Anna Karenina — Chapter 42 in French
By Leo Tolstoy
Alexis Alexandrovitch ne trouvait rien de particulier ni d’inconvenant à ce fait que sa femme fût assise avec Vronskï à une table à part, et lui parlât avec animation, mais il remarqua qu’aux autres personnes, la chose avait paru inconvenante, c’est pourquoi lui aussi la jugea telle. Alekseï Aleksandrovitch found nothing unusual or improper in the fact that his wife and Vronsky had been sitting by themselves and having a rather lively talk together; he noticed that to others in the drawing-room it seemed unusual and improper, and therefore it seemed to him also improper. Il résolut d’en parler à sa femme. He decided that he ought to speak about it to his wife.
En rentrant à la maison, il passa dans son cabinet comme il le faisait ordinairement, s’assit dans un fauteuil, et ouvrit un livre sur la papauté, au passage marqué d’un coupe-papier. When he reached home, Alekseï Aleksandrovitch, according to his usual custom, went to his library, threw himself into his arm-chair, and opened his book at the place marked by a paper-cutter, in an article on Papistry, and read till the clock struck one, as he usually did. Il lut, comme à son habitude, jusqu’à une heure ; seulement de temps en temps, il frottait son large front et hochait la tête comme s’il eût été étonné de quelque chose. From time to time he passed his hand across his high forehead, and shook his head, as if to drive away an importunate thought. À l’heure habituelle il se leva, et fit sa toilette de nuit. At his usual hour he arose and he prepared to go to bed. Anna Arkadievna n’était pas encore rentrée. Anna Arkadyevna had not yet returned. Le livre sous le bras, il monta, mais, ce soir-là, au lieu de songer comme d’habitude aux affaires du service, il ne pensait qu’à sa femme, et cette pensée s’accompagnait de réflexions désagréables. With his book under his arm, he went upstairs; but that evening, instead of pursuing his usual train of reflections and thinking over his governmental duties, his mind was occupied with his wife and the disagreeable impression which her behavior had caused him. Contrairement à son habitude, il ne se mit pas au lit, mais les mains derrière le dos, il commença à marcher à travers les chambres. Contrary to his habit, instead of going to bed he walked up and down the rooms with his arms behind his back. Il ne pouvait pas se coucher, car il sentait qu'il lui fallait d'abord réfléchir de nouveau à la difficulté qui s'était présentée. He could not go to bed because he felt that first it was incumbent on him to ponder anew over the exigency that had arisen.
Quand Alexis Alexandrovitch avait décidé qu’il était nécessaire de parler à sa femme, cela lui avait paru très facile et très simple, mais maintenant, en y réfléchissant, cela lui semblait difficile et embarrassant. When Alekseï Aleksandrovitch made up his mind that he must have a talk with his wife, it seemed to him very simple and natural; but now, as he reflected, it occurred to him that the matter was complicated and perplexing.
Il n’était pas jaloux. Alekseï Aleksandrovitch was not jealous. La jalousie, selon lui, était une offense pour la femme, et il fallait avoir confiance. Jealousy in his opinion was insulting to a wife, and a husband should trust in her. Pourquoi fallait-il avoir confiance, c’est-à-dire avoir l’assurance complète d’être toujours aimé de sa femme, il ne se le demandait pas, mais il ne ressentait pas de méfiance, c’est pourquoi il avait confiance et se disait qu’on doit en avoir. But he did not ask himself why one should trust her, that is to say, why a man should expect a young wife always to love him.