Great Expectations — Chapter 5 in French
By Charles Dickens
Mrs Joe reparut les mains vides, l’air effaré, en faisant entendre ces paroles lamentables : « Bonté divine !… qu’est devenu… le pâté ? The apparition of a file of soldiers ringing down the butt-ends of their loaded muskets on our door-step, caused the dinner-party to rise from table in confusion, and caused Mrs. Joe re-entering the kitchen empty-handed, to stop short and stare, in her wondering lament of "Gracious goodness gracious me, what's gone—with the—pie!"
Le sergent et moi nous étions dans la cuisine quand Mrs Joe rentra. À ce moment fatal, je recouvrai en partie l’usage de mes sens. The sergeant and I were in the kitchen when Mrs. Joe stood staring; at which crisis I partially recovered the use of my senses. C’était le sergent qui m’avait parlé ; il promena alors ses yeux sur les assistants, en leur tendant d’une manière engageante les menottes de sa main droite, et en posant sa main gauche sur mon épaule. It was the sergeant who had spoken to me, and he was now looking round at the company, with his handcuffs invitingly extended towards them in his right hand, and his left on my shoulder.
« Pardonnez-moi, mesdames et messieurs, dit le sergent, mais comme j’en ai prévenu ce jeune et habile fripon, avant d’entrer, je suis en chasse au nom du Roi et j’ai besoin du forgeron. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," said the sergeant, "but as I have mentioned at the door to this smart young shaver" (which he hadn't), "I am on a chase in the name of the King, and I want the blacksmith."
"And pray what might you want with him?" « Et que pourrait-il bien vous vouloir ? » répliqua ma sœur, prompte à s'offenser qu'on eût besoin de lui. retorted my sister, quick to resent his being wanted at all.