The Tale of Two Bad Mice — Page 4
THEN Hunca Munca went back and fetched a chair, a book-case, a bird-cage, and several small odds and ends.
ALORS Hunca Munca repartit et rapporta une chaise, une bibliothèque, une cage à oiseaux, et plusieurs petits objets divers.
The book-case and the bird-cage refused to go into the mouse-hole.
La bibliothèque et la cage à oiseaux refusèrent d'entrer dans le trou de souris.
HUNCA MUNCA left them behind the coal-box, and went to fetch a cradle.
HUNCA MUNCA les laissa derrière la boîte à charbon, et alla chercher un berceau.
HUNCA MUNCA was just returning with another chair, when suddenly there was a noise of talking outside upon the landing.
HUNCA MUNCA revenait justement avec une autre chaise, quand soudain on entendit un bruit de voix dehors sur le palier.
The mice rushed back to their hole, and the dolls came into the nursery.
Les souris se précipitèrent vers leur trou, et les poupées entrèrent dans la chambre d'enfants.
WHAT a sight met the eyes of Jane and Lucinda!
QUEL spectacle s'offrit aux yeux de Jane et Lucinda !
Lucinda sat upon the upset kitchen stove and stared; and Jane leant against the kitchen dresser and smiled--but neither of them made any remark.
Lucinda s'assit sur la cuisinière renversée et regarda fixement ; et Jane s'appuya contre le buffet de cuisine et sourit -- mais ni l'une ni l'autre ne fit le moindre commentaire.
THE book-case and the bird-cage were rescued from under the coal-box--but Hunca Munca has got the cradle, and some of Lucinda's clothes.
LA bibliothèque et la cage à oiseaux furent récupérées sous la boîte à charbon -- mais Hunca Munca a gardé le berceau, et quelques vêtements de Lucinda.
SHE also has some useful pots and pans, and several other things.
ELLE possède aussi quelques casseroles et marmites utiles, et plusieurs autres choses.
THE little girl that the doll's-house belonged to, said,--"I will get a doll dressed like a policeman!"
LA petite fille à qui appartenait la maison de poupée dit : -- « Je vais avoir une poupée habillée en agent de police ! »
BUT the nurse said,--"I will set a mouse-trap!"
MAIS la nurse dit : -- « Je vais poser une souricière ! »
SO that is the story of the two Bad Mice,--but they were not so very very naughty after all, because Tom Thumb paid for everything he broke.
VOILÀ donc l'histoire des deux Mauvaises Souris -- mais elles n'étaient finalement pas si très très méchantes que cela, car Tom Pouce paya tout ce qu'il avait cassé.
He found a crooked sixpence under the hearthrug; and upon Christmas Eve, he and Hunca Munca stuffed it into one of the stockings of Lucinda and Jane.
Il trouva un sou tordu sous le tapis de foyer ; et la veille de Noël, lui et Hunca Munca le glissèrent dans l'un des bas de Lucinda et Jane.
Vocabulary
- ALORS
- Then, at that moment, or so
- repartit
- Set off again, left once more (past historic)
- et
- And, basic coordinating conjunction
- rapporta
- Brought back, returned with something
- une
- A, an (feminine indefinite article)
- chaise
- A chair, a piece of seating furniture
- bibliothèque
- A bookcase or library for storing books
- cage
- A cage, enclosure for animals or birds
- à
- To, at, for (preposition with many uses)
- oiseaux
- Birds, plural of oiseau
- plusieurs
- Several, more than two of something
- petits
- Small, little (masculine plural adjective)
- objets
- Objects, things, items of various kinds
- divers
- Various, diverse, of different kinds
- La
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- refusèrent
- Refused, declined to do something (past historic)
- d'
- Of, from (elided preposition de before vowel)
- entrer
- To enter, to go or come inside
- dans
- In, inside, within a place or time
- le
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- trou
- A hole, gap, or opening in a surface
- de
- Of, from, belonging to (preposition)
- souris
- A mouse, small rodent
- les
- The (plural definite article) or them (pronoun)
- laissa
- Left behind, allowed to remain (past historic)
- derrière
- Behind, at the back of something
- boîte
- A box, tin, or small container
- charbon
- Coal, a black combustible fossil fuel
- alla
- Went (third person singular past historic of aller)
- chercher
- To look for, fetch, or search for something
- un
- A, an (masculine indefinite article)
- berceau
- A cradle, baby's rocking bed
- revenait
- Was coming back, returning (imperfect tense)
- justement
- Just, precisely, exactly at that moment
- avec
- With, together with, accompanying something
- autre
- Another, other, a different one
- quand
- When, at the time that something happens
- soudain
- Suddenly, all at once, unexpectedly
- on
- One, we, they (indefinite subject pronoun)
- entendit
- Heard, perceived a sound (past historic)
- bruit
- A noise, sound heard unexpectedly
- voix
- Voice or voices of people speaking
- dehors
- Outside, out of doors, exterior
- sur
- On, upon, on top of something
- palier
- A landing, flat area at top of stairs
- Les
- The (plural definite article)
- se
- Themselves, reflexive pronoun (third person)
- précipitèrent
- Rushed, hurried quickly toward something (past historic)
- vers
- Toward, in the direction of something
- leur
- Their, belonging to them (possessive adjective)
- poupées
- Dolls, toy figures resembling people
- entrèrent
- Entered, went into a room (past historic)
- chambre
- A bedroom or room in a house
- enfants
- Children, young boys and girls
- QUEL
- What a, which (exclamatory or interrogative adjective)
- spectacle
- A sight, scene, or remarkable view
- s'
- Elided reflexive pronoun se before a vowel
- offrit
- Offered, presented itself (past historic)
- aux
- To the, at the (contracted plural preposition)
- yeux
- Eyes, the organs of sight (plural)
- assit
- Sat down (third person singular past historic)
- cuisinière
- A cook or kitchen stove, cooking appliance
- renversée
- Overturned, knocked over, upside down
- regarda
- Looked at, gazed upon (past historic)
- fixement
- Fixedly, with an unmoving steady stare
- appuya
- Leaned, pressed against something (past historic)
- contre
- Against, leaning on or opposed to something
- buffet
- A sideboard, kitchen dresser for storing dishes
- cuisine
- Kitchen, the room where food is cooked
- sourit
- Smiled (third person singular past historic)
- mais
- But, however, introducing a contrast
- ni
- Neither, nor, used in negative constructions
- l'
- The (elided definite article before vowel)
- ne
- Not, negative particle used with pas etc.
- fit
- Made, did (third person singular past historic)
- moindre
- The least, slightest, smallest amount of something
- commentaire
- A comment, remark, or observation made aloud
- LA
- The (feminine singular definite article, emphatic)
- furent
- Were (third person plural past historic of être)
- récupérées
- Recovered, retrieved, gotten back (feminine plural)
- sous
- Under, beneath, below something
- a
- Has (third person singular of avoir)
- gardé
- Kept, held onto something (past participle)
- quelques
- A few, some, a small number of
- vêtements
- Clothes, garments, items of clothing
- ELLE
- She, her (third person feminine pronoun, emphatic)
- possède
- Possesses, owns, has something as property
- aussi
- Also, too, as well, additionally
- casseroles
- Saucepans, pots used for cooking on stove
- marmites
- Cooking pots, large pots for boiling food
- utiles
- Useful, practical, serving a helpful purpose
- autres
- Other, others, different additional things
- choses
- Things, objects, matters of any kind
- petite
- Small, little (feminine singular adjective)
- fille
- A girl or daughter, young female person
- qui
- Who, which, that (relative or interrogative pronoun)
- appartenait
- Belonged to someone or something (imperfect tense)
- maison
- A house, home, place where people live
- poupée
- A doll, toy figure resembling a person
- dit
- Said, stated (third person singular past historic)
- Je
- I, the first person singular subject pronoun
- vais
- Am going to (first person of aller)
- avoir
- To have, to possess something
- habillée
- Dressed, wearing clothes (feminine past participle)
- en
- In, as, by (preposition with various uses)
- agent
- An agent or officer, especially police officer
- police
- Police, the law enforcement authority
- MAIS
- But, however, introducing a contrasting idea
- nurse
- A nurse or nanny caring for children
- poser
- To place, put down, or set something
- souricière
- A mousetrap, device for catching mice
- VOILÀ
- There it is, that's it, behold
- donc
- Therefore, so, thus (logical consequence word)
- histoire
- A story, tale, or historical account
- des
- Of the, some (plural partitive or contracted article)
- deux
- Two, the number 2
- Mauvaises
- Bad, wicked, naughty (feminine plural adjective)
- Souris
- Mice, plural of souris (mouse)
- elles
- They, them (third person feminine plural pronoun)
- n'
- Not (elided negative particle before vowel)
- étaient
- Were (third person plural imperfect of être)
- finalement
- Finally, in the end, ultimately
- pas
- Not (negative particle used with ne)
- si
- So, such, as (intensifier) or if (conjunction)
- très
- Very, extremely, to a great degree
- méchantes
- Wicked, mean, nasty (feminine plural adjective)
- que
- That, than, as, what (conjunction or pronoun)
- cela
- That, this, it (demonstrative pronoun)
- car
- Because, for, since (causal conjunction)
- Pouce
- Thumb (also Tom Thumb, tiny fictional character)
- paya
- Paid, compensated for something (past historic)
- tout
- All, everything, the whole of something
- ce
- This, that, it (demonstrative pronoun or adjective)
- qu'
- That, which (elided relative pronoun before vowel)
- il
- He, it (third person masculine singular pronoun)
- avait
- Had (third person singular imperfect of avoir)
- cassé
- Broken, smashed, damaged (past participle)
- Il
- He, it (third person masculine singular pronoun)
- trouva
- Found, discovered something (past historic)
- sou
- A very small coin, a penny or cent
- tordu
- Twisted, bent, warped out of shape
- tapis
- A rug or carpet on a floor
- foyer
- A hearth, fireplace, or entrance hall
- veille
- The eve, the day or night before something
- Noël
- Christmas, the December 25th holiday celebration
- lui
- Him, her, to him, to her (indirect pronoun)
- glissèrent
- Slipped, slid quietly (third person plural past historic)
- bas
- Stockings, socks, or low-down below something
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