The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse — Page 3
I am sure I can see the marks of little dirty feet."
Je suis sûre de voir les traces de petits pieds sales."
[Illustration: Marks of little feet]
[Illustration : Traces de petits pieds]
[Illustration: Babbitty Bumble]
[Illustration : Babbitty Bumble]
Suddenly round a corner, she met Babbitty Bumble--"Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz!"
Soudain, au détour d'un coin, elle rencontra Babbitty Bumble--« Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz ! »
said the bumble bee.
dit le bourdon.
Mrs. Tittlemouse looked at her severely.
Madame Tittlemouse la regarda sévèrement.
She wished that she had a broom.
Elle aurait bien voulu avoir un balai.
"Good-day, Babbitty Bumble; I should be glad to buy some beeswax.
« Bonjour, Babbitty Bumble ; je serais ravie d'acheter un peu de cire d'abeille.
But what are you doing down here?
Mais que faites-vous ici ?
Why do you always come in at a window, and say Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz?"
Pourquoi entrez-vous toujours par la fenêtre, et dites-vous Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz ? »
Mrs. Tittlemouse began to get cross.
Madame Tittlemouse commençait à se fâcher.
"Zizz, Wizz, Wizzz!" replied Babbitty Bumble in a peevish squeak.
« Zizz, Wizz, Wizzz ! » répondit Babbitty Bumble d'un couinement irrité.
She sidled down a passage, and disappeared into a storeroom which had been used for acorns.
Elle se glissa le long d'un couloir et disparut dans un cellier qui avait servi à stocker des glands.
Mrs. Tittlemouse had eaten the acorns before Christmas; the storeroom ought to have been empty.
Madame Tittlemouse avait mangé les glands avant Noël ; le cellier aurait dû être vide.
But it was full of untidy dry moss.
Mais il était plein de mousse sèche en désordre.
[Illustration: Full of moss]
[Illustration : Plein de mousse]
[Illustration: Bees nest]
[Illustration : Nid d'abeilles]
Mrs. Tittlemouse began to pull out the moss.
Madame Tittlemouse commença à retirer la mousse.
Three or four other bees put their heads out, and buzzed fiercely.
Trois ou quatre autres abeilles sortirent la tête et bourdonnèrent avec fureur.
"I am not in the habit of letting lodgings; this is an intrusion!" said Mrs. Tittlemouse.
« Je n'ai pas l'habitude de louer des logements ; c'est une intrusion ! » dit Madame Tittlemouse.
"I will have them turned out--" "Buzz! Buzz! Buzzz!"--"I wonder who would help me?" "Bizz, Wizz, Wizzz!"
« Je vais les faire expulser -- » « Buzz ! Buzz ! Buzzz ! » -- « Je me demande qui pourrait m'aider ? » « Bizz, Wizz, Wizzz ! »
--"I will not have Mr. Jackson; he never wipes his feet."
-- « Je ne veux pas de Monsieur Jackson ; il n'essuie jamais ses pieds. »
Mrs. Tittlemouse decided to leave the bees till after dinner.
Madame Tittlemouse décida de laisser les abeilles jusqu'après le dîner.
When she got back to the parlour, she heard some one coughing in a fat voice; and there sat Mr. Jackson himself!
Quand elle revint au salon, elle entendit quelqu'un tousser d'une voix grasse ; et là était assis Monsieur Jackson en personne !
Vocabulary
- Je
- zhuh — First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
- suis
- swee — First person singular form of 'être', meaning 'am'.
- sûre
- syoor — Feminine adjective meaning certain or confident about something.
- de
- duh — Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
- voir
- vwahr — Infinitive verb meaning to see or to witness.
- les
- lay — Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' (plural).
- traces
- trahss — Noun meaning marks, tracks, or footprints left behind.
- petits
- puh-tee — Masculine plural adjective meaning small or little.
- pieds
- pyay — Noun meaning feet, the lower extremities of the body.
- sales
- sahl — Adjective meaning dirty, unclean, or soiled.
- Illustration
- ee-loos-trah-syohn — Noun meaning a drawing or image accompanying a text.
- Traces
- trahss — Noun meaning marks, tracks, or prints left behind.
- Soudain
- soo-dan — Adverb or adjective meaning suddenly or all at once.
- au
- oh — Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'at the' or 'to the'.
- détour
- day-toor — Noun meaning a bend, detour, or turn in a path.
- un
- uhn — Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine).
- coin
- kwan — Noun meaning corner or a small secluded spot.
- elle
- el — Third person feminine singular subject pronoun meaning 'she'.
- rencontra
- rahn-kon-trah — Past tense verb meaning she met or encountered someone.
- dit
- dee — Past tense verb meaning said or told someone something.
- bourdon
- boor-don — Noun meaning bumblebee, a large buzzing flying insect.
- Madame
- mah-dahm — Formal title for a woman, equivalent to 'Mrs' or 'Ma'am'.
- regarda
- ruh-gar-dah — Past tense verb meaning looked at or watched someone.
- sévèrement
- say-vair-mahn — Adverb meaning severely, strictly, or with stern disapproval.
- Elle
- el — Third person feminine singular subject pronoun meaning 'she'.
- aurait
- oh-ray — Conditional form of 'avoir', meaning 'would have'.
- bien
- byahn — Adverb meaning well, good, or very much indeed.
- voulu
- voo-loo — Past participle of 'vouloir', meaning wanted or wished for.
- avoir
- ah-vwahr — Infinitive meaning to have; also used as auxiliary verb.
- balai
- bah-lay — Noun meaning a broom used for sweeping floors.
- Bonjour
- bon-zhoor — Greeting meaning hello or good day to someone.
- serais
- suh-ray — Conditional form of 'être', meaning 'I would be'.
- ravie
- rah-vee — Adjective meaning delighted, thrilled, or very pleased.
- acheter
- ahsh-tay — Infinitive verb meaning to buy or purchase something.
- peu
- puh — Adverb or noun meaning a little or a small amount.
- cire
- seer — Noun meaning wax, such as beeswax used in various products.
- abeille
- ah-bay — Noun meaning bee, the insect that produces honey.
- Mais
- may — Conjunction meaning but, used to introduce a contrast.
- faites
- fet — Second person plural form of 'faire', meaning 'you do/make'.
- vous
- voo — Second person plural or formal singular pronoun meaning 'you'.
- ici
- ee-see — Adverb meaning here, in this place or location.
- Pourquoi
- poor-kwah — Adverb or conjunction meaning why, asking for a reason.
- entrez
- ahn-tray — Second person plural imperative or present tense of 'entrer', enter.
- toujours
- too-zhoor — Adverb meaning always or still, indicating continuation or habit.
- par
- pahr — Preposition meaning by, through, or via a route.
- fenêtre
- fuh-neh-truh — Noun meaning window, an opening in a wall for light.
- et
- ay — Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or clauses together.
- dites
- deet — Second person plural of 'dire', meaning you say or tell.
- commençait
- koh-mahn-say — Imperfect tense meaning was beginning or starting to do something.
- à
- ah — Preposition meaning to, at, or in, indicating location or direction.
- se
- suh — Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, or oneself.
- fâcher
- fah-shay — Reflexive verb meaning to get angry or become upset.
- répondit
- ray-pon-dee — Past tense verb meaning he/she replied or answered someone.
- couinement
- kwee-nuh-mahn — Noun meaning a squeak or whining sound made irritably.
- irrité
- ee-ree-tay — Adjective meaning irritated, annoyed, or angered by something.
- glissa
- glee-sah — Past tense verb meaning slid or slipped along a surface.
- long
- lohn — Adjective or noun meaning long, extended in length or duration.
- couloir
- kool-wahr — Noun meaning corridor or hallway inside a building.
- disparut
- dees-pah-roo — Past tense verb meaning disappeared or vanished from sight.
- dans
- dahn — Preposition meaning in or inside a place or container.
- cellier
- sel-yay — Noun meaning a storeroom or pantry for food storage.
- qui
- kee — Relative pronoun meaning who, which, or that.
- avait
- ah-vay — Imperfect tense of 'avoir', meaning had or was having.
- servi
- sair-vee — Past participle of 'servir', meaning served or been used for.
- stocker
- stok-ay — Infinitive verb meaning to store or stock up supplies.
- des
- day — Plural indefinite article or partitive meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
- glands
- glahn — Noun meaning acorns, the nuts produced by oak trees.
- mangé
- mahn-zhay — Past participle of 'manger', meaning eaten or consumed food.
- avant
- ah-vahn — Preposition or adverb meaning before, earlier in time or place.
- Noël
- noh-el — Noun meaning Christmas, the festive holiday in December.
- dû
- doo — Past participle of 'devoir', meaning had to or was obliged.
- être
- eh-truh — Infinitive verb meaning to be; fundamental linking verb in French.
- vide
- veed — Adjective meaning empty, containing nothing inside.
- il
- eel — Third person masculine singular subject pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- était
- ay-tay — Imperfect tense of 'être', meaning was or used to be.
- plein
- plan — Adjective meaning full, filled completely with something.
- mousse
- mooss — Noun meaning moss, a soft green plant growing in damp places.
- sèche
- sesh — Adjective meaning dry, lacking moisture or dampness.
- en
- ahn — Preposition or pronoun meaning in, as, or of it.
- désordre
- day-zor-druh — Noun meaning disorder, mess, or state of being untidy.
- Plein
- plan — Adjective meaning full or completely filled with something.
- Nid
- nee — Noun meaning nest, a structure built by birds or insects.
- commença
- koh-mahn-sah — Past tense verb meaning began or started doing something.
- retirer
- ruh-tee-ray — Infinitive verb meaning to remove, withdraw, or pull out.
- Trois
- trwah — Number meaning three, the integer between two and four.
- quatre
- kah-truh — Number meaning four, the integer between three and five.
- autres
- oh-truh — Adjective or pronoun meaning other or additional ones.
- sortirent
- sor-teer-ahn — Past tense verb meaning they came out or exited from somewhere.
- tête
- tet — Noun meaning head, the upper part of the human body.
- bourdonnèrent
- boor-don-air — Past tense verb meaning they buzzed, the sound bees make.
- avec
- ah-vek — Preposition meaning with, indicating accompaniment or association.
- fureur
- foo-ruhr — Noun meaning fury, intense anger or violent passion.
- ai
- ay — First person singular present of 'avoir', meaning 'I have'.
- pas
- pah — Negation particle used with 'ne' meaning not; also means step.
- habitude
- ah-bee-tood — Noun meaning habit or custom, a regular practice or routine.
- louer
- loo-ay — Infinitive verb meaning to rent or lease a property.
- logements
- lozh-mahn — Noun meaning accommodations or lodgings, places to live.
- intrusion
- an-troo-zyohn — Noun meaning an intrusion or unwanted entry into a space.
- vais
- vay — First person singular present of 'aller', meaning 'I am going'.
- faire
- fair — Infinitive verb meaning to do or to make something.
- expulser
- ex-pool-say — Infinitive verb meaning to expel or evict someone from a place.
- me
- muh — First person singular object pronoun meaning me or myself.
- demande
- duh-mahnd — Present tense of 'demander', meaning asks or wonders about something.
- pourrait
- poo-ray — Conditional form of 'pouvoir', meaning could or might be able.
- aider
- ay-day — Infinitive verb meaning to help or assist someone.
- ne
- nuh — Negation particle used with 'pas' to mean not.
- veux
- vuh — First person singular present of 'vouloir', meaning 'I want'.
- Monsieur
- muh-syuh — Formal title for a man, equivalent to 'Mr' or 'Sir'.
- essuie
- es-wee — Present tense of 'essuyer', meaning wipes or dries something.
- jamais
- zhah-may — Adverb meaning never or ever, used in negative contexts.
- ses
- say — Possessive adjective meaning his, her, or its (plural).
- décida
- day-see-dah — Past tense verb meaning decided or resolved to do something.
- laisser
- les-ay — Infinitive verb meaning to leave, let, or allow someone.
- après
- ah-pray — Preposition or adverb meaning after or afterwards in time.
- dîner
- dee-nay — Noun or verb meaning dinner or to dine in the evening.
- Quand
- kahn — Conjunction or adverb meaning when, referring to a time.
- revint
- ruh-van — Past tense of 'revenir', meaning came back or returned.
- salon
- sah-lon — Noun meaning living room or sitting room in a house.
- entendit
- ahn-tahn-dee — Past tense of 'entendre', meaning heard a sound or voice.
- quelqu'
- kel-kuh — Indefinite pronoun meaning someone or somebody unspecified.
- tousser
- too-say — Infinitive verb meaning to cough, making a sharp throat sound.
- voix
- vwah — Noun meaning voice, the sound produced when speaking.
- grasse
- grahs — Adjective meaning fat, greasy, or thick and deep in sound.
- là
- lah — Adverb meaning there, indicating a place nearby or pointed to.
- assis
- ah-see — Adjective or past participle meaning seated or sitting down.
- personne
- pair-son — Noun meaning person; also used as pronoun meaning no one.
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