The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 9
The bottoms and tops of bedposts are employed in the same way."
I fondi e le sommità dei montanti dei letti vengono impiegati allo stesso modo."
"But could not the cavity be detected by sounding?" I asked.
"Ma la cavità non potrebbe essere rilevata col sondaggio?" chiesi.
"By no means, if, when the article is deposited, a sufficient wadding of cotton be placed around it.
"In nessun modo, se, quando l'oggetto viene depositato, viene posto attorno ad esso un sufficiente strato di ovatta di cotone.
Besides, in our case, we were obliged to proceed without noise."
Inoltre, nel nostro caso, eravamo obbligati a procedere senza fare rumore."
"But you could not have removed—you could not have taken to pieces all articles of furniture in which it would have been possible to make a deposit in the manner you mention.
"Ma non avreste potuto rimuovere — non avreste potuto smontare tutti i mobili nei quali sarebbe stato possibile effettuare un deposito nel modo che menzionate.
A letter may be compressed into a thin spiral roll, not differing much in shape or bulk from a large knitting-needle, and in this form it might be inserted into the rung of a chair, for example.
Una lettera può essere compressa in un sottile rotolo a spirale, che non differisce molto nella forma o nel volume da un grande ferro da calza, e in questa forma potrebbe essere inserita nel montante di una sedia, per esempio.
You did not take to pieces all the chairs?"
Non avete smontato tutte le sedie?"
"Certainly not; but we did better—we examined the rungs of every chair in the hotel, and, indeed the jointings of every description of furniture, by the aid of a most powerful microscope.
"Certamente no; ma abbiamo fatto di meglio — abbiamo esaminato i montanti di ogni sedia nell'albergo, e, in effetti, le giunture di ogni tipo di mobile, con l'ausilio di un microscopio di grande potenza.
Had there been any traces of recent disturbance we should not have failed to detect it instantly.
Se vi fossero state tracce di una recente manomissione, non avremmo mancato di rilevarle immediatamente.
A single grain of gimlet-dust, for example, would have been as obvious as an apple.
Un solo granello di polvere di succhiello, per esempio, sarebbe stato evidente come una mela.
Any disorder in the glueing—any unusual gaping in the joints—would have sufficed to insure detection."
Qualsiasi irregolarità nell'incollatura — qualsiasi apertura insolita nelle giunture — sarebbe bastata ad assicurare la scoperta."
"I presume you looked to the mirrors, between the boards and the plates, and you probed the beds and the bed-clothes, as well as the curtains and carpets.
"Presumo che abbiate esaminato gli specchi, tra le tavole e le lastre, e che abbiate sondato i letti e la biancheria da letto, nonché le tende e i tappeti.
Vocabulary
- fondi
- Bottoms or funds; plural of fondo.
- le
- The (feminine plural article or pronoun).
- sommità
- Summit or top of a mountain or object.
- dei
- Of the; plural partitive article (di + i).
- montanti
- Vertical posts or uprights in furniture or structures.
- letti
- Beds; plural of letto.
- vengono
- Come or are (third person plural present of venire).
- impiegati
- Employed or used; past participle of impiegare.
- allo
- To the; contraction of a + lo.
- stesso
- Same or very; adjective indicating identity or similarity.
- modo
- Manner or way; method of doing something.
- Ma
- But; common conjunction used to contrast ideas.
- la
- The (feminine singular article or pronoun).
- cavità
- Cavity or hollow space within something.
- non
- Not; negation particle in Italian sentences.
- potrebbe
- Could or might; conditional form of potere.
- essere
- To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary and main verb.
- rilevata
- Detected or noted; past participle feminine of rilevare.
- col
- With the; contraction of con + il.
- sondaggio
- Sounding or probing; method of exploration or survey.
- chiesi
- I asked; past tense of chiedere.
- In
- In; preposition indicating location or state.
- nessun
- No or none; negative adjective or pronoun.
- se
- If; conditional conjunction used in clauses.
- quando
- When; temporal conjunction or interrogative adverb.
- oggetto
- Object or thing; noun for tangible or abstract entity.
- viene
- Comes or is; third person singular present of venire.
- depositato
- Deposited or placed; past participle of depositare.
- posto
- Placed or position; past participle of porre or noun.
- attorno
- Around; adverb or preposition indicating surrounding position.
- ad
- To; preposition used before vowels instead of a.
- esso
- It (masculine); third person singular pronoun.
- un
- A or an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- sufficiente
- Sufficient or adequate; adjective meaning enough quantity.
- strato
- Layer or stratum; noun for thickness or bed.
- di
- Of or from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- cotone
- Cotton; natural fiber used for textiles.
- Inoltre
- Moreover or furthermore; adverb adding emphasis or information.
- nel
- In the; contraction of in + il.
- nostro
- Our; first person plural possessive adjective.
- caso
- Case or instance; noun for situation or example.
- eravamo
- We were; first person plural imperfect of essere.
- obbligati
- Obligated or forced; past participle of obbligare.
- procedere
- To proceed or continue; verb meaning to move forward.
- senza
- Without; preposition indicating absence or negation.
- fare
- To do or make; fundamental Italian infinitive verb.
- rumore
- Noise or sound; noun for acoustic disturbance.
- avreste
- You would have; second person plural conditional of avere.
- potuto
- Been able; past participle of potere.
- rimuovere
- To remove; verb meaning to take away.
- smontare
- To disassemble or take apart; verb meaning dismount.
- tutti
- All or everyone; plural adjective or pronoun.
- mobili
- Furniture or movable items; noun and adjective.
- nei
- In the (plural); contraction of in + i.
- quali
- Which; relative or interrogative plural pronoun.
- sarebbe
- Would be; third person singular conditional of essere.
- stato
- Been or state; past participle of essere or noun.
- possibile
- Possible or feasible; adjective indicating likelihood.
- effettuare
- To carry out or perform; verb meaning execute.
- deposito
- Deposit or warehouse; noun for storage place.
- che
- That or which; relative pronoun used in clauses.
- menzionate
- Mentioned; second person plural past of menzionare.
- Una
- A or one (feminine); indefinite article.
- lettera
- Letter; noun for written correspondence or alphabet character.
- può
- Can or is able; third person singular of potere.
- compressa
- Compressed or squeezed; feminine past participle of comprimere.
- sottile
- Thin or slender; adjective describing narrow width.
- rotolo
- Roll or scroll; noun for cylindrical shape.
- spirale
- Spiral; noun for helical or coiled shape.
- differisce
- Differs or varies; third person singular of differire.
- molto
- Very or much; adverb indicating degree or quantity.
- nella
- In the (feminine); contraction of in + la.
- forma
- Form or shape; noun for appearance or structure.
- volume
- Volume; noun for three-dimensional space or loudness.
- da
- From or by; preposition indicating origin or agent.
- grande
- Great or large; adjective describing size.
- ferro
- Iron; noun for metal element or tool.
- calza
- Stocking or sock; noun for hosiery garment.
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