CHAPTER X. THE MAN WITH THE BUNDLE.

In the harness-room above the stable sat Duncan Muir, the coachman and most important servant, with the exception of the head gardener, in Miss Merrick's establishment. Dans la salle des harnais, au-dessus de l'écurie, était assis Duncan Muir, le cocher et le serviteur le plus important, à l'exception du jardinier en chef, de l'établissement de Mlle Merrick. Duncan, bald-headed but with white and bushy side-whiskers, was engaged in the serious business of oiling and polishing the state harness, which had not been used for many months past. But that did not matter. Thursday was the day for oiling the harness, and so on Thursday he performed the task, never daring to entrust a work so important to a subordinate. Le jeudi était le jour où il fallait huiler le harnais, et c'est donc le jeudi qu'il s'est acquitté de cette tâche, n'osant jamais confier un travail aussi important à un subalterne.

In one corner of the little room Kenneth Forbes squatted upon a bench, with an empty pine box held carelessly in his lap. Dans un coin de la petite pièce, Kenneth Forbes était accroupi sur un banc, une boîte en pin vide tenue négligemment sur ses genoux. While Duncan worked the boy was busy with his pencil, but neither had spoken for at least a half hour.

Finally the aged coachman, without looking up, enquired:

"What do ye think o' 'em, Kenneth lad?" "Qu'en penses-tu, mon petit Kenneth ?" "Think o' whom, Don?" "The young leddies." "What young ladies?" "Miss Jane's nieces, as Oscar brought from the station yesterday." The boy looked astonished, and leaned over the box in his lap eagerly.

"Tell me, Don," he said. "I was away with my gun all yesterday, and heard nothing of it." "J'étais parti avec mon fusil toute la journée d'hier et je n'en ai pas entendu parler." "Why, it seems Miss Jane's invited 'em to make her a visit." "Il semble que Miss Jane les ait invités à lui rendre visite." "But not yet, Don! "Mais pas encore, Don ! Not so soon." "Na'theless, they're here." "Néanmoins, ils sont ici." "How many, Don?" "Two, lad. A bonny young thing came on the morning train, an' a nice, wide-awake one by the two o'clock." Une belle jeune fille est arrivée par le train du matin, et une belle jeune fille bien réveillée à deux heures." "Girls?" with an accent of horror.

"Young females, anyhow," said Donald, polishing a buckle briskly. The boy glared at him fixedly.

"Will they be running about the place, Don?" "Vont-ils courir dans tous les sens, Don ?" "Most likely, 'Twould be a shame to shut them up with the poor missus this glad weather. "Il serait dommage de les enfermer avec la pauvre femme par ce beau temps. But why not? They'll be company for ye, Kenneth lad." Ils te tiendront compagnie, mon petit Kenneth." "How long will they stay?" "Mabbe for aye. "Mabbe for aye". Oscar forbys one or the ither o' 'em will own the place when Miss Jane gi'es up the ghost." Oscar ne croit pas que l'un ou l'autre d'entre eux sera propriétaire de l'endroit quand Miss Jane aura rendu l'âme." The boy sat silent a moment, thinking upon this speech. Then, with a cry that was almost a scream, he dashed the box upon the floor and flew out the door as if crazed, and Donald paused to listen to his footsteps clattering down the stairs. Puis, avec un cri qui était presque un hurlement, il jeta la boîte sur le sol et s'envola par la porte comme s'il était fou, et Donald s'arrêta pour écouter ses pas qui dévalaient l'escalier avec fracas.

Then the old man groaned dismally, shaking his side-whiskers with a negative expression that might have conveyed worlds of meaning to one able to interpret it. Le vieil homme poussa alors un gémissement lugubre, secouant ses moustaches avec une expression négative qui aurait pu transmettre des mondes de sens à quelqu'un capable de l'interpréter. But his eye fell upon the pine box, which had rolled to his feet, and he stooped to pick it up. Upon the smoothly planed side was his own picture, most deftly drawn, showing him engaged in polishing the harness. Every strap and buckle was depicted with rare fidelity; there was no doubt at all of the sponge and bottle on the stool beside him, or the cloth in his hand. Chaque sangle et chaque boucle étaient représentées avec une rare fidélité ; il n'y avait aucun doute quant à l'éponge et à la bouteille posées sur le tabouret à côté de lui, ou quant au chiffon qu'il tenait dans sa main. Even his bow spectacles rested upon the bridge of his nose at exactly the right angle, and his under lip protruded just as it had done since he was a lad. Même ses lunettes en arc reposent sur l'arête de son nez à l'angle exact, et sa lèvre inférieure dépasse comme elle l'a toujours fait depuis qu'il est enfant.

Donald was not only deeply impressed by such an exhibition of art; he was highly gratified at being pictured, and full of wonder that the boy could do such a thing; "wi' a wee pencil an' a bit o' board!" Donald n'était pas seulement profondément impressionné par une telle démonstration d'art, il était également très satisfait d'avoir été représenté et s'étonnait que le garçon puisse faire une telle chose "avec un petit crayon et un peu de planche". He turned the box this way and that to admire the sketch, and finally arose and brought a hatchet, with which he carefully pried the board away from the box. Il tourna la boîte dans tous les sens pour admirer l'esquisse, puis se leva et apporta une hachette avec laquelle il dégagea soigneusement la planche de la boîte. Then he carried his treasure to a cupboard, where he hid it safely behind a row of tall bottles.

Meantime Kenneth had reached the stable, thrown a bridle over the head of a fine sorrel mare, and scorning to use a saddle leaped upon her back and dashed down the lane and out at the rear gate upon the old turnpike road. Entre-temps, Kenneth avait atteint l'écurie, jeté une bride sur la tête d'une belle jument sorrel et, dédaignant d'utiliser une selle, il avait sauté sur son dos et s'était élancé dans l'allée pour sortir par la porte arrière sur l'ancienne route touristique.

His head was whirling with amazement, his heart full of indignation. Girls! Girls at Elmhurst—nieces and guests of the fierce old woman he so bitterly hated! Les filles d'Elmhurst, nièces et invitées de la vieille femme féroce qu'il haïssait si amèrement ! Then, indeed, his days of peace and quiet were ended. These dreadful creatures would prowl around everywhere; they might even penetrate the shrubbery to the foot of the stairs leading to his own retired room; they would destroy his happiness and drive him mad. Ces affreuses créatures rôderaient partout ; elles pourraient même pénétrer dans les arbustes jusqu'au pied de l'escalier menant à sa propre chambre de retraite ; elles détruiraient son bonheur et le rendraient fou.

For this moody, silent youth had been strangely happy in his life at Elmhurst, despite the neglect of the grim old woman who was its mistress and the fact that no one aside from Lawyer Watson seemed to care whether he lived or died. Car ce jeune homme lunatique et silencieux avait été étrangement heureux dans sa vie à Elmhurst, malgré la négligence de la vieille femme sinistre qui en était la maîtresse et le fait que personne, à part l'avocat Watson, ne semblait se soucier de savoir s'il vivait ou s'il mourait.

Perhaps Donald did. Good old Don was friendly and seldom bothered him by talking. Perhaps old Misery liked him a bit, also. But these were only servants, and almost as helpless and dependent as himself.

Still, he had been happy. He began to realize it, now that these awful girls had come to disturb his peace. The thought filled him with grief and rebellion and resentment; yet there was nothing he could do to alter the fact that Donald's "young females" were already here, and prepared, doubtless, to stay. The sorrel was dashing down the road at a great pace, but the boy clung firmly to his seat and gloried in the breeze that fanned his hot cheeks. L'écureuil descendait la route à vive allure, mais le garçon restait fermement accroché à son siège et se réjouissait de la brise qui lui chauffait les joues. Away and away he raced until he reached the crossroads, miles away, and down this he turned and galloped as recklessly as before. Il courut encore et encore jusqu'à ce qu'il atteigne le carrefour, à des kilomètres de là, où il tourna et galopa avec la même insouciance qu'auparavant. The sun was hot, today, and the sorrel's flanks begun to steam and show flecks of white upon their glossy surface. Le soleil était chaud, aujourd'hui, et les flancs de l'oseille commençaient à s'embuer et à montrer des mouchetures blanches sur leur surface brillante. He turned again to the left, entering upon a broad highway that would lead him straight home at last; but he had almost reached the little village of Elmwood, which was the railway station, before he realized his cruelty to the splendid mare he bestrode. Il tourna de nouveau à gauche, s'engageant sur une large route qui le mènerait enfin tout droit à la maison ; mais il avait presque atteint le petit village d'Elmwood, où se trouvait la gare, avant de se rendre compte de sa cruauté envers la splendide jument qu'il chevauchait. Then indeed, he fell to a walk, patting Nora's neck affectionately and begging her to forgive him for his thoughtlessness. The mare tossed her head in derision. However she might sweat and pant, she liked the glorious pace even better than her rider. Même si elle transpirait et haletait, elle aimait cette allure glorieuse encore plus que son cavalier.

Through the village he paced moodily, the bridle dangling loosely on the mare's neck. The people paused to look at him curiously, but he had neither word nor look for any.

He did not know one of them by name, and cared little how much they might speculate upon his peculiar position at "the big house." Il ne connaissait aucun d'entre eux par son nom et se souciait peu des spéculations qu'ils pouvaient faire sur sa position particulière dans "la grande maison". Then, riding slowly up the hedge bordered road, his troubles once more assailed him, and he wondered if there was not some spot upon the broad earth to which he could fly for retirement until the girls had left Elmhurst for good.

Nora shied, and he looked up to discover that he had nearly run down a pedestrian—a stout little man with a bundle under his arm, who held up one hand as if to arrest him. Nora sursauta, et il leva les yeux pour découvrir qu'il avait failli renverser un piéton - un petit homme corpulent avec un baluchon sous le bras, qui levait une main comme pour l'arrêter.

Involuntarily he drew rein, and stopped beside the traveler with a look of inquiry. Involontairement, il tira les rênes et s'arrêta à côté du voyageur avec un regard interrogateur.

"Sorry to trouble you, sir," remarked the little man, in a cheery voice, "but I ain't just certain about my way." "Where do you want to go?" asked the boy.

"To Jane Merrick's place. They call it Elmhurst, I guess." "It's straight ahead," said Kenneth, as the mare walked on. His questioner also started and paced beside him. Son interlocuteur s'est également mis en route et a fait les cent pas à côté de lui.

"Far from here?" "A mile, perhaps." "They said it was three from the village, but I guess I've come a dozen a'ready." "Ils ont dit que c'était trois du village, mais je pense que je suis venu une douzaine de fois." The boy did not reply to this. There was nothing offensive in the man's manner. He spoke with an easy familiarity that made it difficult not to respond with equal frank cordiality, and there was a shrewd expression upon his wrinkled, smooth-shaven face that stamped him a man who had seen life in many of its phases. Il parlait avec une familiarité facile qui rendait difficile de ne pas répondre avec la même cordialité franche, et il y avait une expression perspicace sur son visage ridé et rasé qui le marquait comme un homme qui avait vu la vie dans beaucoup de ses phases.

Kenneth, who resented the companionship of most people, seemed attracted by the man, and hesitated to gallop on and leave him. Kenneth, qui n'appréciait guère la compagnie de la plupart des gens, semblait attiré par l'homme et hésitait à partir au galop pour le quitter.

"Know Jane Merrick?" asked the stranger.

The boy nodded.

"Like her?" "I hate her," he said, savagely. The man laughed, a bit uneasily.

"Then it's the same Jane as ever," he responded, with a shake of his grizzled head. "Alors, c'est la même Jane que d'habitude", a-t-il répondu en secouant sa tête grisonnante. "Do you know, I sort o' hoped she'd reformed, and I'd be glad to see her again. "Tu sais, j'espérais en quelque sorte qu'elle s'était amendée et que je serais heureux de la revoir. They tell me she's got money." Ils m'ont dit qu'elle avait de l'argent". The boy looked at him in surprise.

"She owns Elmhurst, and has mortgages on a dozen farms around here, and property in New York, and thousands of dollars in the bank," he said. "Aunt Jane's rich." "Aunt Jane?" echoed the man, quickly. "What's your name, lad?" "Kenneth Forbes." A shake of the head.

"Don't recollect any Forbeses in the family." "Je ne me souviens d'aucun Forbes dans la famille." "She isn't really my aunt," said the boy, "and she doesn't treat me as an aunt, either; but she's my guardian, and I've always called her Aunt, rather than say Miss Merrick." "She's never married, has she?" "No. She was engaged to my Uncle Tom, who owned Elmhurst. He was killed in a railway accident, and then it was found he'd left her all he had." "I see." "So, when my parents died, Aunt Jane took me for Uncle Tom's sake, and keeps me out of charity." "I see." Quite soberly, this time.

The boy slid off the mare and walked beside the little man, holding the bridle over his arm. Le garçon descendit de la jument et marcha à côté du petit homme, tenant la bride par-dessus son bras. They did not speak again for some moments.

Finally the stranger asked:

"Are Jane's sisters living—Julia and Violet?" "I don't know. But there are two of her nieces at Elmhurst." "Ha! Who are they?" "Girls," with bitterness. "I haven't seen them." The stranger whistled.

"Don't like girls, I take it?" "No; I hate them." Another long pause. Then the boy suddenly turned questioner.

"You know Aunt—Miss Merrick, sir?" "I used to, when we were both younger." "Any relation, sir?" "Just a brother, that's all." Kenneth stopped short, and the mare stopped, and the little man, with a whimsical smile at the boy's astonishment, also stopped. Kenneth s'arrêta net, la jument s'arrêta, et le petit homme, avec un sourire fantaisiste devant l'étonnement du garçon, s'arrêta aussi. "I didn't know she had a brother, sir—that is, living." "She had two; but Will's dead, years ago, I'm told. I'm the other." "John Merrick?" "That's me. I went west a long time ago; before you were born, I guess. We don't get much news on the coast, so I sort of lost track of the folks back east, and I reckon they lost track of me, for the same reason." "You were the tinsmith?" "The same. Bad pennies always return, they say. Les mauvais centimes reviennent toujours, dit-on. I've come back to look up the family and find how many are left. Je suis revenue pour rechercher la famille et savoir combien il en reste. Curious sort of a job, isn't it." "I don't know. Perhaps it's natural," replied the boy, reflectively. "But I'm sorry you came to Aunt Jane first." "Why?" "She's in bad health—quite ill, you know—and her temper's dreadful. "Elle est en mauvaise santé - très malade, vous savez - et son caractère est épouvantable. Perhaps she—she—" "I know. But I haven't seen her in years; and, after all, she's my sister. Mais je ne l'ai pas vue depuis des années et, après tout, c'est ma sœur. And back at the old home, where I went first, no one knew anything about what had become of the family except Jane. Et à l'ancienne maison, où je suis allée en premier, personne ne savait ce qu'il était advenu de la famille, à l'exception de Jane. They kept track of her because she suddenly became rich, and a great lady, and that was a surprising thing to happen to a Merrick. Ils ont gardé sa trace parce qu'elle est soudainement devenue riche et une grande dame, et c'était une chose surprenante pour une Merrick. We've always been a poor lot, you know." The boy glanced at the bundle, pityingly, and the little man caught the look and smiled his sweet, cheery smile. Le garçon jeta un coup d'œil apitoyé sur le paquet, et le petit homme capta le regard et sourit de son sourire doux et joyeux.

"My valise was too heavy to carry," he said; "so I wrapped up a few things in case Jane wanted me to stay over night. "Ma valise était trop lourde à porter, dit-il, alors j'ai emballé quelques affaires au cas où Jane voudrait que je passe la nuit ici. "Мой саквояж был слишком тяжел, чтобы нести его, - сказал он, - поэтому я завернул в него несколько вещей на случай, если Джейн захочет, чтобы я остался на ночь". And that's why I didn't get a horse at the livery, you know. C'est pourquoi je n'ai pas eu de cheval à l'écurie, vous savez. И поэтому я не получил лошадь в ливрее, понимаете? Somebody'd have to take it back again." Кто-то должен был бы вернуть его обратно". "I'm sure she'll ask you to stay, sir. And if she doesn't, you come out to the stable and let me know, and I'll drive you to town again. Et si elle ne le fait pas, tu viendras à l'écurie et tu me le diras, et je te reconduirai en ville. Donald—that's the coachman—is my friend, and he'll let me have the horse if I ask him." "Thank you, lad," returned the man, gratefully. "I thought a little exercise would do me good, but this three miles has seemed like thirty to me!" "We're here at last," said the boy, turning: into the drive-way. "Seeing that you're her brother, sir, I advise you to go right up to the front door and ring the bell." "Étant donné que vous êtes son frère, je vous conseille d'aller jusqu'à la porte d'entrée et de sonner. "I will," said the man. "I always go around the back way, myself." "I see." The boy turned away, but in a moment halted again. His interest in Miss Jane's brother John was extraordinary. "Another thing," he said, hesitating. "Well?" "You'd better not say you met me, you know. It wouldn't be a good introduction. She hates me as much as I hate her." "Very good, my lad. I'll keep mum." The boy nodded, and turned away to lead Nora to the stable. The man looked after him a moment, and shook his head, sadly.

"Poor boy!" he whispered.

Then he walked up to the front door and rang the bell.