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"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (full novel), Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits - Part 4

Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits - Part 4

“I have come to bring you home, dear brother!” said the child, clapping her tiny hands, and bending down to laugh. “To bring you home, home, home!”

“Home, little Fan?” returned the boy.

“Yes!” said the child, brimful of glee. “Home, for good and all. Home, for ever and ever. Father is so much kinder than he used to be, that home's like Heaven! He spoke so gently to me one dear night when I was going to bed, that I was not afraid to ask him once more if you might come home; and he said Yes, you should; and sent me in a coach to bring you. And you're to be a man!” said the child, opening her eyes, “and are never to come back here; but first, we're to be together all the Christmas long, and have the merriest time in all the world.” “You are quite a woman, little Fan!” exclaimed the boy.

She clapped her hands and laughed, and tried to touch his head; but being too little, laughed again, and stood on tiptoe to embrace him. Then she began to drag him, in her childish eagerness, towards the door; and he, nothing loth to go, accompanied her.

A terrible voice in the hall cried, “Bring down Master Scrooge's box, there!” and in the hall appeared the schoolmaster himself, who glared on Master Scrooge with a ferocious condescension, and threw him into a dreadful state of mind by shaking hands with him. He then conveyed him and his sister into the veriest old well of a shivering best-parlour that ever was seen, where the maps upon the wall, and the celestial and terrestrial globes in the windows, were waxy with cold. Here he produced a decanter of curiously light wine, and a block of curiously heavy cake, and administered instalments of those dainties to the young people: at the same time, sending out a meagre servant to offer a glass of “something” to the postboy, who answered that he thanked the gentleman, but if it was the same tap as he had tasted before, he had rather not. Master Scrooge's trunk being by this time tied on to the top of the chaise, the children bade the schoolmaster good-bye right willingly; and getting into it, drove gaily down the garden-sweep: the quick wheels dashing the hoar-frost and snow from off the dark leaves of the evergreens like spray. “Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered,” said the Ghost. “But she had a large heart!”

“So she had,” cried Scrooge. “You're right. I will not gainsay it, Spirit. God forbid!”

“She died a woman,” said the Ghost, “and had, as I think, children.”

“One child,” Scrooge returned.

“True,” said the Ghost. “Your nephew!”

Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind; and answered briefly, “Yes.”

Although they had but that moment left the school behind them, they were now in the busy thoroughfares of a city, where shadowy passengers passed and repassed; where shadowy carts and coaches battled for the way, and all the strife and tumult of a real city were. It was made plain enough, by the dressing of the shops, that here too it was Christmas time again; but it was evening, and the streets were lighted up.

The Ghost stopped at a certain warehouse door, and asked Scrooge if he knew it.

“Know it!” said Scrooge. “Was I apprenticed here!”

They went in. At sight of an old gentleman in a Welsh wig, sitting behind such a high desk, that if he had been two inches taller he must have knocked his head against the ceiling, Scrooge cried in great excitement:

“Why, it's old Fezziwig! Bless his heart; it's Fezziwig alive again!” Old Fezziwig laid down his pen, and looked up at the clock, which pointed to the hour of seven. He rubbed his hands; adjusted his capacious waistcoat; laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ of benevolence; and called out in a comfortable, oily, rich, fat, jovial voice:

“Yo ho, there! Ebenezer! Dick!”

Scrooge's former self, now grown a young man, came briskly in, accompanied by his fellow-'prentice. “Dick Wilkins, to be sure!” said Scrooge to the Ghost. “Bless me, yes. There he is. He was very much attached to me, was Dick. Poor Dick! Dear, dear!”

“Yo ho, my boys!” said Fezziwig. “No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer! Let's have the shutters up,” cried old Fezziwig, with a sharp clap of his hands, “before a man can say Jack Robinson!” You wouldn't believe how those two fellows went at it! They charged into the street with the shutters—one, two, three—had 'em up in their places—four, five, six—barred 'em and pinned 'em—seven, eight, nine—and came back before you could have got to twelve, panting like race-horses. “Hilli-ho!” cried old Fezziwig, skipping down from the high desk, with wonderful agility. “Clear away, my lads, and let's have lots of room here! Hilli-ho, Dick! Chirrup, Ebenezer!”

Clear away! There was nothing they wouldn't have cleared away, or couldn't have cleared away, with old Fezziwig looking on. It was done in a minute. Every movable was packed off, as if it were dismissed from public life for evermore; the floor was swept and watered, the lamps were trimmed, fuel was heaped upon the fire; and the warehouse was as snug, and warm, and dry, and bright a ball-room, as you would desire to see upon a winter's night.

Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits - Part 4 스테이브 2. 세 가지 정신 중 첫 번째 - 파트 4

“I have come to bring you home, dear brother!” said the child, clapping her tiny hands, and bending down to laugh. « Je suis venu te ramener à la maison, cher frère ! dit l'enfant en frappant de ses petites mains et en se baissant pour rire. “To bring you home, home, home!”

“Home, little Fan?” returned the boy. « À la maison, petit Fan ? » reprit le garçon.

“Yes!” said the child, brimful of glee. "Oui!" dit l'enfant plein de joie. “Home, for good and all. Home, for ever and ever. Father is so much kinder than he used to be, that home's like Heaven! Père est tellement plus gentil qu'avant, cette maison est comme le paradis ! He spoke so gently to me one dear night when I was going to bed, that I was not afraid to ask him once more if you might come home; and he said Yes, you should; and sent me in a coach to bring you. And you're to be a man!” said the child, opening her eyes, “and are never to come back here; but first, we're to be together all the Christmas long, and have the merriest time in all the world.” Et tu vas être un homme ! dit l'enfant en ouvrant les yeux, et ne reviendront jamais ici ; mais d'abord, nous devons être ensemble tout au long de Noël et passer les meilleurs moments du monde. “You are quite a woman, little Fan!” exclaimed the boy.

She clapped her hands and laughed, and tried to touch his head; but being too little, laughed again, and stood on tiptoe to embrace him. Elle frappa dans ses mains et rit, et essaya de toucher sa tête ; mais étant trop petit, il rit encore et se mit sur la pointe des pieds pour l'embrasser. Then she began to drag him, in her childish eagerness, towards the door; and he, nothing loth to go, accompanied her. Alors elle se mit à l'entraîner, dans son avidité enfantine, vers la porte ; et lui, n'hésitant pas à partir, l'accompagna.

A terrible voice in the hall cried, “Bring down Master Scrooge's box, there!” and in the hall appeared the schoolmaster himself, who glared on Master Scrooge with a ferocious condescension, and threw him into a dreadful state of mind by shaking hands with him. Une voix terrible dans le hall cria : « Abattez la boîte de Master Scrooge, là ! et dans la salle apparut le maître d'école lui-même, qui fixa maître Scrooge avec une condescendance féroce, et le jeta dans un état d'esprit épouvantable en lui serrant la main. He then conveyed him and his sister into the veriest old well of a shivering best-parlour that ever was seen, where the maps upon the wall, and the celestial and terrestrial globes in the windows, were waxy with cold. Il le conduisit ensuite, lui et sa sœur, dans le plus vieux puits d'un meilleur salon frissonnant qu'on ait jamais vu, où les cartes sur le mur et les globes célestes et terrestres dans les fenêtres étaient cireux de froid. Here he produced a decanter of curiously light wine, and a block of curiously heavy cake, and administered instalments of those dainties to the young people: at the same time, sending out a meagre servant to offer a glass of “something” to the postboy, who answered that he thanked the gentleman, but if it was the same tap as he had tasted before, he had rather not. Ici, il a produit une carafe de vin curieusement léger et un bloc de gâteau curieusement lourd, et a administré des versements de ces friandises aux jeunes : en même temps, envoyant un maigre serviteur offrir un verre de « quelque chose » au postier , qui a répondu qu'il remerciait le monsieur, mais si c'était le même robinet qu'il avait goûté auparavant, il l'avait plutôt pas. Master Scrooge's trunk being by this time tied on to the top of the chaise, the children bade the schoolmaster good-bye right willingly; and getting into it, drove gaily down the garden-sweep: the quick wheels dashing the hoar-frost and snow from off the dark leaves of the evergreens like spray. La malle de maître Scrooge étant maintenant attachée au haut de la chaise, les enfants dirent au revoir au maître d'école de bon gré ; et s'y engouffrant, descendit gaiement le balai du jardin : les roues rapides chassant le givre et la neige des feuilles sombres des conifères comme des embruns. “Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered,” said the Ghost. "Toujours une créature délicate, qu'un souffle aurait pu dessécher," dit le Fantôme. “But she had a large heart!”

“So she had,” cried Scrooge. “You're right. I will not gainsay it, Spirit. Je ne le contredirai pas, Esprit. God forbid!” Dieu pardonne!"

“She died a woman,” said the Ghost, “and had, as I think, children.”

“One child,” Scrooge returned.

“True,” said the Ghost. “Your nephew!”

Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind; and answered briefly, “Yes.”

Although they had but that moment left the school behind them, they were now in the busy thoroughfares of a city, where shadowy passengers passed and repassed; where shadowy carts and coaches battled for the way, and all the strife and tumult of a real city were. Bien qu'ils eussent à ce moment laissé l'école derrière eux, ils étaient maintenant dans les artères animées d'une ville, où des passagers ténébreux passaient et repassaient ; où des charrettes et des carrosses ténébreux se battaient pour le chemin, et où se trouvaient tous les conflits et les tumultes d'une vraie ville. It was made plain enough, by the dressing of the shops, that here too it was Christmas time again; but it was evening, and the streets were lighted up. Il était assez clair, par l'habillage des magasins, qu'ici aussi c'était encore Noël ; mais c'était le soir, et les rues s'éclairaient.

The Ghost stopped at a certain warehouse door, and asked Scrooge if he knew it.

“Know it!” said Scrooge. “Was I apprenticed here!” « Est-ce que j'ai été apprenti ici ! »

They went in. At sight of an old gentleman in a Welsh wig, sitting behind such a high desk, that if he had been two inches taller he must have knocked his head against the ceiling, Scrooge cried in great excitement: A la vue d'un vieux monsieur portant une perruque galloise, assis derrière un bureau si haut, que s'il avait été plus grand de deux pouces, il aurait dû se cogner la tête contre le plafond, Scrooge cria avec une grande excitation :

“Why, it's old Fezziwig! « Pourquoi, c'est le vieux Fezziwig ! Bless his heart; it's Fezziwig alive again!” Old Fezziwig laid down his pen, and looked up at the clock, which pointed to the hour of seven. He rubbed his hands; adjusted his capacious waistcoat; laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ of benevolence; and called out in a comfortable, oily, rich, fat, jovial voice: Il se frotta les mains ; ajusta son gilet ample ; riait de lui-même, de ses chaussures à son organe de bienveillance ; et cria d'une voix confortable, grasse, riche, grasse et joviale :

“Yo ho, there! Ebenezer! Dick!” Queue!"

Scrooge's former self, now grown a young man, came briskly in, accompanied by his fellow-'prentice. “Dick Wilkins, to be sure!” said Scrooge to the Ghost. « Dick Wilkins, bien sûr ! » dit Scrooge au fantôme. “Bless me, yes. « Bénis-moi, oui. There he is. He was very much attached to me, was Dick. Poor Dick! Dear, dear!”

“Yo ho, my boys!” said Fezziwig. “No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer! Let's have the shutters up,” cried old Fezziwig, with a sharp clap of his hands, “before a man can say Jack Robinson!” Levons les volets, s'écria le vieux Fezziwig avec un claquement de mains sec, avant qu'un homme puisse dire Jack Robinson ! You wouldn't believe how those two fellows went at it! Vous ne sauriez croire comment ces deux gars s'y sont pris ! They charged into the street with the shutters—one, two, three—had 'em up in their places—four, five, six—barred 'em and pinned 'em—seven, eight, nine—and came back before you could have got to twelve, panting like race-horses. Ils ont chargé dans la rue avec les volets - un, deux, trois - les ont mis à leur place - quatre, cinq, six - les ont barrés et épinglés - sept, huit, neuf - et sont revenus avant que vous n'ayez pu arrivé à douze, haletant comme des chevaux de course. “Hilli-ho!” cried old Fezziwig, skipping down from the high desk, with wonderful agility. « Hilli-ho ! » s'écria le vieux Fezziwig en sautant du haut du bureau avec une merveilleuse agilité. “Clear away, my lads, and let's have lots of room here! « Dégagez, mes gars, et ayons beaucoup de place ici ! Hilli-ho, Dick! Chirrup, Ebenezer!” Chirup, Ebenezer ! »

Clear away! There was nothing they wouldn't have cleared away, or couldn't have cleared away, with old Fezziwig looking on. Il n'y avait rien qu'ils n'auraient pas nettoyé, ou n'auraient pas pu nettoyer, sous le regard du vieux Fezziwig. It was done in a minute. Cela a été fait en une minute. Every movable was packed off, as if it were dismissed from public life for evermore; the floor was swept and watered, the lamps were trimmed, fuel was heaped upon the fire; and the warehouse was as snug, and warm, and dry, and bright a ball-room, as you would desire to see upon a winter's night. Chaque meuble était emballé, comme s'il était à jamais écarté de la vie publique ; le sol a été balayé et arrosé, les lampes ont été taillées, le combustible a été entassé sur le feu ; et l'entrepôt était aussi douillet, chaud, sec et lumineux qu'une salle de bal que l'on voudrait voir par une nuit d'hiver.