Stave Five - The End of It - Part 2 Pauta Cinco - O Fim - Parte 2

“No, no,” said Scrooge, “I am in earnest. Go and buy it, and tell 'em to bring it here, that I may give them the direction where to take it. Come back with the man, and I'll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than five minutes and I'll give you half-a-crown!” The boy was off like a shot. He must have had a steady hand at a trigger who could have got a shot off half so fast. Il devait avoir une main ferme sur une gâchette qui aurait pu tirer à moitié si vite.

“I'll send it to Bob Cratchit's!” whispered Scrooge, rubbing his hands, and splitting with a laugh. « Je vais l'envoyer chez Bob Cratchit ! » murmura Scrooge en se frottant les mains et en éclatant de rire. “He sha'n't know who sends it. « Il ne saura pas qui l'envoie. It's twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob's will be!” Joe Miller n'a jamais fait une blague comme celle de l'envoyer à Bob ! The hand in which he wrote the address was not a steady one, but write it he did, somehow, and went down-stairs to open the street door, ready for the coming of the poulterer's man. La main dans laquelle il écrivit l'adresse n'était pas ferme, mais il l'écrivit, d'une manière ou d'une autre, et descendit ouvrir la porte de la rue, prêt pour la venue de l'homme du volailler. As he stood there, waiting his arrival, the knocker caught his eye. Alors qu'il se tenait là, attendant son arrivée, le heurtoir attira son attention.

“I shall love it, as long as I live!” cried Scrooge, patting it with his hand. « Je l'aimerai tant que je vivrai ! » cria Scrooge en le tapotant de la main. “I scarcely ever looked at it before. « Je ne l'avais presque jamais regardé avant. What an honest expression it has in its face! It's a wonderful knocker!—Here's the Turkey! C'est un heurtoir merveilleux ! — Voici la Turquie ! Hallo! Whoop! How are you! Merry Christmas!”

It was a Turkey! He never could have stood upon his legs, that bird. Il n'aurait jamais pu se tenir sur ses jambes, cet oiseau. He would have snapped 'em short off in a minute, like sticks of sealing-wax. Il les aurait coupés court en une minute, comme des bâtons de cire à cacheter. “Why, it's impossible to carry that to Camden Town,” said Scrooge. « Pourquoi, il est impossible de transporter cela à Camden Town », a déclaré Scrooge. “You must have a cab.”

The chuckle with which he said this, and the chuckle with which he paid for the Turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed the boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair again, and chuckled till he cried. Le rire avec lequel il a dit cela, et le rire avec lequel il a payé pour la dinde, et le rire avec lequel il a payé le taxi, et le rire avec lequel il a récompensé le garçon, ne devaient être dépassés que par le rire avec lequel il se rassit sur sa chaise à bout de souffle et gloussa jusqu'à pleurer.

Shaving was not an easy task, for his hand continued to shake very much; and shaving requires attention, even when you don't dance while you are at it. Se raser n'était pas une tâche facile, car sa main continuait à trembler beaucoup ; et le rasage demande de l'attention, même si vous ne dansez pas pendant que vous y êtes. But if he had cut the end of his nose off, he would have put a piece of sticking-plaister over it, and been quite satisfied. Mais s'il s'était coupé le bout du nez, il y aurait mis un morceau de sparadrap, et il en aurait été tout à fait satisfait.

He dressed himself “all in his best,” and at last got out into the streets. The people were by this time pouring forth, as he had seen them with the Ghost of Christmas Present; and walking with his hands behind him, Scrooge regarded every one with a delighted smile. Les gens affluaient à ce moment-là, comme il les avait vus avec le fantôme du cadeau de Noël ; et marchant avec ses mains derrière lui, Scrooge regarda tout le monde avec un sourire ravi. He looked so irresistibly pleasant, in a word, that three or four good-humoured fellows said, “Good morning, sir! Il avait l'air si irrésistiblement aimable, en un mot, que trois ou quatre gaillards dirent : « Bonjour, monsieur ! A merry Christmas to you!” And Scrooge said often afterwards, that of all the blithe sounds he had ever heard, those were the blithest in his ears. Un joyeux Noël à vous!” Et Scrooge disait souvent par la suite que de tous les sons joyeux qu'il avait jamais entendus, ceux-là étaient les plus joyeux à ses oreilles.

He had not gone far, when coming on towards him he beheld the portly gentleman, who had walked into his counting-house the day before, and said, “Scrooge and Marley's, I believe?” It sent a pang across his heart to think how this old gentleman would look upon him when they met; but he knew what path lay straight before him, and he took it. Il n'était pas allé bien loin, en s'avançant vers lui, il aperçut le gros monsieur qui était entré la veille dans son comptoir et lui dit : « Scrooge and Marley's, je crois ? Cela lui faisait un pincement au cœur de penser à la façon dont ce vieux monsieur le considérerait lorsqu'ils se rencontreraient ; mais il savait quel chemin s'étendait droit devant lui, et il le prit. “My dear sir,” said Scrooge, quickening his pace, and taking the old gentleman by both his hands. – Mon cher monsieur, dit Scrooge en accélérant le pas et en prenant le vieux monsieur par les deux mains. “How do you do? "Comment allez-vous? I hope you succeeded yesterday. J'espère que tu as réussi hier. It was very kind of you. A merry Christmas to you, sir!”

“Mr. Scrooge?”

“Yes,” said Scrooge. “That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness”—here Scrooge whispered in his ear.

“Lord bless me!” cried the gentleman, as if his breath were taken away. “My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious?”

“If you please,” said Scrooge. “Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. De très nombreux arriérés y sont inclus, je vous l'assure. Will you do me that favour?” Me ferez-vous cette faveur ?

“My dear sir,” said the other, shaking hands with him. “I don't know what to say to such munifi—” « Je ne sais pas quoi dire à un tel munifi... » “Don't say anything, please,” retorted Scrooge. “Come and see me. Will you come and see me?” Veux-tu venir me voir ?

“I will!” cried the old gentleman. And it was clear he meant to do it. Et il était clair qu'il avait l'intention de le faire.

“Thank'ee,” said Scrooge. “I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!”

He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows, and found that everything could yield him pleasure. Il alla à l'église, se promena dans les rues, observa les gens qui allaient et venaient, tapota la tête des enfants, interrogea les mendiants, et regarda dans les cuisines des maisons et jusqu'aux fenêtres, et trouva que tout pourrait lui procurer du plaisir. He had never dreamed that any walk—that anything—could give him so much happiness. Il n'avait jamais rêvé qu'une promenade, que quoi que ce soit, puisse lui donner autant de bonheur. In the afternoon he turned his steps towards his nephew's house.