ! C'est très fâcheux ! Votre Majesté a en effet commis une indiscrétion. »
"I was mad—insane."
« J'étais fou — insensé. »
"You have compromised yourself seriously."
« Vous vous êtes sérieusement compromis. »
"I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am but thirty now."
« Je n'étais alors que Prince héritier. J'étais jeune. Je n'ai que trente ans maintenant. »
"It must be recovered."
« Il faut les récupérer. »
"We have tried and failed."
« Nous avons essayé et échoué. »
"Your Majesty must pay. It must be bought."
« Votre Majesté doit payer. Il faut les acheter. »
"She will not sell."
« Elle ne vendra pas. »
"Stolen, then."
« Volées, alors. »
"Five attempts have been made. Twice burglars in my pay ransacked her house.
« Cinq tentatives ont été faites. À deux reprises, des cambrioleurs à ma solde ont mis sa maison à sac.
Vocabulary
- Dans
- Preposition indicating location or time: in, within
- ce
- Demonstrative adjective meaning this or that
- cas
- A situation, instance, or particular circumstance
- je
- First person singular subject pronoun: I
- trouvai
- Past tense of trouver: I found something
- sa
- Possessive adjective meaning his, her, or its
- biographie
- A written account of someone's life story
- encadrée
- Framed or placed between two things
- entre
- Preposition meaning between or among things
- celle
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning the one (feminine)
- un
- Indefinite article or number: a, an, one
- rabbin
- A Jewish religious leader and teacher
- hébreu
- Relating to Hebrew language or Jewish people
- commandant
- A military officer of commanding rank
- état-major
- Military general staff or headquarters unit
- qui
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning who or which
- avait
- Imperfect tense of avoir: he/she had
- écrit
- Past participle of écrire: written
- monographie
- A detailed scholarly study of one subject
- sur
- Preposition meaning on, about, or concerning
- poissons
- Plural noun meaning fish
- grandes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning large or great
- profondeurs
- Depths, especially of water or ocean
- Voyons
- Let's see; used to express reflection or impatience
- dit
- Past tense of dire: said or told
- Née
- Born (feminine past participle of naître)
- dans
- Preposition indicating location or time: in
- année
- A full calendar year
- Opéra
- A dramatic musical performance genre or venue
- Impérial
- Adjective meaning imperial, relating to an empire
- oui
- Affirmative response meaning yes
- Retirée
- Retired or withdrawn from professional activity
- scène
- A stage or scene in performance or drama
- lyrique
- Relating to lyric opera or expressive song
- Vivant
- Living, residing, or being alive somewhere
- tout à fait
- Completely, entirely, or absolutely correct
- Votre Majesté
- Formal address meaning Your Majesty
- si
- Conjunction meaning if or whether
- comprends
- First person singular of comprendre: I understand
- bien
- Adverb meaning well, correctly, or indeed
- s'est liée
- Became connected or involved with someone
- jeune
- Adjective meaning young or youthful
- personne
- A person or individual; also nobody in negation
- lui
- Indirect object pronoun meaning to him or her
- lettres
- Letters as in written correspondence or messages
- compromettantes
- Compromising, damaging to one's reputation
- souhaite
- Wishes or desires something to happen
- maintenant
- Adverb meaning now or at this moment
- récupérer
- To recover or retrieve something previously lost
- Précisément
- Adverb meaning precisely, exactly, or indeed
- Mais
- Conjunction meaning but or however
- comment
- Interrogative adverb meaning how
- mariage
- A legally or officially recognized marriage union
- secret
- Adjective meaning secret or kept hidden
- Non
- Negative response meaning no
- Pas
- Negation particle used with ne: not
- documents
- Official papers or records serving as proof
- légaux
- Plural adjective meaning legal or lawful
- certificats
- Official certificates or documents of attestation
- Alors
- Conjunction or adverb meaning so, then, therefore
- venait
- Imperfect of venir: was coming or used to come
- produire
- To produce, present, or bring forward something
- fins
- Ends, purposes, or goals of an action
- chantage
- Blackmail; coercing someone through threats
- autres
- Plural adjective or pronoun meaning other or others
- prouver
- To prove or demonstrate something is true
- authenticité
- The quality of being authentic or genuine
- écriture
- Handwriting or written script style
- Allons donc
- Exclamation expressing disbelief: come now, surely not
- faux
- Something false, fake, or forged
- papier
- Paper; also a document or sheet of writing
- personnel
- Adjective meaning personal or private
- Volé
- Stolen; past participle of voler
- propre
- Adjective meaning own, clean, or proper
- sceau
- An official seal used to authenticate documents
- Imité
- Imitated or forged to resemble the original
- photographie
- A photograph or picture taken by camera
- Achetée
- Purchased or bought (feminine past participle)
- étions
- Imperfect of être: we were
- tous deux
- Both of them; the two together
- Oh mon Dieu
- Exclamation expressing shock: Oh my God
- fâcheux
- Unfortunate, troublesome, or vexing situation
- effet
- Effect, result; indeed when used as en effet
- commis
- Committed an act; past participle of commettre
- indiscrétion
- A lack of discretion; an imprudent act
- fou
- Adjective meaning crazy, mad, or foolish
- insensé
- Senseless, foolish, or utterly unreasonable
- Vous vous êtes
- You have (reflexive formal): you have done
- sérieusement
- Adverb meaning seriously or gravely
- compromis
- Compromised or put in a difficult position
- Prince héritier
- Crown prince; heir to a royal throne
- trente
- The number thirty
- ans
- Years of age or duration in years
- faut
- Il faut: it is necessary or one must
- essayé
- Tried or attempted something; past participle
- échoué
- Failed or was unsuccessful in an attempt
- payer
- To pay money for something or someone
- acheter
- To buy or purchase something
- vendra
- Future tense of vendre: she will sell
- Volées
- Stolen (feminine plural past participle of voler)
- Cinq
- The number five
- tentatives
- Attempts or tries at accomplishing something
- ont été faites
- Have been made; passive construction in passé composé
- reprises
- Occasions or times; à plusieurs reprises means repeatedly
- cambrioleurs
- Burglars or thieves who break into premises
- solde
- Pay or wages; also a balance or sale
- mis
- Put or placed; past participle of mettre
- maison
- A house or home dwelling
- sac
- A bag; also to sack or ransack a place
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