The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 6
"You flatter me," replied the Prefect; "but it is possible that some such opinion may have been entertained."
« Vous me flattez, » répondit le Préfet ; « mais il est possible qu'une telle opinion ait pu être entretenue. »
"It is clear," said I, "as you observe, that the letter is still in possession of the minister; since it is this possession, and not any employment of the letter, which bestows the power.
« Il est clair, » dis-je, « comme vous le faites remarquer, que la lettre est toujours en possession du ministre ; puisque c'est cette possession, et non pas un quelconque usage de la lettre, qui confère le pouvoir.
With the employment the power departs."
Avec l'usage, le pouvoir disparaît. »
"True," said G.; "and upon this conviction I proceeded.
« En effet, » dit G. ; « et c'est sur cette conviction que j'ai procédé.
My first care was to make thorough search of the minister's hotel; and here my chief embarrassment lay in the necessity of searching without his knowledge.
Mon premier soin fut de faire une perquisition approfondie de l'hôtel du ministre ; et là, ma principale difficulté résidait dans la nécessité de fouiller à son insu.
Beyond all things, I have been warned of the danger which would result from giving him reason to suspect our design."
Par-dessus tout, j'ai été averti du danger qui résulterait du fait de lui donner des raisons de soupçonner notre dessein. »
"But," said I, "you are quite au fait in these investigations.
« Mais, » dis-je, « vous êtes tout à fait au fait de ces investigations.
The Parisian police have done this thing often before."
La police parisienne a déjà fait cela bien souvent. »
"Oh, yes; and for this reason I did not despair.
« Oh, oui ; et c'est pour cette raison que je n'ai pas désespéré.
The habits of the minister gave me, too, a great advantage.
Les habitudes du ministre m'ont également procuré un grand avantage.
He is frequently absent from home all night.
Il est fréquemment absent de chez lui toute la nuit.
His servants are by no means numerous.
Ses domestiques ne sont nullement nombreux.
They sleep at a distance from their master's apartment, and, being chiefly Neapolitans, are readily made drunk.
Ils dorment loin de l'appartement de leur maître, et, étant principalement des Napolitains, s'enivrent aisément.
I have keys, as you know, with which I can open any chamber or cabinet in Paris.
J'ai des clefs, comme vous le savez, avec lesquelles je peux ouvrir n'importe quelle chambre ou cabinet à Paris.
For three months a night has not passed, during the greater part of which I have not been engaged, personally, in ransacking the D—— Hotel.
Pendant trois mois, il ne s'est pas passé une nuit durant la plus grande partie de laquelle je n'aie pas été occupé, personnellement, à fouiller de fond en comble l'hôtel D——.
My honor is interested, and, to mention a great secret, the reward is enormous.
Mon honneur est en jeu, et, pour mentionner un grand secret, la récompense est énorme.
Vocabulary
- Vous
- You (formal or plural second person pronoun)
- me
- Me (first person singular object pronoun)
- flattez
- You flatter (to praise excessively or insincerely)
- répondit
- Replied (past tense of répondre, to answer)
- Préfet
- Prefect, a high-ranking French administrative official
- mais
- But (conjunction indicating contrast or opposition)
- possible
- Possible, capable of happening or being done
- telle
- Such (adjective indicating a particular kind)
- opinion
- Opinion, a personal view or judgment held
- ait
- Has (subjunctive form of avoir, to have)
- pu
- Been able to (past participle of pouvoir)
- être
- To be (infinitive of the verb être)
- entretenue
- Maintained or held (past participle, feminine form)
- clair
- Clear, evident, or easy to understand
- dis-
- Say (imperative form of dire, hyphenated form)
- comme
- As or like (conjunction or preposition of comparison)
- vous
- You (formal or plural pronoun, object or subject)
- faites
- Make or do (second person plural of faire)
- remarquer
- To notice or point out, draw attention to
- lettre
- Letter, a written message sent to someone
- toujours
- Always or still (adverb of time or continuity)
- possession
- Possession, having or owning something as one's own
- ministre
- Minister, a senior government official or diplomat
- puisque
- Since or because (conjunction giving a reason)
- cette
- This (feminine demonstrative adjective or pronoun)
- non
- No or not (negation adverb in French)
- quelconque
- Any or ordinary, of no particular distinction
- usage
- Use or usage, the act of employing something
- confère
- Confers or grants (third person singular of conférer)
- pouvoir
- Power or ability; also infinitive meaning to be able
- Avec
- With (preposition indicating accompaniment or means)
- disparaît
- Disappears (third person singular of disparaître)
- effet
- Effect; en effet means indeed or in fact
- dit
- Said (third person singular past tense of dire)
- sur
- On or upon (preposition of position or topic)
- conviction
- Conviction, a firmly held belief or certainty
- procédé
- Proceeded or carried out (past participle of procéder)
- premier
- First (masculine ordinal adjective indicating priority)
- soin
- Care or concern; premier soin means first concern
- fut
- Was (third person singular simple past of être)
- faire
- To do or make (common infinitive verb in French)
- perquisition
- Search or raid, an official investigation of premises
- approfondie
- Thorough or in-depth (feminine past participle of approfondir)
- hôtel
- Here: mansion or large private residence, not inn
- là
- There (adverb indicating a place or situation)
- principale
- Principal or main (feminine adjective of primary importance)
- difficulté
- Difficulty, something that is hard to accomplish
- résidait
- Resided or lay (imperfect tense of résider, to reside)
- nécessité
- Necessity, something indispensable or urgently required
- fouiller
- To search or rummage through carefully
- insu
- Knowledge; à son insu means without his knowledge
- dessus
- Above or over; par-dessus tout means above all
- tout
- All or everything (adjective or pronoun of totality)
- averti
- Warned or informed (past participle of avertir)
- danger
- Danger, a situation involving risk or harm
- résulterait
- Would result (conditional of résulter, to result)
- fait
- Fact; also past participle of faire, to do
- donner
- To give (infinitive of a very common French verb)
- raisons
- Reasons, motives or justifications for an action
- soupçonner
- To suspect, to believe someone guilty without proof
- notre
- Our (first person plural possessive adjective)
- dessein
- Design or plan, an intended scheme or purpose
- Mais
- But (conjunction introducing contrast or objection)
- ces
- These or those (plural demonstrative adjective)
- investigations
- Investigations, systematic examinations or inquiries made
- police
- Police, the law enforcement organization of a state
- parisienne
- Parisian (feminine adjective relating to Paris, France)
- déjà
- Already or before (adverb indicating prior occurrence)
- cela
- That (demonstrative pronoun referring to something distant)
- bien
- Well or very (adverb of manner or intensifier)
- souvent
- Often (adverb indicating frequent repetition of action)
- oui
- Yes (affirmative response in French)
- raison
- Reason or cause; avoir raison means to be right
- désespéré
- Desperate or despairing, without hope or recourse
- habitudes
- Habits or customs, regular patterns of behavior
- également
- Also or equally (adverb meaning in addition)
- procuré
- Provided or procured (past participle of procurer)
- grand
- Great or large (adjective of size or importance)
- avantage
- Advantage, a favorable condition or superior position
- fréquemment
- Frequently, happening or occurring very often
- absent
- Absent, not present in a place at a time
- chez
- At the home of (preposition indicating someone's place)
- toute
- All or entire (feminine adjective of totality)
- nuit
- Night, the dark period between sunset and sunrise
- Ses
- His, her, or its (third person plural possessive adjective)
- domestiques
- Servants or household staff employed in a home
- nullement
- Not at all, in no way whatsoever
- nombreux
- Numerous or many (masculine plural adjective of quantity)
- dorment
- Sleep (third person plural of dormir, to sleep)
- loin
- Far or far away (adverb of distance)
- appartement
- Apartment or suite of rooms within a building
- leur
- Their or to them (possessive adjective or pronoun)
- maître
- Master or employer, one who has authority over others
- étant
- Being (present participle of être, used as gerund)
- principalement
- Principally or mainly, above all other things
- Napolitains
- Neapolitans, people from Naples in southern Italy
- enivrent
- Get drunk (reflexive form of enivrer, to intoxicate)
- aisément
- Easily or effortlessly (adverb of manner)
- clefs
- Keys, instruments used for locking or unlocking doors
- savez
- Know (second person plural of savoir, to know)
- avec
- With (preposition indicating accompaniment or instrument)
- lesquelles
- Which (feminine plural relative or interrogative pronoun)
- peux
- Can (first person singular of pouvoir, to be able)
- ouvrir
- To open (infinitive of a common French verb)
- importe
- Matters; n'importe quelle means any whatsoever
- quelle
- Which or what (feminine interrogative or exclamatory adjective)
- chambre
- Room or bedroom in a house or building
- cabinet
- Cabinet or small private room, office or study
- Pendant
- During or for (preposition indicating a time period)
- trois
- Three (cardinal number)
- mois
- Month or months (unit of time, singular or plural)
- passé
- Past or spent (adjective or past participle of passer)
- durant
- During or throughout (preposition of time duration)
- plus
- More or most (adverb of comparison or quantity)
- grande
- Great or large (feminine adjective of size or extent)
- partie
- Part or portion of a whole thing
- laquelle
- Which (feminine singular relative or interrogative pronoun)
- aie
- Have (first person singular present subjunctive of avoir)
- occupé
- Occupied or busy; past participle of occuper
- personnellement
- Personally, done by oneself and not by another
- fond
- Bottom or depth; de fond en comble means thoroughly
- comble
- Top or summit; de fond en comble means from top to bottom
- honneur
- Honor, the quality of being morally upright
- jeu
- Game or play; en jeu means at stake
- mentionner
- To mention, to refer to something briefly
- secret
- Secret, information kept hidden from others
- récompense
- Reward, something given in return for service
- énorme
- Enormous or huge, of very great size or amount
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