CHAPTER VI. THE BOY. CAPÍTULO VI. O MENINO. ГЛАВА VI. МАЛЬЧИК.

Leaving the mistress of Elmhurst among her flowers, Silas Watson walked slowly and thoughtfully along the paths until he reached the extreme left wing of the rambling old mansion. Laissant la maîtresse d'Elmhurst parmi ses fleurs, Silas Watson marcha lentement et pensivement le long des sentiers jusqu'à ce qu'il atteigne l'aile gauche de la vieille demeure. Here, half hidden by tangled vines of climbing roses, he came to a flight of steps leading to an iron-railed balcony, and beyond this was a narrow stairway to the rooms in the upper part of the wing. Là, à moitié caché par des vignes de rosiers grimpants enchevêtrées, il arriva à une volée de marches menant à un balcon en fer, au-delà duquel se trouvait un escalier étroit menant aux chambres situées dans la partie supérieure de l'aile.

Miss Merrick, however ungenerous she might have been to others, had always maintained Elmhurst in a fairly lavish manner. Mlle Merrick, aussi peu généreuse qu'elle ait pu être envers les autres, avait toujours entretenu Elmhurst d'une manière assez somptueuse. There were plenty of servants to look after the house and gardens, and there were good horses in the stables. Whenever her health permitted she dined in state each evening in the great dining-room, solitary and dignified, unless on rare occasions her one familiar, Silas Watson, occupied the seat opposite her. Lorsque sa santé le lui permettait, elle dînait chaque soir dans la grande salle à manger, solitaire et digne, à moins qu'en de rares occasions son seul familier, Silas Watson, n'occupe le siège en face d'elle. "The boy," as he was contemptuously called, was never permitted to enter this room. Le "garçon", comme on l'appelait avec mépris, n'était jamais autorisé à entrer dans cette pièce. Indeed, it would be difficult to define exactly Kenneth Forbes' position at Elmhurst. En effet, il serait difficile de définir exactement la position de Kenneth Forbes à Elmhurst. He had lived there ever since his mother's death, when, a silent and unattractive lad of eight, Mr. Watson had brought him to Jane Merrick and insisted upon her providing a home for Tom Bradley's orphaned nephew. Il y vivait depuis la mort de sa mère, lorsque, jeune garçon silencieux et sans attrait de huit ans, M. Watson l'avait amené à Jane Merrick et avait insisté pour qu'elle offre un foyer au neveu orphelin de Tom Bradley. She accepted the obligation reluctantly enough, giving the child a small room in the left wing, as far removed from her own apartments as possible, and transferring all details of his care to Misery Agnew, the old housekeeper. Elle accepta cette obligation avec assez de réticence, donnant à l'enfant une petite chambre dans l'aile gauche, aussi éloignée que possible de ses propres appartements, et confiant tous les détails de sa garde à Misery Agnew, l'ancienne gouvernante. Misery endeavored to "do her duty" by the boy, but appreciating the scant courtesy with which he was treated by her mistress, it is not surprising the old woman regarded him merely as a dependent and left him mostly to his own devices. Misery s'efforce de "faire son devoir" envers le garçon, mais compte tenu du peu de courtoisie avec lequel sa maîtresse le traite, il n'est pas surprenant que la vieille femme le considère simplement comme un enfant à charge et le laisse le plus souvent livré à lui-même. Kenneth, even in his first days at Elmhurst, knew that his presence was disagreeable to Miss Jane, and as the years dragged on he grew shy and retiring, longing to break away from his unpleasant surroundings, but knowing of no other place where he would be more welcome. Kenneth, dès ses premiers jours à Elmhurst, savait que sa présence était désagréable pour Mlle Jane, et au fil des années, il devint timide et réservé, désirant ardemment s'éloigner de cet environnement désagréable, mais ne connaissant pas d'autre endroit où il serait mieux accueilli. His only real friend was the lawyer, who neglected no opportunity to visit the boy and chat with him, in his cheery manner. Mr. Watson also arranged with the son of the village curate to tutor Kenneth and prepare him for college; but either the tutor was incompetent or the pupil did not apply himself, for at twenty Kenneth Forbes was very ignorant, indeed, and seemed not to apply himself properly to his books. M. Watson s'est également entendu avec le fils du vicaire du village pour qu'il donne des cours particuliers à Kenneth et le prépare à l'université ; mais soit le tuteur était incompétent, soit l'élève ne s'appliquait pas, car à vingt ans Kenneth Forbes était très ignorant et ne semblait pas s'appliquer correctement à ses livres.

He was short of stature and thin, with a sad drawn face and manners that even his staunch friend, Silas Watson, admitted were awkward and unprepossessing. Il est de petite taille et maigre, avec un visage triste et des manières que même son fidèle ami, Silas Watson, reconnaît comme maladroites et peu avenantes. What he might have been under different conditions or with different treatment, could only be imagined. On ne peut qu'imaginer ce qu'il aurait pu être dans d'autres conditions ou avec d'autres traitements. Slowly climbing the stairs to the little room Kenneth inhabited, Mr. Watson was forced to conclude, with a sigh of regret, that he could not blame Miss Jane for wishing to find a more desirable heir to her estate than this graceless, sullen youth who had been thrust upon her by a thoughtless request contained in the will of her dead lover—a request that she seemed determined to fulfil literally, as it only required her to "look after" Tom's relatives and did not oblige her to leave Kenneth her property. En montant lentement l'escalier jusqu'à la petite chambre habitée par Kenneth, M. Watson dut conclure, avec un soupir de regret, qu'il ne pouvait blâmer Mlle Jane de vouloir trouver un héritier plus désirable à sa succession que ce jeune homme sans grâce et maussade qui lui avait été imposé par une demande irréfléchie contenue dans le testament de son défunt amant - demande qu'elle semblait décidée à accomplir littéralement, puisqu'elle lui demandait seulement de "s'occuper" des parents de Tom et ne l'obligeait pas à laisser ses biens à Kenneth. Yet, strange as it may seem, the old lawyer was exceedingly fond of the boy, and longed to see him the master of Elmhurst. Pourtant, aussi étrange que cela puisse paraître, le vieil avocat aimait beaucoup le garçon et souhaitait ardemment qu'il devienne le maître d'Elmhurst. Sometimes, when they were alone, Kenneth forgot his sense of injury and dependence, and spoke so well and with such animation that Mr. Watson was astonished, and believed that hidden underneath the mask of reserve was another entirely different personality, that in the years to come might change the entire nature of the neglected youth and win for him the respect and admiration of the world. Parfois, lorsqu'ils étaient seuls, Kenneth oubliait son sentiment de blessure et de dépendance, et parlait si bien et avec tant d'animation que M. Watson était étonné, et croyait que sous le masque de la réserve se cachait une personnalité entièrement différente, qui dans les années à venir pourrait changer la nature entière du jeune négligé et lui gagner le respect et l'admiration du monde. But these fits of brightness and geniality were rare. Mais ces accès d'éclat et de générosité étaient rares. Only the lawyer had as yet discovered them.

Today he found the boy lying listlessly upon the window-seat, an open book in his hand, but his eyes fixed dreamily upon the grove of huge elm trees that covered the distant hills. Aujourd'hui, il trouva le garçon allongé sur le siège de la fenêtre, un livre ouvert à la main, mais les yeux fixés rêveusement sur le bosquet d'ormes gigantesques qui couvrait les collines lointaines.

"Morning, Ken," said he, briefly, sitting beside his young friend and taking the book in his own hand. The margins of the printed pages were fairly covered with drawings of every description. Les marges des pages imprimées sont largement couvertes de dessins de toutes sortes. The far away trees were there and the near-by rose gardens. Les arbres lointains étaient là et les roseraies proches. There was a cat spitting at an angry dog, caricatures of old Misery and James, the gardener, and of Aunt Jane and even Silas Watson himself—all so clearly depicted that the lawyer suddenly wondered if they were not clever, and an evidence of genius. Il y avait un chat qui crachait sur un chien en colère, des caricatures de la vieille Misery et de James, le jardinier, de tante Jane et même de Silas Watson lui-même, toutes si clairement représentées que l'avocat se demanda soudain si elles n'étaient pas intelligentes et ne témoignaient pas d'un certain génie. But the boy turned to look at him, and the next moment seized the book from his grasp and sent it flying through the open window, uttering at the same time a rude exclamation of impatience. Mais le garçon se retourna pour le regarder et, l'instant d'après, il saisit le livre et l'envoya voler par la fenêtre ouverte, poussant en même temps une exclamation d'impatience.

The lawyer quietly lighted his pipe.

"Why did you do that, Kenneth?" he asked.

"The pictures are clever enough to be preserved. I did not know you have a talent for drawing." Je ne savais pas que tu avais un talent pour le dessin". The boy glanced at him, but answered nothing, and the lawyer thought best not to pursue the subject After smoking a moment in silence he remarked:

"Your aunt is failing fast." "Votre tante s'affaiblit rapidement". Although no relative, Kenneth had been accustomed to speak of Jane Merrick as his aunt. Bien qu'il ne soit pas de sa famille, Kenneth avait l'habitude de parler de Jane Merrick comme de sa tante.

Getting neither word nor look in reply the lawyer presently continued:

"I do not think she will live much longer." The boy stared from the window and drummed on the sill with his fingers. Le garçon regarde fixement la fenêtre et tambourine sur l'appui de fenêtre avec ses doigts.

"When she dies," said Mr. Watson, in a musing tone, "there will be a new mistress at Elmhurst and you will have to move out." "Lorsqu'elle mourra, dit M. Watson d'un ton songeur, il y aura une nouvelle maîtresse à Elmhurst et vous devrez déménager. The boy now turned to look at him, enquiringly.

"You are twenty, and you are not ready for college. You would be of no use in the commercial world. Vous ne seriez d'aucune utilité dans le monde commercial. You have not even the capacity to become a clerk. What will you do, Kenneth? Where will you go?" The boy shrugged his shoulders.

"When will Aunt Jane die?" "Quand tante Jane mourra-t-elle ?" he asked.

"I hope she will live many days yet. She may die tomorrow." "When she does, I'll answer your question." said the boy, roughly. "When I'm turned out of this place—which is part prison and part paradise—I'll do something. "Lorsque je serai sorti de cet endroit, qui est à la fois une prison et un paradis, je ferai quelque chose. I don't know what, and I won't bother about it till the time comes. Je ne sais pas quoi, et je ne m'en préoccuperai que le moment venu. But I'll do something." "Could you earn a living?" "Pourriez-vous gagner votre vie ?" asked the old lawyer.

"Perhaps not; but I'll get one. Will I be a beggar?" "I don't know. It depends on whether Aunt Jane leaves you anything in her will." "I hope she won't leave me a cent!" cried the boy, with sudden fierceness. "I hate her, and will be glad when she is dead and out of my way!" "Kenneth—Kenneth, lad!" "I hate her!" he persisted, with blazing eyes. "She has insulted me, scorned me, humiliated me every moment since I have known her. I'll be glad to have her die, and I don't want a cent of her miserable money." "Money," remarked the old man, knocking the ashes from his pipe, "is very necessary to one who is incompetent to earn his salt. "L'argent, remarqua le vieil homme en faisant tomber les cendres de sa pipe, est très nécessaire à celui qui n'est pas capable de gagner son sel. And the money she leaves you—if she really does leave you any—won't be her's, remember, but your Uncle Tom's." Et l'argent qu'elle vous laissera - si elle vous en laisse vraiment - ne sera pas le sien, rappelez-vous, mais celui de votre oncle Tom." "Uncle Tom was good to my father," said the boy, softening. "L'oncle Tom était bon pour mon père", dit le garçon en s'adoucissant. "Well, Uncle Tom gave his money to Aunt Jane, whom he had expected to marry; but he asked her to care for his relatives, and she'll doubtless give you enough to live on. But the place will go to some one else, and that means you must move on." "Who will have Elmhurst?" asked the boy.

"One of your aunt's nieces, probably. She has three, it seems, all of them young girls, and she has invited them to come here to visit her." "Girls! Girls at Elmhurst?" cried the boy, shrinking back with a look of terror in his eyes.

"To be sure. One of the nieces, it seems, refuses to come; but there will be two of them to scramble for your aunt's affection." L'une des nièces, semble-t-il, refuse de venir ; mais elles seront deux à se disputer l'affection de votre tante." "She has none," declared the boy. "Elle n'en a pas", déclare le garçon. "Or her money, which is the same thing. The one she likes the best will get the estate." Kenneth smiled, and with the change of expression his face lighted wonderfully.

"Poor Aunt!" he said.

"Almost I am tempted to be sorry for her. Two girls—fighting one against the other for Elmhurst—and both fawning before a cruel and malicious old woman who could never love anyone but herself." Deux filles qui se battent l'une contre l'autre pour Elmhurst et qui se prosternent toutes deux devant une vieille femme cruelle et malveillante qui n'a jamais pu aimer personne d'autre qu'elle-même". "And her flowers," suggested the lawyer. "Oh, yes; and perhaps James. Tell me, why should she love James, who is a mere gardener, and hate me?" "James tends the flowers, and the flowers are Jane Merrick's very life. Isn't that the explanation?" "I don't know." "The girls need not worry you, Kenneth. "Les filles ne doivent pas vous inquiéter, Kenneth. It will be easy for you to keep out of their way." "When will they come?" "Next week, I believe." The boy looked around helplessly, with the air of a caged tiger.

"Perhaps they won't know I'm here," he said. "Perhaps not. I'll tell Misery to bring all your meals to this room, and no one ever comes to this end of the garden. But if they find you, Kenneth, and scare you out of your den, run over to me, and I'll keep you safe until the girls are gone." Mais s'ils te trouvent, Kenneth, et qu'ils t'effraient pour te faire sortir de ta tanière, cours vers moi, et je te garderai en sécurité jusqu'à ce que les filles soient parties." "Thank you, Mr. Watson," more graciously than was his wont. "Merci, M. Watson", plus gracieusement qu'il n'en avait l'habitude. "It isn't that I'm afraid of girls, you know; but they may want to insult me, just as their aunt does, and I couldn't bear any more cruelty." "I know nothing about them," said the lawyer, "so I can't vouch in any way for Aunt Jane's nieces. "Je ne sais rien d'elles", dit l'avocat, "je ne peux donc pas me porter garant des nièces de tante Jane. But they are young, and it is probable they'll be as shy and uncomfortable here at Elmhurst as you are yourself. And after all, Kenneth boy, the most important thing just now is your own future. What in the world is to become of you?" "Oh, that ," answered the boy, relapsing into his sullen mood; "I can't see that it matters much one way or another. "Oh, ça, répondit le garçon, retombant dans son humeur maussade, je ne vois pas en quoi cela est important d'une manière ou d'une autre. Anyhow, I'll not bother my head about it until the time comes and as far as you're concerned, it's none of your business."