The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse — Page 4
He was sitting all over a small rocking-chair, twiddling his thumbs and smiling, with his feet on the fender.
Il était affalé sur un petit rocking-chair, se tournant les pouces et souriant, les pieds sur le garde-feu.
He lived in a drain below the hedge, in a very dirty wet ditch.
Il vivait dans un égout sous la haie, dans un fossé très sale et humide.
[Illustration: Mr. Jackson]
[Illustration : M. Jackson]
[Illustration: Sitting and dripping]
[Illustration : Assis et dégoulinant]
"How do you do, Mr. Jackson? Deary me, you have got very wet!"
« Comment allez-vous, monsieur Jackson ? Mon Dieu, vous êtes tout mouillé ! »
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! I'll sit awhile and dry myself," said Mr. Jackson.
« Merci, merci, merci, madame Tittlemouse ! Je vais m'asseoir un moment et me sécher », dit M. Jackson.
He sat and smiled, and the water dripped off his coat tails. Mrs. Tittlemouse went round with a mop.
Il s'assit et sourit, et l'eau dégoulina de ses basques. Mme Tittlemouse fit le tour avec une serpillière.
He sat such a while that he had to be asked if he would take some dinner?
Il resta assis si longtemps qu'il fallut lui demander s'il voulait dîner.
First she offered him cherry-stones. "Thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! No teeth, no teeth, no teeth!" said Mr. Jackson.
Elle lui offrit d'abord des noyaux de cerise. « Merci, merci, madame Tittlemouse ! Pas de dents, pas de dents, pas de dents ! » dit M. Jackson.
He opened his mouth most unnecessarily wide; he certainly had not a tooth in his head.
Il ouvrit la bouche de façon tout à fait inutilement grande ; il n'avait assurément pas une seule dent dans la tête.
[Illustration: Feeding Mr. Jackson]
[Illustration : Nourrir M. Jackson]
[Illustration: Thistledown]
[Illustration : Duvet de chardon]
Then she offered him thistle-down seed--"Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Pouff, pouff, puff!" said Mr. Jackson. He blew the thistle-down all over the room.
Elle lui offrit ensuite des graines de duvet de chardon — « Tiddly, widdly, widdly ! Pouff, pouff, pouff ! » dit M. Jackson. Il souffla le duvet de chardon partout dans la pièce.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! Now what I really--_really_ should like--would be a little dish of honey!"
« Merci, merci, merci, madame Tittlemouse ! Ce que j'aimerais vraiment — _vraiment_ — ce serait un petit plat de miel ! »
"I am afraid I have not got any, Mr. Jackson," said Mrs. Tittlemouse.
« Je crains de ne pas en avoir, monsieur Jackson », dit Mme Tittlemouse.
"Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!" said the smiling Mr. Jackson, "I can _smell_ it; that is why I came to call."
« Tiddly, widdly, widdly, madame Tittlemouse ! » dit M. Jackson en souriant, « je peux le _sentir_ ; c'est pourquoi je suis venu vous rendre visite. »
Mr. Jackson rose ponderously from the table, and began to look into the cupboards.
M. Jackson se leva pesamment de table et commença à regarder dans les placards.
Mrs.
Mme
Vocabulary
- était
- ay-tay — Past tense of 'être'; he/she/it was
- affalé
- ah-fah-lay — Slumped or sprawled in a relaxed, lazy manner
- rocking-chair
- rok-ing-shair — A chair that rocks back and forth
- tournant
- toor-nahn — Present participle of tourner; turning or spinning
- pouces
- pooss — Thumbs; also means inches as a unit of measurement
- souriant
- soo-ree-ahn — Smiling; present participle of sourire
- garde-feu
- gard-fuh — A fireplace screen or guard to block sparks
- vivait
- vee-vay — Imperfect tense of vivre; he/she was living
- égout
- ay-goo — A sewer or underground drainage channel
- haie
- ay — A hedge or row of dense bushes
- fossé
- foh-say — A ditch or trench alongside a road or field
- sale
- sal — Adjective meaning dirty or unclean
- humide
- ü-meed — Adjective meaning damp, moist, or humid
- Assis
- ah-see — Past participle of asseoir; seated or sitting down
- dégoulinant
- day-goo-lee-nahn — Dripping or trickling with liquid
- mouillé
- moo-yay — Adjective meaning wet or soaked with water
- m'asseoir
- mah-swahr — Reflexive verb meaning 'to sit myself down'
- sécher
- say-shay — To dry off or remove moisture from something
- s'assit
- sah-see — Simple past reflexive; he sat himself down
- sourit
- soo-ree — Simple past of sourire; he/she smiled
- dégoulina
- day-goo-lee-nah — Simple past; water dripped or trickled down
- basques
- bask — Coat tails or lower flaps of a jacket
- fit
- fee — Simple past of faire; she/he did or made
- tour
- toor — A turn, round, or circuit of something
- serpillière
- sair-pee-yair — A floor mop or cleaning cloth for mopping
- resta
- res-tah — Simple past of rester; he/she stayed or remained
- longtemps
- lohn-tahn — Adverb meaning 'for a long time'
- fallut
- fah-lü — Simple past of falloir; it was necessary
- voulait
- voo-lay — Imperfect of vouloir; he/she wanted or wished
- dîner
- dee-nay — To dine or have dinner; also the noun dinner
- offrit
- oh-free — Simple past of offrir; she/he offered something
- d'abord
- dah-bor — Adverb meaning 'first' or 'at first'
- noyaux
- nwah-yoh — Pits or stones of fruits like cherries
- cerise
- suh-reez — A cherry; small red or dark round fruit
- dents
- dahn — Teeth; plural of dent, the dental structures
- ouvrit
- oo-vree — Simple past of ouvrir; he/she opened something
- bouche
- boosh — The mouth; the oral opening of the face
- façon
- fah-sohn — A way, manner, or style of doing something
- inutilement
- ee-nü-teel-mahn — Adverb meaning uselessly or to no purpose
- assurément
- ah-sü-ray-mahn — Adverb meaning assuredly, certainly, or definitely
- seule
- suhl — Adjective meaning alone, single, or only one
- dent
- dahn — A tooth; singular dental structure in mouth
- Nourrir
- noo-reer — To feed or nourish a person or animal
- Duvet
- dü-vay — Down feathers or a fluffy quilt; also a character name
- chardon
- shar-dohn — A thistle plant with spiny leaves and purple flowers
- ensuite
- ahn-sweet — Adverb meaning 'then', 'next', or 'afterwards'
- graines
- gren — Seeds; plural of graine, plant reproductive units
- duvet
- dü-vay — Soft down or fluff from plants or feathers
- souffla
- soo-flah — Simple past of souffler; he/she blew or puffed
- partout
- par-too — Adverb meaning 'everywhere' or 'all over'
- pièce
- pyess — A room, piece, or part of something
- j'aimerais
- zhay-muh-ray — Conditional of aimer; I would like or love
- vraiment
- vray-mahn — Adverb meaning 'really' or 'truly'
- plat
- plah — A dish or plate of food; also flat adjective
- miel
- myel — Honey; sweet substance produced by bees
- crains
- krahn — First person of craindre; I fear or am afraid
- _sentir_
- sahn-teer — Italicized 'to smell'; detect scent with one's nose
- rendre
- rahn-druh — To render, return, or pay a visit to someone
- visite
- vee-zeet — A visit or call to see someone
- leva
- luh-vah — Simple past of lever; he/she rose or lifted up
- pesamment
- puh-zah-mahn — Adverb meaning heavily or ponderously
- commença
- koh-mahn-sah — Simple past of commencer; he/she began or started
- placards
- plah-kar — Cupboards or built-in storage cabinets
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