The Hound of the Baskervilles — Page 1
The Curse of the Baskervilles
La Malédiction des Baskerville
"I have in my pocket a manuscript," said Dr. James Mortimer.
« J'ai dans ma poche un manuscrit », dit le Dr James Mortimer.
"I observed it as you entered the room," said Holmes.
« Je l'ai remarqué lorsque vous êtes entré dans la pièce », dit Holmes.
"It is an old manuscript."
« C'est un vieux manuscrit. »
"Early eighteenth century, unless it is a forgery."
« Début du dix-huitième siècle, à moins que ce ne soit un faux. »
"How can you say that, sir?"
« Comment pouvez-vous affirmer cela, monsieur ? »
"You have presented an inch or two of it to my examination all the time that you have been talking. It would be a poor expert who could not give the date of a document within a decade or so. You may possibly have read my little monograph upon the subject. I put that at 1730."
« Vous m'en avez présenté quelques centimètres à mon examen pendant tout le temps où vous parliez. Ce serait un bien piètre expert qui ne pourrait pas donner la date d'un document à une dizaine d'années près. Vous avez peut-être lu ma petite monographie sur le sujet. Je la situe à 1730. »
"The exact date is 1742." Dr. Mortimer drew it from his breast-pocket. "This family paper was committed to my care by Sir Charles Baskerville, whose sudden and tragic death some three months ago created so much excitement in Devonshire. I may say that I was his personal friend as well as his medical attendant. He was a strong-minded man, sir, shrewd, practical, and as unimaginative as I am myself. Yet he took this document very seriously, and his mind was prepared for just such an end as did eventually overtake him."
« La date exacte est 1742. » Le Dr Mortimer le sortit de sa poche de poitrine. « Ce document familial m'a été confié par Sir Charles Baskerville, dont la mort soudaine et tragique il y a environ trois mois a suscité tant d'émoi dans le Devonshire. Je puis dire que j'étais son ami personnel autant que son médecin traitant. C'était un homme à l'esprit résolu, monsieur, perspicace, pragmatique, et aussi peu imaginatif que je le suis moi-même. Pourtant, il prenait ce document très au sérieux, et son esprit était préparé à une fin telle que celle qui finit par le frapper. »
Holmes stretched out his hand for the manuscript and flattened it upon his knee. "You will observe, Watson, the alternative use of the long s and the short. It is one of several indications which enabled me to fix the date.
Holmes tendit la main vers le manuscrit et l'aplatit sur son genou. « Vous observerez, Watson, l'usage alternatif du s long et du s court. C'est l'une des plusieurs indications qui m'ont permis de fixer la date.
Vocabulary
- Malédiction
- A curse or evil spell placed on someone
- poche
- A pocket in clothing for carrying small items
- manuscrit
- A handwritten or old document or text
- remarqué
- Noticed or observed something with attention
- lorsque
- Conjunction meaning 'when' at a specific moment
- entré
- Past participle of 'entrer', meaning 'entered'
- pièce
- A room in a building or dwelling
- vieux
- Adjective meaning 'old' for masculine nouns
- Début
- The beginning or start of something
- dix-huitième
- Ordinal number meaning 'eighteenth'
- siècle
- A century, a period of one hundred years
- moins
- Meaning 'less' or 'unless' in expressions
- soit
- Subjunctive form of 'être', meaning 'be'
- faux
- Adjective meaning 'false', 'fake', or 'wrong'
- affirmer
- To assert or state something with confidence
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this'
- présenté
- Showed or presented something to someone
- quelques
- Adjective meaning 'a few' or 'some'
- centimètres
- Units of length equal to one hundredth of a meter
- examen
- An examination or close inspection of something
- pendant
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a time period
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'whole'
- temps
- Time in general or the weather
- où
- Relative adverb meaning 'where' or 'when'
- parliez
- Second person plural imperfect of 'parler', meaning 'were speaking'
- serait
- Conditional form of 'être', meaning 'would be'
- piètre
- Adjective meaning 'poor' or 'mediocre' in quality
- expert
- A person with specialized knowledge or skill
- pourrait
- Conditional form of 'pouvoir', meaning 'could'
- donner
- To give something to someone
- date
- A specific day, month, or year on a calendar
- document
- A written or printed paper containing information
- dizaine
- About ten, an approximate group of ten items
- près
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'near' or 'close'
- peut-être
- Adverb meaning 'maybe' or 'perhaps'
- lu
- Past participle of 'lire', meaning 'read'
- monographie
- A detailed written study on a single subject
- sujet
- A topic or subject under discussion or study
- situe
- Locates or places something in a context or time
- exacte
- Feminine adjective meaning 'exact' or 'precise'
- sortit
- Past simple of 'sortir', meaning 'took out' or 'exited'
- poitrine
- The chest or breast area of the body
- familial
- Adjective meaning 'family-related' or 'familial'
- confié
- Entrusted or given something for safekeeping
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', or 'from whom'
- mort
- Death, the end of life
- soudaine
- Feminine adjective meaning 'sudden' or 'unexpected'
- tragique
- Adjective meaning 'tragic' or 'deeply sorrowful'
- y
- Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'it' in a location
- environ
- Adverb meaning 'approximately' or 'about'
- mois
- A month, one of twelve divisions of the year
- suscité
- Aroused or provoked a reaction or feeling in others
- tant
- Adverb meaning 'so much' or 'so many'
- émoi
- Excitement, commotion, or emotional stir among people
- puis
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'next' in a sequence
- dire
- To say or tell something to someone
- étais
- First person singular imperfect of 'être', meaning 'was'
- ami
- A friend or close acquaintance
- personnel
- Adjective meaning 'personal' or 'private'
- autant
- Adverb meaning 'as much' or 'equally'
- médecin
- A doctor or physician who treats patients
- traitant
- Adjective describing a treating or attending physician
- esprit
- Mind, spirit, or intellect of a person
- résolu
- Adjective meaning 'determined' or 'resolute'
- perspicace
- Adjective meaning 'perceptive' or 'shrewd' and insightful
- pragmatique
- Adjective meaning 'pragmatic' or 'practical' in approach
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'little' or 'not very'
- imaginatif
- Adjective meaning 'imaginative' or 'creative'
- moi-même
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'myself'
- Pourtant
- Conjunction meaning 'yet', 'however', or 'nevertheless'
- prenait
- Third person singular imperfect of 'prendre', meaning 'was taking'
- sérieux
- Adjective or noun meaning 'serious' or 'seriousness'
- préparé
- Past participle of 'préparer', meaning 'prepared'
- fin
- The end of something; also an adjective meaning 'fine'
- telle
- Feminine adjective meaning 'such' referring to a noun
- celle
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' or 'that one'
- finit
- Past simple of 'finir', meaning 'ended' or 'finished'
- frapper
- To strike, hit, or knock something or someone
- tendit
- Past simple of 'tendre', meaning 'held out' or 'extended'
- main
- The hand at the end of the arm
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'around' a time
- aplatit
- Past simple of 'aplatir', meaning 'flattened' or 'smoothed out'
- genou
- The knee joint of the leg
- observerez
- Future tense of 'observer', meaning 'will observe' or 'notice'
- usage
- The use or application of something over time
- alternatif
- Adjective meaning 'alternative' or 'alternating'
- court
- Adjective meaning 'short' in length or duration
- plusieurs
- Adjective meaning 'several' or 'multiple'
- indications
- Signs or clues pointing toward a conclusion
- permis
- Past participle of 'permettre', meaning 'allowed' or 'enabled'
- fixer
- To fix, set, or determine something precisely
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