CHAPTER I. BETH RECEIVES AN INVITATION. KAPITEL I. BETH ERHÄLT EINE EINLADUNG. CAPÍTULO I. BETH RECEBE UM CONVITE. ГЛАВА I. БЕТ ПОЛУЧАЕТ ПРИГЛАШЕНИЕ. BÖLÜM I. BETH BİR DAVET ALIR. 第一章 贝丝收到邀请。

Professor De Graf was sorting the mail at the breakfast table.

"Here's a letter for you, Beth," said he, and tossed it across the cloth to where his daughter sat. "Voici une lettre pour toi, Beth", dit-il, et il la lance à travers le tissu jusqu'à l'endroit où sa fille est assise. The girl raised her eyebrows, expressing surprise. It was something unusual for her to receive a letter. It was something unusual for her to receive a letter. She picked up the square envelope between a finger and thumb and carefully read the inscription, "Miss Elizabeth De Graf, Cloverton, Ohio." Turning the envelope she found on the reverse flap a curious armorial emblem, with the word "Elmhurst." En tournant l'enveloppe, elle a trouvé sur le rabat arrière un curieux emblème armorié, avec le mot "Elmhurst". Then she glanced at her father, her eyes big and somewhat startled in expression. The Professor was deeply engrossed in a letter from Benjamin Lowenstein which declared that a certain note must be paid at maturity. Le professeur est profondément absorbé par une lettre de Benjamin Lowenstein qui déclare qu'un certain billet doit être payé à l'échéance. His weak, watery blue eyes stared rather blankly from behind the gold-rimmed spectacles. Ses faibles yeux bleus larmoyants fixent un regard plutôt vide derrière ses lunettes cerclées d'or. His flat nostrils extended and compressed like those of a frightened horse; and the indecisive mouth was tremulous. At the best the Professor was not an imposing personage. He wore a dressing-gown of soiled quilted silk and linen not too immaculate; but his little sandy moustache and the goatee that decorated his receding chin were both carefully waxed into sharp points—an indication that he possessed at least one vanity. Il portait une robe de chambre en soie matelassée sale et en lin pas trop immaculé ; mais sa petite moustache sableuse et la barbiche qui ornait son menton fuyant étaient toutes deux soigneusement épilées en pointes acérées, ce qui indiquait qu'il possédait au moins une vanité. Three days in the week he taught vocal and instrumental music to the ambitious young ladies of Cloverton. Trois jours par semaine, il enseigne la musique vocale et instrumentale aux jeunes filles ambitieuses de Cloverton. The other three days he rode to Pelham's Grove, ten miles away, and taught music to all who wished to acquire that desirable accomplishment. Les trois autres jours, il se rend à Pelham's Grove, à dix miles de là, et enseigne la musique à tous ceux qui souhaitent acquérir cette compétence souhaitable. But the towns were small and the fees not large, so that Professor De Graf had much difficulty in securing an income sufficient for the needs of his family. Mais les villes étaient petites et les honoraires peu élevés, de sorte que le professeur De Graf avait beaucoup de mal à s'assurer un revenu suffisant pour subvenir aux besoins de sa famille.

The stout, sour-visaged lady who was half-hidden by her newspaper at the other end of the table was also a bread-winner, for she taught embroidery to the women of her acquaintance and made various articles of fancy-work that were sold at Biggar's Emporium, the largest store in Cloverton. Die stämmige Dame mit säuerlichem Gesicht, die am anderen Ende des Tisches halb von ihrer Zeitung verdeckt war, war auch eine Brotverdienerin, denn sie lehrte die Frauen ihrer Bekanntschaft das Sticken und fertigte verschiedene kunstvolle Artikel an, die verkauft wurden bei Biggar's Emporium, dem größten Geschäft in Cloverton. La dame corpulente, au visage aigre, qui était à moitié cachée par son journal à l'autre bout de la table, était aussi un gagne-pain, car elle enseignait la broderie aux femmes de sa connaissance et fabriquait divers articles de fantaisie qui étaient vendus à Biggar's Emporium, le plus grand magasin de Cloverton. So, between them, the Professor and Mrs. DeGraf managed to defray ordinary expenses and keep Elizabeth at school; but there were one or two dreadful "notes" that were constantly hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles, threatening to ruin them at any moment their creditors proved obdurate. Ainsi, à eux deux, le professeur et Mme DeGraf parvenaient à faire face aux dépenses ordinaires et à maintenir Elizabeth à l'école ; mais il y avait une ou deux terribles "notes" qui étaient constamment suspendues au-dessus de leurs têtes comme l'épée de Damoclès, menaçant de les ruiner à tout moment si leurs créanciers s'avéraient récalcitrants. Finding her father and mother both occupied, the girl ventured to open her letter. It was written in a sharp, angular, feminine hand and read as follows: Elle était écrite d'une main féminine, anguleuse et tranchante, et se lisait comme suit :

"My Dear Niece: It will please me to have you spend the months of July and August as my guest at Elmhurst. I am in miserable health, and wish to become better acquainted with you before I die. A check for necessary expenses is enclosed and I shall expect you to arrive promptly on the first of July. Vous trouverez ci-joint un chèque pour les dépenses nécessaires et j'attends votre arrivée rapidement le 1er juillet.

"Your Aunt, "JANE MERRICK." A low exclamation from Elizabeth caused her father to look in her direction. He saw the bank check lying beside her plate and the sight lent an eager thrill to his voice. Er sah den Bankscheck neben ihrem Teller liegen und der Anblick verlieh seiner Stimme einen eifrigen Nervenkitzel. Il vit le chèque de banque posé à côté de son assiette et cette vision donna un frisson d'impatience à sa voix.

"What is it, Beth?" "A letter from Aunt Jane." Mrs. De Graf gave a jump and crushed the newspaper into her lap. Mme De Graf sursaute et écrase le journal sur ses genoux.

"What!" she screamed.

"Aunt Jane has invited me to spend two months at Elmhurst" said Elizabeth, and passed the letter to her mother, who grabbed it excitedly. "How big is the check, Beth?" enquired the Professor, in a low tone.

"A hundred dollars. She says it's for my expenses. "Huh! Of course you won't go near that dreadful old cat, so we can use the money to better advantage." Bien sûr, vous ne vous approcherez pas de cet affreux vieux chat, et nous pourrons ainsi utiliser l'argent à meilleur escient." "Adolph!" The harsh, cutting voice was that of his wife, and the Professor shrank back in his chair.

"Your sister Jane is a mean, selfish, despicable old female," he muttered. "You've said so a thousand times yourself, Julia." "My sister Jane is a very wealthy woman, and she's a Merrick," returned the lady, severely. "Ma sœur Jane est une femme très riche, et c'est une Merrick", a répondu la dame, sévèrement. "How dare you—a common De Graf—asperse her character?" "Wie können Sie es wagen - eine gewöhnliche De Graf - ihren Charakter zu verleugnen?" "Comment oses-tu, toi, un vulgaire De Graf, t'en prendre à son caractère ?" "The De Grafs are a very good family," he retorted. "Show me one who is wealthy! Show me one who is famous!" "I can't," said the Professor. "But they're decent, and they're generous, which is more than can be said for your tribe." "Mais ils sont décents et généreux, ce qui est plus que ce que l'on peut dire de votre tribu." "Elizabeth must go to Elmhurst," said Mrs. De Graf, ignoring her husband's taunt. "Elizabeth doit aller à Elmhurst", dit Mme De Graf, ignorant la raillerie de son mari. "She shan't. Your sister refused to loan me fifty dollars last year, when I was in great trouble. Votre sœur a refusé de me prêter cinquante dollars l'année dernière, alors que j'étais en grande difficulté. She hasn't given you a single cent since I married you. No daughter of mine shall go In Elmhurst to be bullied and insulted by Jane Merrick." "Adolph, try to conceal the fact that you're a fool," said his wife. "Adolph, essaie de cacher que tu es un imbécile", dit sa femme. "Jane is in a desperate state of health, and can't live very long at the best. I believe she's decided to leave her money to Elizabeth, or she never would have invited the child to visit her. Je crois qu'elle a décidé de laisser son argent à Elizabeth, sinon elle n'aurait jamais invité l'enfant à lui rendre visite. Do you want to fly in the face of Providence, you doddering old imbecile?" Willst du der Vorsehung ins Gesicht fliegen, du tatteriger alter Schwachkopf?" Veux-tu aller à l'encontre de la Providence, vieil imbécile ?" "No," said the Professor, accepting the doubtful appellation without a blush. "How much do you suppose Jane is worth?" "A half million, at the very least. When she was a girl she inherited from Thomas Bradley, the man she was engaged to marry, and who was suddenly killed in a railway accident, more than a quarter of a million dollars, besides that beautiful estate of Elmhurst. I don't believe Jane has even spent a quarter of her income, and the fortune must have increased enormously. Elizabeth will be one of the wealthiest heiresses in the country!" "If she gets the money, which I doubt," returned the Professor, gloomily. "Why should you doubt it, after this letter?" "You had another sister and a brother, and they both had children," said he. "They each left a girl. I admit. But Jane has never favored them any more than she has me. And this invitation, coming; when Jane is practically on her death bed, is a warrant that Beth will get the money." Und diese Einladung kommt; als Jane praktisch auf ihrem Sterbebett liegt, ist eine Garantie dafür, dass Beth das Geld bekommt." "I hope she will," sighed the music teacher. "We all need it bad enough, I'm sure." "Nous en avons tous besoin, j'en suis sûr." During this conversation Elizabeth, who might be supposed the one most interested in her Aunt's invitation, sat silently at her place, eating her breakfast with her accustomed calmness of demeanor and scarcely glancing at her parents. Pendant cette conversation, Elizabeth, que l'on pourrait croire la plus intéressée par l'invitation de sa tante, resta silencieusement assise à sa place, prenant son petit déjeuner avec son calme habituel et jetant à peine un coup d'œil à ses parents. She had pleasant and quite regular features, for a girl of fifteen, with dark hair and eyes—the "Merrick eyes," her mother proudly declared—and a complexion denoting perfect health and colored with the rosy tints of youth. Her figure was a bit slim and unformed, and her shoulders stooped a little more than was desirable; but in Cloverton Elizabeth had the reputation of being "a pretty girl," and a sullen and unresponsive one as well. Ihre Figur war ein wenig schlank und ungeformt, und ihre Schultern waren ein wenig mehr gebeugt, als es wünschenswert wäre; aber in Cloverton hatte Elizabeth den Ruf, ein "hübsches Mädchen" zu sein, und außerdem ein mürrisches und nicht ansprechbares. Sa silhouette était un peu mince et peu formée, et ses épaules se voûtaient un peu plus qu'il n'était souhaitable ; mais à Cloverton, Elizabeth avait la réputation d'être "une jolie fille", et de surcroît une fille maussade et peu réceptive. Presently she rose from her seat, glanced at the clock, and then went into the hall to get her hat and school-books. The prospect of being an heiress some day had no present bearing on the fact that it was time to start for school. La perspective d'être un jour héritière n'a aucune incidence sur le fait qu'il est temps de partir à l'école.

Her father came to the door with the check in his hand.

"Just sign your name on the back of this, Beth," said he, "and I'll get it cashed for you." "Signez juste votre nom au dos de ceci, Beth," dit-il, "et je le ferai encaisser pour vous." The girl shook her head. La jeune fille secoue la tête.

"No, father," she answered. "If I decide to go to Aunt Jane's I must buy some clothes; and if you get the money I'll never see a cent of it." "When will you decide?" he asked.

"There's no hurry. I'll take time to think it over," she replied. "I hate Aunt Jane, of course; so if I go to her I must be a hypocrite, and pretend to like her, or she never will leave me her property. "Je déteste tante Jane, bien sûr ; si je vais chez elle, je dois être hypocrite et faire semblant de l'aimer, sinon elle ne me laissera jamais ses biens. "Well, Beth?" "Perhaps it will be worth while; but if I go into that woman's house I'll be acting a living lie." "Peut-être que cela en vaudra la peine ; mais si je vais chez cette femme, je ne ferai que mentir." "But think of the money!" said her mother.

"I do think of it. "J'y pense. That's why I didn't tell you at once to send the check back to Aunt Jane. I'm going to think of everything before I decide. But if I go—if I allow this money to make me a hypocrite—I won't stop at trifles, I assure you. Mais si je pars, si je laisse cet argent faire de moi un hypocrite, je ne m'arrêterai pas à des broutilles, je vous l'assure. It's in my nature to be dreadfully wicked and cruel and selfish, and perhaps the money isn't worth the risk I run of becoming depraved." Il est dans ma nature d'être terriblement méchant, cruel et égoïste, et peut-être que l'argent ne vaut pas le risque que je coure de devenir dépravé." "Elizabeth!" "Good-bye; I'm late now," she continued, in the same quiet tone, and walked slowly down the walk. The Professor twisted his moustache and looked into his wife's eyes with a half frightened glance. Le professeur tordit sa moustache et plongea son regard dans celui de sa femme, à demi effrayé. "Beth's a mighty queer girl," he muttered. "Beth est une fille très bizarre", murmura-t-il. "She's very like her Aunt Jane," returned Mrs. De Graf, thoughtfully gazing after her daughter. "Elle ressemble beaucoup à sa tante Jane", a répondu Mme De Graf en regardant sa fille d'un air pensif. "But she's defiant and wilful enough for all the Merricks put together. "Mais elle est assez provocante et volontaire pour tous les Merrick réunis. I do hope she'll decide to go to Elmhurst."