The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Page 15
"They have only differed on some point of science," he thought; and being a man of no scientific passions (except in the matter of conveyancing), he even added: "It is nothing worse than that!"
« Ils ne se sont disputés que sur quelque point de science », pensa-t-il ; et étant un homme sans passions scientifiques (sauf en matière de transfert de propriété), il ajouta même : « Ce n'est rien de pire que cela ! »
He gave his friend a few seconds to recover his composure, and then approached the question he had come to put.
Il donna à son ami quelques secondes pour recouvrer son calme, puis aborda la question qu'il était venu poser.
"Did you ever come across a _protégé_ of his—one Hyde?" he asked.
« Avez-vous jamais rencontré un _protégé_ de lui — un certain Hyde ? » demanda-t-il.
"Hyde?" repeated Lanyon. "No. Never heard of him. Since my time."
« Hyde ? » répéta Lanyon. « Non. Jamais entendu parler de lui. Depuis mon époque. »
That was the amount of information that the lawyer carried back with him to the great, dark bed on which he tossed to and fro, until the small hours of the morning began to grow large.
Telle était la somme d'informations que l'avocat rapporta avec lui jusqu'au grand lit sombre sur lequel il se tourna et se retourna, jusqu'à ce que les petites heures du matin commençassent à grandir.
It was a night of little ease to his toiling mind, toiling in mere darkness and besieged by questions.
Ce fut une nuit de peu de repos pour son esprit en peine, en peine dans la simple obscurité et assiégé par les questions.
Six o'clock struck on the bells of the church that was so conveniently near to Mr. Utterson's dwelling, and still he was digging at the problem.
Six heures sonnèrent aux cloches de l'église si commodément proche de la demeure de M. Utterson, et il creusait encore le problème.
Hitherto it had touched him on the intellectual side alone; but now his imagination also was engaged, or rather enslaved; and as he lay and tossed in the gross darkness of the night and the curtained room, Mr. Enfield's tale went by before his mind in a scroll of lighted pictures.
Jusqu'alors cela ne l'avait touché que du côté intellectuel ; mais maintenant son imagination aussi était engagée, ou plutôt asservie ; et tandis qu'il gisait et se retournait dans l'épaisse obscurité de la nuit et de la chambre aux rideaux tirés, le récit de M. Enfield défilait devant son esprit comme un rouleau d'images lumineuses.
Vocabulary
- Ils
- Third person plural subject pronoun meaning 'they'.
- ne
- Negative particle used with 'pas' or other negatives.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'themselves' or 'each other'.
- sont
- Third person plural form of 'être', meaning 'are'.
- disputés
- Argued or quarreled with one another about something.
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'only'.
- sur
- Preposition meaning 'on', 'about', or 'over'.
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a certain' thing.
- point
- A point, topic, or subject under discussion.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
- science
- Knowledge or academic discipline; science.
- pensa-t-il
- He thought; inversion form used in narration.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses.
- étant
- Present participle of 'être', meaning 'being'.
- un
- Indefinite article or number meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- homme
- A man; adult male human being.
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without' indicating absence.
- passions
- Strong enthusiasms or intense emotional interests.
- scientifiques
- Adjective meaning 'scientific'; relating to science.
- sauf
- Preposition meaning 'except' or 'apart from'.
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'on', or 'as'.
- matière
- Subject, matter, or area of concern or expertise.
- transfert
- Transfer of property, rights, or ownership to another.
- propriété
- Property; ownership of land or possessions.
- il
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
- ajouta
- Past tense of 'ajouter'; he added or remarked further.
- même
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'even', 'same', or 'itself'.
- Ce
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'it'.
- n'est
- Contraction of 'ne est'; is not, negated form of 'être'.
- rien
- Nothing; used in negation meaning 'not anything'.
- pire
- Worse or worst; comparative adjective of 'mauvais'.
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this'.
- Il
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'.
- donna
- Past tense of 'donner'; he gave something to someone.
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
- son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- ami
- A friend; a person one knows and likes.
- quelques
- Adjective meaning 'a few' or 'some' in number.
- secondes
- Seconds; brief units of time.
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to'.
- recouvrer
- To recover or regain something previously lost.
- calme
- Calmness; state of being quiet and composed.
- puis
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'next' in a sequence.
- aborda
- Past tense of 'aborder'; approached or broached a subject.
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine nouns.
- question
- A question or issue to be addressed or resolved.
- qu'il
- Contraction of 'que il'; that he, relative conjunction.
- était
- Imperfect tense of 'être'; he/she/it was.
- venu
- Past participle of 'venir'; come, arrived at a place.
- poser
- To pose or ask a question; to place something down.
- Avez-vous
- Formal question form meaning 'have you' or 'do you have'.
- jamais
- Ever or never; used in questions and negations.
- rencontré
- Past participle of 'rencontrer'; met or encountered someone.
- _protégé_
- A person under the protection or patronage of another.
- lui
- Personal pronoun meaning 'him', 'her', or 'to him/her'.
- certain
- A certain; referring to a specific but unnamed person.
- demanda-t-il
- He asked; inverted narrative form of 'demander'.
- répéta
- Past tense of 'répéter'; he repeated a word or phrase.
- Non
- Negative response meaning 'no'.
- Jamais
- Never; expressing that something has not occurred.
- entendu
- Past participle of 'entendre'; heard or listened to something.
- parler
- To speak or talk about something.
- Depuis
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a period of time.
- mon
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my' for masculine nouns.
- époque
- Era, period, or time in history or one's life.
- Telle
- Adjective meaning 'such' or 'such a' thing or person.
- somme
- Sum or total; an amount or quantity of something.
- d'informations
- Of information; a quantity of gathered facts or data.
- l'avocat
- The lawyer; a legal professional who represents clients.
- rapporta
- Past tense of 'rapporter'; brought back or reported something.
- avec
- Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment.
- jusqu'au
- Contraction of 'jusqu'à le'; up to or until a point.
- grand
- Adjective meaning 'big', 'large', or 'great'.
- lit
- A bed; furniture used for sleeping or resting.
- sombre
- Dark, gloomy, or somber in appearance or mood.
- lequel
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'in which'.
- tourna
- Past tense of 'tourner'; turned or rotated in place.
- retourna
- Past tense of 'retourner'; turned over or went back.
- jusqu'à
- Preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to' a time.
- ce
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this' or 'that'.
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the' for plural nouns.
- petites
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'small' or 'little'.
- heures
- Hours; units of time in a day.
- du
- Contraction of 'de le'; of the, masculine singular.
- matin
- Morning; the early part of the day.
- commençassent
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'commencer'; began to appear.
- grandir
- To grow or increase; to get bigger or stronger.
- fut
- Simple past of 'être'; was, indicating a past state.
- une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- nuit
- Night; the dark period between sunset and sunrise.
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'little' or 'few', indicating small amount.
- repos
- Rest; a period of relaxation or sleep.
- esprit
- Mind, spirit, or intellect; mental faculty or character.
- peine
- Difficulty, trouble, or sorrow; effort or pain.
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'inside', or 'within'.
- simple
- Simple, plain, or uncomplicated; easy to understand.
- obscurité
- Darkness or obscurity; absence of light or clarity.
- assiégé
- Besieged or overwhelmed; under persistent attack or pressure.
- par
- Preposition meaning 'by', 'through', or 'per'.
- questions
- Questions; inquiries or issues demanding an answer.
- Six
- The number six; a cardinal number.
- sonnèrent
- Past tense of 'sonner'; rang or chimed, as bells do.
- aux
- Contraction of 'à les'; to the or at the (plural).
- cloches
- Bells; hollow metal instruments that ring when struck.
- l'église
- The church; a building for Christian worship.
- si
- Adverb or conjunction meaning 'so', 'if', or 'whether'.
- commodément
- Conveniently or comfortably; in a handy manner.
- proche
- Near or close; at a short distance from something.
- demeure
- Residence or dwelling; a place where someone lives.
- M.
- Abbreviation for 'Monsieur'; title meaning 'Mr.' in French.
- creusait
- Imperfect of 'creuser'; was digging into or pondering deeply.
- encore
- Still, yet, or again; indicating continuation of an action.
- le
- Definite masculine singular article meaning 'the'.
- problème
- A problem or issue requiring thought and solution.
- Jusqu'alors
- Until then; up to that point in time.
- l'avait
- Contraction of 'le avait'; had, past perfect auxiliary.
- touché
- Past participle of 'toucher'; touched or affected someone.
- côté
- Side or aspect; a direction or dimension of something.
- intellectuel
- Intellectual; relating to the mind or rational thinking.
- mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast.
- maintenant
- Now; at the current moment in time.
- imagination
- The faculty of forming mental images or ideas creatively.
- aussi
- Also or too; indicating something additional or similar.
- engagée
- Engaged or involved; committed or drawn into something.
- ou
- Conjunction meaning 'or', presenting an alternative choice.
- plutôt
- Rather or instead; suggesting a preferred alternative.
- asservie
- Enslaved or subjugated; completely under another's control.
- tandis
- While or whereas; used in 'tandis que' for contrast.
- gisait
- Imperfect of 'gésir'; lay or was lying in a place.
- retournait
- Imperfect of 'retourner'; was turning over repeatedly.
- l'épaisse
- The thick; feminine form of 'épais' with article.
- chambre
- Bedroom or room; a private space in a dwelling.
- rideaux
- Curtains; fabric hangings used to cover windows.
- tirés
- Drawn or pulled closed, as curtains across a window.
- récit
- A narrative or account; a story told about events.
- défilait
- Imperfect of 'défiler'; was passing by or parading through.
- devant
- Preposition meaning 'in front of' or 'before' something.
- comme
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'like', 'as', or 'how'.
- rouleau
- A roll or scroll; a cylindrical object or rolled document.
- d'images
- Of images; a collection of pictures or visual representations.
- lumineuses
- Luminous or bright; emitting or reflecting light vividly.
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