XXVIII The Prince Comes Back to the Enchanted Palace XXVIII Der Prinz kehrt in das verwunschene Schloss zurück XXVIII El Príncipe regresa al Palacio Encantado XXVIII Le prince revient au palais enchanté XXVIII O Príncipe regressa ao Palácio Encantado XXVIII Prens Büyülü Saray'a Geri Dönüyor 28 王子回到魔宫

The last day of school came and went. Le dernier jour d'école allait et venait. 学校の最終日が来て行きました。 A triumphant "semi-annual examination" was held and Anne's pupils acquitted themselves splendidly. Un « examen semestriel » triomphant eut lieu et les élèves d'Anne s'en acquittèrent magnifiquement. 意欲的な「半年ごとの試験」が行われ、アンの生徒たちは見事に無罪になりました。 At the close they gave her an address and a writing desk. À la fin, ils lui ont donné une adresse et un pupitre. 最後に彼らは彼女に住所と執筆机を渡した。 All the girls and ladies present cried, and some of the boys had it cast up to them later on that they cried too, although they always denied it. 彼らはいつもそれを否定しましたが、すべての女の子と女性は泣きました、そして、何人かの男の子は彼らがあまりにも泣いたという理由で後で彼らに追いついた。

Mrs. Harmon Andrews, Mrs. Peter Sloane, and Mrs. William Bell walked home together and talked things over. ハーモン・アンドリュース夫人、ピーター・スローン夫人、そしてウィリアム・ベル夫人は一緒に家に歩いて物事を話し合った。

"I do think it is such a pity Anne is leaving when the children seem so much attached to her," sighed Mrs. Peter Sloane, who had a habit of sighing over everything and even finished off her jokes that way. "Je trouve vraiment dommage qu'Anne s'en aille alors que les enfants semblent tellement attachés à elle", soupire Mme Peter Sloane, qui a l'habitude de soupirer pour tout et termine même ses plaisanteries de cette façon. 「子供たちが彼女にくっついているように見えるとき、Anneは去っていくのはとても残念だと思います」とPeter Sloane夫人はため息をついていた。 "To be sure," she added hastily, "we all know we'll have a good teacher next year too." 「確かに、彼女は急いで付け加えました、「我々は皆、来年も良い先生がいることを知っています」 "Jane will do her duty, I've no doubt," said Mrs. Andrews rather stiffly. 「ジェーンは彼女の義務を果たすでしょう、私は疑いようがありません」と、Andrews夫人はかなり堅く言った。 "I don't suppose she'll tell the children quite so many fairy tales or spend so much time roaming about the woods with them. 「彼女が子供たちにたくさんのおとぎ話を語ったり、一緒に森の中を歩き回ったりすることはあまりないでしょう。 But she has her name on the Inspector's Roll of Honor and the Newbridge people are in a terrible state over her leaving." Mais son nom figure sur le tableau d'honneur de l'inspecteur et les habitants de Newbridge sont dans un état terrible à cause de son départ". しかし、彼女はインスペクターズロールオブオナーに彼女の名前を持っています、そしてニューブリッジの人々は彼女の去ることについてひどい状態にあります。 "I'm real glad Anne is going to college," said Mrs. Bell. 「アンが大学に進学するのは本当にうれしい」とベル夫人は言った。 "She has always wanted it and it will be a splendid thing for her." 「彼女はいつもそれを望んでいた、そしてそれは彼女にとって素晴らしいことになるだろう」 "Well, I don't know." 「ええ、わかりません」 Mrs. Andrews was determined not to agree fully with anybody that day. Andrews夫人はその日誰にも完全に同意しないことを決心した。 "I don't see that Anne needs any more education. 「Anneがこれ以上教育を必要としているとは思わない。 She'll probably be marrying Gilbert Blythe, if his infatuation for her lasts till he gets through college, and what good will Latin and Greek do her then? Elle épousera probablement Gilbert Blythe, si son engouement pour elle dure jusqu'à ce qu'il ait terminé l'université, et à quoi lui serviront alors le latin et le grec ? 彼が大学に通うまで彼女のための彼の夢中が持続するならば、彼女はおそらくギルバートブライスと結婚するでしょう、そしてラテン語とギリシャ語は彼女に何をしますか？ If they taught you at college how to manage a man there might be some sense in her going." Si on vous apprenait à l'université comment gérer un homme, il y aurait peut-être un sens à ce qu'elle y aille." 彼らが大学であなたに男の管理の仕方を教えてくれたのなら、彼女には意味があるかもしれない」 Mrs. Harmon Andrews, so Avonlea gossip whispered, had never learned how to manage her "man," and as a result the Andrews household was not exactly a model of domestic happiness. Mme Harmon Andrews, selon les rumeurs d'Avonlea, n'a jamais appris à gérer son "homme" et, par conséquent, le ménage Andrews n'est pas exactement un modèle de bonheur domestique. "I see that the Charlottetown call to Mr. Allan is up before the Presbytery," said Mrs. Bell. "Je vois que l'appel de Charlottetown à M. Allan est devant le presbytère, dit Mme Bell. "That means we'll be losing him soon, I suppose." 「それは近いうちに彼を失うことになるだろう、と私は思う」 "They're not going before September," said Mrs. Sloane. 「彼らは9月以前には行かない」とスローン夫人は言った。 "It will be a great loss to the community . 「それはコミュニティにとって大きな損失になるでしょう。 though I always did think that Mrs. Allan dressed rather too gay for a minister's wife. même si j'ai toujours pensé que Mme Allan s'habillait un peu trop gaiement pour une femme de pasteur. 私はいつもアラン夫人が大臣の妻のためにむしろ同性愛すぎる服を着ていると思ったが。 But we are none of us perfect. しかし、私たちは完璧ではありません。 Did you notice how neat and snug Mr. Harrison looked today? ハリソン氏が今日どのようにきちんとしていてぴったり合っているかに気付きましたか？ I never saw such a changed man. 私はそのような変わった男を見たことがない。 He goes to church every Sunday and has subscribed to the salary." 彼は毎週日曜日に教会に行き、給料を購読しました。」 "Hasn't that Paul Irving grown to be a big boy?" "Ce Paul Irving n'est-il pas devenu un grand garçon ?" 「あのポールアーヴィングは、大きな男の子になったのではないですか？」 said Mrs. Andrews. アンドリュース夫人は言った。 "He was such a mite for his age when he came here. 「彼はここに来たとき彼の年齢のためのそのようなダニだった。 I declare I hardly knew him today. 私は今日彼をほとんど知らなかったと宣言する。 He's getting to look a lot like his father." 彼は父親とよく似た姿になっている」 "He's a smart boy," said Mrs. Bell. 「彼は頭がいい子だ」とベル夫人は言った。 "He's smart enough, but" . Mrs. Andrews lowered her voice . "I believe he tells queer stories. 「彼は奇妙な話をすると思う。 Gracie came home from school one day last week with the greatest rigmarole he had told her about people who lived down at the shore . グレイシーは先週のある日、彼が海岸に住んでいた人々について彼女に言った最大のrigmaroleで学校から帰宅しました。 stories there couldn't be a word of truth in, you know. il n'y a pas un mot de vrai dans ces histoires, vous savez. I told Gracie not to believe them, and she said Paul didn't intend her to. J'ai dit à Gracie de ne pas les croire, et elle a dit que Paul ne voulait pas qu'elle les croie. 私はグレイシーに彼らを信じないように言いました、そして、彼女はパウロが彼女にそうするつもりがないと言いました。 But if he didn't what did he tell them to her for?" しかし、もし彼がそうでなかったら、彼は彼らに彼女たちに彼らに何を伝えましたか？」 "Anne says Paul is a genius," said Mrs. Sloane. 「アンは、パウロは天才だと言います」とスローン夫人は言った。 "He may be. 「彼はそうかもしれない。 You never know what to expect of them Americans," said Mrs. Andrews. アメリカ人に何を期待すべきか分からない」とアンドリュース夫人は述べた。 Mrs. Andrews' only acquaintance with the word "genius" was derived from the colloquial fashion of calling any eccentric individual "a queer genius." La seule connaissance qu'avait Mrs. Andrews du mot "génie" provenait de l'usage familier d'appeler tout individu excentrique "un génie bizarre". アンドリュース夫人が「天才」という言葉を知っている唯一の知人は、風変わりな個人を「奇妙な天才」と呼ぶという口語的なやり方から生まれました。 She probably thought, with Mary Joe, that it meant a person with something wrong in his upper story. Elle a probablement pensé, comme Mary Joe, que ce terme désignait une personne dont l'étage supérieur présentait un problème. 彼女はおそらく、メアリージョーと一緒に、それは彼の上の物語に何か問題がある人を意味すると思った。

Back in the schoolroom Anne was sitting alone at her desk, as she had sat on the first day of school two years before, her face leaning on her hand, her dewy eyes looking wistfully out of the window to the Lake of Shining Waters. De retour dans la salle de classe, Anne était assise seule à son bureau, comme elle s'était assise le premier jour d'école deux ans auparavant, le visage appuyé sur sa main, ses yeux humides regardant avec nostalgie par la fenêtre le lac des Eaux Brillantes. Her heart was so wrung over the parting with her pupils that for a moment college had lost all its charm. Son cœur était tellement déchiré par la séparation avec ses élèves que, pendant un instant, l'université avait perdu tout son charme. 彼女の心は生徒たちと別れていることにあまりにも目がくらんでいたので、しばらくの間大学はその魅力をすべて失っていました。 She still felt the clasp of Annetta Bell's arms about her neck and heard the childish wail, "I'll NEVER love any teacher as much as you, Miss Shirley, never, never." Elle sent encore l'étreinte des bras d'Annetta Bell autour de son cou et entend le gémissement enfantin : "Je n'aimerai JAMAIS un professeur autant que vous, Miss Shirley, jamais, jamais". For two years she had worked earnestly and faithfully, making many mistakes and learning from them. 2年間、彼女は真剣かつ誠実に働き、多くの過ちを犯し、そこから学びました。 She had had her reward. Elle a eu sa récompense. 彼女には報酬がありました。 She had taught her scholars something, but she felt that they had taught her much more . Elle a appris quelque chose à ses élèves, mais elle a le sentiment qu'ils lui ont appris beaucoup plus. lessons of tenderness, self-control, innocent wisdom, lore of childish hearts. leçons de tendresse, de maîtrise de soi, de sagesse innocente, de savoir des cœurs d'enfants. Perhaps she had not succeeded in "inspiring" any wonderful ambitions in her pupils, but she had taught them, more by her own sweet personality than by all her careful precepts, that it was good and necessary in the years that were before them to live their lives finely and graciously, holding fast to truth and courtesy and kindness, keeping aloof from all that savored of falsehood and meanness and vulgarity. Elle n'avait peut-être pas réussi à "inspirer" de grandes ambitions à ses élèves, mais elle leur avait enseigné, plus par sa douce personnalité que par tous ses préceptes minutieux, qu'il était bon et nécessaire, dans les années qui s'ouvraient à eux, de vivre leur vie finement et gracieusement, en s'attachant à la vérité, à la courtoisie et à la gentillesse, en se tenant à l'écart de tout ce qui pouvait ressembler à de la fausseté, de la mesquinerie et de la vulgarité. They were, perhaps, all unconscious of having learned such lessons; but they would remember and practice them long after they had forgotten the capital of Afghanistan and the dates of the Wars of the Roses.

"Another chapter in my life is closed," said Anne aloud, as she locked her desk. She really felt very sad over it; but the romance in the idea of that "closed chapter" did comfort her a little. Elle se sentait vraiment très triste, mais le romantisme de l'idée de ce "chapitre clos" la réconfortait un peu. Anne spent a fortnight at Echo Lodge early in her vacation and everybody concerned had a good time. Anne a passé quinze jours à Echo Lodge au début de ses vacances et tout le monde a passé un bon moment.

She took Miss Lavendar on a shopping expedition to town and persuaded her to buy a new organdy dress; then came the excitement of cutting and making it together, while the happy Charlotta the Fourth basted and swept up clippings. Elle a emmené Miss Lavendar faire du shopping en ville et l'a persuadée d'acheter une nouvelle robe en organdi ; puis est venue l'excitation de la couper et de la confectionner ensemble, pendant que l'heureuse Charlotta the Fourth cousait et balayait les coupures de presse. Miss Lavendar had complained that she could not feel much interest in anything, but the sparkle came back to her eyes over her pretty dress.

"What a foolish, frivolous person I must be," she sighed. "I'm wholesomely ashamed to think that a new dress . "J'ai honte de penser qu'une nouvelle robe... even it is a forget-me-not organdy . même s'il s'agit d'un myosotis. should exhilarate me so, when a good conscience and an extra contribution to Foreign Missions couldn't do it." Je ne sais pas si le fait d'avoir une bonne conscience et une contribution supplémentaire aux Missions étrangères devrait m'exalter à ce point, alors que cela n'aurait pas été possible. Midway in her visit Anne went home to Green Gables for a day to mend the twins' stockings and settle up Davy's accumulated store of questions. Au milieu de sa visite, Anne rentre à Green Gables pour une journée afin de raccommoder les bas des jumeaux et de répondre aux questions accumulées par Davy. In the evening she went down to the shore road to see Paul Irving. As she passed by the low, square window of the Irving sitting room she caught a glimpse of Paul on somebody's lap; but the next moment he came flying through the hall. En passant devant la fenêtre basse et carrée du salon Irving, elle aperçut Paul sur les genoux de quelqu'un, mais l'instant d'après, il s'envola dans le hall. "Oh, Miss Shirley," he cried excitedly, "you can't think what has happened! Something so splendid. Father is here . just think of that! Father is here! Come right in. Father, this is my beautiful teacher. YOU know, father." Stephen Irving came forward to meet Anne with a smile. He was a tall, handsome man of middle age, with iron-gray hair, deep-set, dark blue eyes, and a strong, sad face, splendidly modeled about chin and brow. Just the face for a hero of romance, Anne thought with a thrill of intense satisfaction. It was so disappointing to meet someone who ought to be a hero and find him bald or stooped, or otherwise lacking in manly beauty. Anne would have thought it dreadful if the object of Miss Lavendar's romance had not looked the part. Anne aurait trouvé terrible que l'objet de la romance de Mlle Lavendar ne soit pas à la hauteur. "So this is my little son's 'beautiful teacher,' of whom I have heard so much," said Mr. Irving with a hearty handshake. "Paul's letters have been so full of you, Miss Shirley, that I feel as if I were pretty well acquainted with you already. "Les lettres de Paul m'ont tellement parlé de vous, Miss Shirley, que j'ai l'impression de vous connaître déjà assez bien. I want to thank you for what you have done for Paul. I think that your influence has been just what he needed. Mother is one of the best and dearest of women; but her robust, matter-of-fact Scotch common sense could not always understand a temperament like my laddie's. Ma mère est l'une des meilleures et des plus chères des femmes, mais son bon sens écossais, robuste et plein d'à-propos, ne pouvait pas toujours comprendre un tempérament comme celui de mon petit garçon. What was lacking in her you have supplied. Between you, I think Paul's training in these two past years has been as nearly ideal as a motherless boy's could be." À vous deux, je pense que la formation de Paul au cours de ces deux dernières années a été aussi idéale que peut l'être celle d'un garçon orphelin de mère". Everybody likes to be appreciated. Under Mr. Irving's praise Anne's face "burst flower like into rosy bloom," and the busy, weary man of the world, looking at her, thought he had never seen a fairer, sweeter slip of girlhood than this little "down east" schoolteacher with her red hair and wonderful eyes. Sous les louanges de M. Irving, le visage d'Anne "s'épanouit comme une fleur", et l'homme occupé et fatigué du monde, en la regardant, pensait qu'il n'avait jamais vu une jeune fille plus belle et plus douce que cette petite institutrice du "Down East", avec ses cheveux roux et ses yeux merveilleux. Paul sat between them blissfully happy.

"I never dreamed father was coming," he said radiantly. "Even Grandma didn't know it. It was a great surprise. As a general thing . ." Paul shook his brown curls gravely . "I don't like to be surprised. You lose all the fun of expecting things when you're surprised. But in a case like this it is all right. Father came last night after I had gone to bed. And after Grandma and Mary Joe had stopped being surprised he and Grandma came upstairs to look at me, not meaning to wake me up till morning. Après que Grand-mère et Mary Joe eurent cessé de s'étonner, Grand-mère et lui montèrent à l'étage pour me regarder, sans vouloir me réveiller avant le matin. But I woke right up and saw father. Mais je me suis réveillée et j'ai vu mon père. I tell you I just sprang at him." Je vous dis que je me suis jeté sur lui." "With a hug like a bear's," said Mr. Irving, putting his arms around Paul's shoulder smilingly. "I hardly knew my boy, he had grown so big and brown and sturdy." "I don't know which was the most pleased to see father, Grandma or I," continued Paul. "Grandma's been in kitchen all day making the things father likes to eat. She wouldn't trust them to Mary Joe, she says. Elle ne leur confierait pas Mary Joe, dit-elle. That's HER way of showing gladness. I like best just to sit and talk to father. But I'm going to leave you for a little while now if you'll excuse me. I must get the cows for Mary Joe. That is one of my daily duties." When Paul had scampered away to do his "daily duty" Mr. Irving talked to Anne of various matters. But Anne felt that he was thinking of something else underneath all the time. Presently it came to the surface.

"In Paul's last letter he spoke of going with you to visit an old . friend of mine . Miss Lewis at the stone house in Grafton. Do you know her well?" "Yes, indeed, she is a very dear friend of mine," was Anne's demure reply, which gave no hint of the sudden thrill that tingled over her from head to foot at Mr. Irving's question. Anne "felt instinctively" that romance was peeping at her around a corner. Anne "sentait instinctivement" que la romance la regardait au coin de la rue. Mr. Irving rose and went to the window, looking out on a great, golden, billowing sea where a wild wind was harping. For a few moments there was silence in the little dark-walled room. Pendant quelques instants, le silence règne dans la petite pièce aux murs sombres. Then he turned and looked down into Anne's sympathetic face with a smile, half-whimsical, half-tender. "I wonder how much you know," he said. "I know all about it," replied Anne promptly. "You see," she explained hastily, "Miss Lavendar and I are very intimate. She wouldn't tell things of such a sacred nature to everybody. We are kindred spirits." "Yes, I believe you are. Well, I am going to ask a favor of you. I would like to go and see Miss Lavendar if she will let me. Will you ask her if I may come?" Would she not? Oh, indeed she would! Yes, this was romance, the very, the real thing, with all the charm of rhyme and story and dream. It was a little belated, perhaps, like a rose blooming in October which should have bloomed in June; but none the less a rose, all sweetness and fragrance, with the gleam of gold in its heart. C'était peut-être un peu tard, comme une rose qui fleurit en octobre alors qu'elle aurait dû fleurir en juin, mais c'était tout de même une rose, toute en douceur et en parfum, avec l'éclat de l'or dans son cœur. Never did Anne's feet bear her on a more willing errand than on that walk through the beechwoods to Grafton the next morning. Jamais les pieds d'Anne ne la portèrent plus volontiers que lors de cette promenade à travers les hêtraies jusqu'à Grafton le lendemain matin. She found Miss Lavendar in the garden. Anne was fearfully excited. Her hands grew cold and her voice trembled.

"Miss Lavendar, I have something to tell you . something very important. Can you guess what it is?" Anne never supposed that Miss Lavendar could GUESS; but Miss Lavendar's face grew very pale and Miss Lavendar said in a quiet, still voice, from which all the color and sparkle that Miss Lavendar's voice usually suggested had faded. Anne n'avait jamais pensé que Mlle Lavendar pouvait GUESS ; mais le visage de Mlle Lavendar devint très pâle et Mlle Lavendar dit d'une voix calme et tranquille, d'où s'était évanouie toute la couleur et l'éclat que la voix de Mlle Lavendar suggérait d'habitude. "Stephen Irving is home?" "How did you know? Who told you?" cried Anne disappointedly, vexed that her great revelation had been anticipated.

"Nobody. I knew that must be it, just from the way you spoke." Je savais que c'était ça, rien qu'à votre façon de parler". "He wants to come and see you," said Anne. "May I send him word that he may?" "Yes, of course," fluttered Miss Lavendar. "There is no reason why he shouldn't. He is only coming as any old friend might." Il ne fait que venir comme le ferait un vieil ami." Anne had her own opinion about that as she hastened into the house to write a note at Miss Lavendar's desk. Anne avait sa propre opinion à ce sujet alors qu'elle se hâtait d'entrer dans la maison pour écrire une note sur le bureau de Mlle Lavendar. "Oh, it's delightful to be living in a storybook," she thought gaily. "Oh, c'est délicieux de vivre dans un livre d'histoires", pense-t-elle gaiement. "It will come out all right of course . "Tout se passera bien, bien sûr. it must . and Paul will have a mother after his own heart and everybody will be happy. et Paul aura une mère selon son cœur et tout le monde sera heureux. But Mr. Irving will take Miss Lavendar away . Mais M. Irving va emmener Mlle Lavendar. and dear knows what will happen to the little stone house . and so there are two sides to it, as there seems to be to everything in this world." The important note was written and Anne herself carried it to the Grafton post office, where she waylaid the mail carrier and asked him to leave it at the Avonlea office. La note importante est rédigée et Anne la porte elle-même jusqu'au bureau de poste de Grafton, où elle fait faux bond au facteur et lui demande de la laisser au bureau d'Avonlea.

"It's so very important," Anne assured him anxiously. The mail carrier was a rather grumpy old personage who did not at all look the part of a messenger of Cupid; and Anne was none too certain that his memory was to be trusted. Le facteur était un vieux personnage plutôt grincheux qui n'avait pas du tout l'air d'un messager de Cupidon ; et Anne n'était pas très sûre que l'on puisse se fier à sa mémoire. But he said he would do his best to remember and she had to be contented with that.

Charlotta the Fourth felt that some mystery pervaded the stone house that afternoon . a mystery from which she was excluded. Miss Lavendar roamed about the garden in a distracted fashion. Anne, too, seemed possessed by a demon of unrest, and walked to and fro and went up and down. Charlotta the Fourth endured it till patience ceased to be a virtue; then she confronted Anne on the occasion of that romantic young person's third aimless peregrination through the kitchen. Charlotta la quatrième l'a supporté jusqu'à ce que la patience cesse d'être une vertu ; puis elle a affronté Anne à l'occasion de la troisième pérégrination sans but de cette jeune personne romantique dans la cuisine. "Please, Miss Shirley, ma'am," said Charlotta the Fourth, with an indignant toss of her very blue bows, "it's plain to be seen you and Miss Lavendar have got a secret and I think, begging your pardon if I'm too forward, Miss Shirley, ma'am, that it's real mean not to tell me when we've all been such chums." "S'il vous plaît, Miss Shirley, Madame", dit Charlotta la quatrième, avec un mouvement indigné de ses arcs très bleus, "il est évident que vous et Miss Lavendar avez un secret et je pense, en vous demandant pardon si je suis trop directe, Miss Shirley, Madame, que c'est vraiment méchant de ne pas me le dire alors que nous avons tous été de si bons amis". "Oh, Charlotta dear, I'd have told you all about it if it were my secret . but it's Miss Lavendar's, you see. However, I'll tell you this much . Cependant, je peux vous dire ceci . and if nothing comes of it you must never breathe a word about it to a living soul. et s'il n'en résulte rien, tu ne devras jamais en souffler mot à âme qui vive. You see, Prince Charming is coming tonight. He came long ago, but in a foolish moment went away and wandered afar and forgot the secret of the magic pathway to the enchanted castle, where the princess was weeping her faithful heart out for him. Il est venu il y a longtemps, mais dans un moment de folie, il est parti, a erré au loin et a oublié le secret du chemin magique menant au château enchanté, où la princesse pleurait son cœur fidèle pour lui. But at last he remembered it again and the princess is waiting still. because nobody but her own dear prince could carry her off." car personne d'autre que son cher prince ne pouvait l'emporter." "Oh, Miss Shirley, ma'am, what is that in prose?" "Oh, Miss Shirley, madame, qu'est-ce que c'est que cette prose ?" gasped the mystified Charlotta.

Anne laughed.

"In prose, an old friend of Miss Lavendar's is coming to see her tonight." "Do you mean an old beau of hers?" demanded the literal Charlotta.

"That is probably what I do mean . "C'est probablement ce que je veux dire. in prose," answered Anne gravely. en prose, répondit gravement Anne. "It is Paul's father . Stephen Irving. And goodness knows what will come of it, but let us hope for the best, Charlotta." Et Dieu sait ce qu'il en résultera, mais espérons le meilleur, Charlotta." "I hope that he'll marry Miss Lavendar," was Charlotta's unequivocal response. "J'espère qu'il épousera Miss Lavendar", répond Charlotta sans équivoque. "Some women's intended from the start to be old maids, and I'm afraid I'm one of them, Miss Shirley, ma'am, because I've awful little patience with the men. "Certaines femmes sont destinées dès le départ à être de vieilles filles, et je crains d'être l'une d'entre elles, Miss Shirley, madame, parce que j'ai terriblement peu de patience avec les hommes. But Miss Lavendar never was. And I've been awful worried, thinking what on earth she'd do when I got so big I'd HAVE to go to Boston. Et j'étais terriblement inquiète, pensant à ce qu'elle ferait quand je serais si grande que je DEVRAIS aller à Boston. There ain't any more girls in our family and dear knows what she'd do if she got some stranger that might laugh at her pretendings and leave things lying round out of their place and not be willing to be called Charlotta the Fifth. She might get someone who wouldn't be as unlucky as me in breaking dishes but she'd never get anyone who'd love her better." Elle aura peut-être quelqu'un qui ne sera pas aussi malchanceux que moi pour casser la vaisselle, mais elle n'aura jamais quelqu'un qui l'aimera mieux". And the faithful little handmaiden dashed to the oven door with a sniff. Et la fidèle petite servante se précipita vers la porte du four en reniflant.

They went through the form of having tea as usual that night at Echo Lodge; but nobody really ate anything. Ils ont pris le thé comme d'habitude ce soir-là à Echo Lodge, mais personne n'a vraiment mangé quoi que ce soit. After tea Miss Lavendar went to her room and put on her new forget-me-not organdy, while Anne did her hair for her. Both were dreadfully excited; but Miss Lavendar pretended to be very calm and indifferent.

"I must really mend that rent in the curtain tomorrow," she said anxiously, inspecting it as if it were the only thing of any importance just then. "Je dois vraiment réparer cette déchirure dans le rideau demain," dit-elle anxieusement, l'inspectant comme si c'était la seule chose d'importance à ce moment-là. "Those curtains have not worn as well as they should, considering the price I paid. "Ces rideaux ne se sont pas usés aussi bien qu'ils le devraient, compte tenu du prix que j'ai payé. Dear me, Charlotta has forgotten to dust the stair railing AGAIN. I really MUST speak to her about it." Anne was sitting on the porch steps when Stephen Irving came down the lane and across the garden.

"This is the one place where time stands still," he said, looking around him with delighted eyes. "There is nothing changed about this house or garden since I was here twenty-five years ago. It makes me feel young again." "You know time always does stand still in an enchanted palace," said Anne seriously. "It is only when the prince comes that things begin to happen." Mr. Irving smiled a little sadly into her uplifted face, all astar with its youth and promise. M. Irving a souri un peu tristement à son visage levé, tout étincelant de jeunesse et de promesses.

"Sometimes the prince comes too late," he said. He did not ask Anne to translate her remark into prose. Il n'a pas demandé à Anne de traduire sa remarque en prose. Like all kindred spirits he "understood." "Oh, no, not if he is the real prince coming to the true princess," said Anne, shaking her red head decidedly, as she opened the parlor door. When he had gone in she shut it tightly behind him and turned to confront Charlotta the Fourth, who was in the hall, all "nods and becks and wreathed smiles." Lorsqu'il fut entré, elle referma la porte derrière lui et se tourna vers Charlotta le Quatrième, qui se trouvait dans le hall, avec des "hochements de tête, des signes de tête et des sourires enveloppés". "Oh, Miss Shirley, ma'am," she breathed, "I peeked from the kitchen window . "Oh, Miss Shirley, madame, souffla-t-elle, j'ai jeté un coup d'œil par la fenêtre de la cuisine...". and he's awful handsome . and just the right age for Miss Lavendar. And oh, Miss Shirley, ma'am, do you think it would be much harm to listen at the door?" "It would be dreadful, Charlotta," said Anne firmly, "so just you come away with me out of the reach of temptation." "I can't do anything, and it's awful to hang round just waiting," sighed Charlotta. "Je ne peux rien faire et c'est affreux de rester là à attendre", soupire Charlotta. "What if he don't propose after all, Miss Shirley, ma'am? You can never be sure of them men. My older sister, Charlotta the First, thought she was engaged to one once. But it turned out HE had a different opinion and she says she'll never trust one of them again. Mais il s'est avéré que LUI avait une opinion différente et elle dit qu'elle ne fera plus jamais confiance à l'un d'entre eux. And I heard of another case where a man thought he wanted one girl awful bad when it was really her sister he wanted all the time. Et j'ai entendu parler d'un autre cas où un homme pensait qu'il voulait terriblement une fille alors qu'en réalité c'était sa sœur qu'il voulait tout le temps. When a man don't know his own mind, Miss Shirley, ma'am, how's a poor woman going to be sure of it?" "We'll go to the kitchen and clean the silver spoons," said Anne. "That's a task which won't require much thinking fortunately . for I COULDN'T think tonight. And it will pass the time." It passed an hour. Then, just as Anne laid down the last shining spoon, they heard the front door shut. Both sought comfort fearfully in each other's eyes. Tous deux ont cherché un réconfort craintif dans les yeux de l'autre. "Oh, Miss Shirley, ma'am," gasped Charlotta, "if he's going away this early there's nothing into it and never will be." "Oh, Miss Shirley, madame", s'exclame Charlotta, "s'il part si tôt, il n'y a rien à faire et il n'y aura jamais rien." They flew to the window. Mr. Irving had no intention of going away. He and Miss Lavendar were strolling slowly down the middle path to the stone bench.

"Oh, Miss Shirley, ma'am, he's got his arm around her waist," whispered Charlotta the Fourth delightedly. "He must have proposed to her or she'd never allow it." Anne caught Charlotta the Fourth by her own plump waist and danced her around the kitchen until they were both out of breath. Anne a attrapé Charlotta le Quatrième par sa taille ronde et l'a fait danser dans la cuisine jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient toutes les deux à bout de souffle.

"Oh, Charlotta," she cried gaily, "I'm neither a prophetess nor the daughter of a prophetess but I'm going to make a prediction. There'll be a wedding in this old stone house before the maple leaves are red. Do you want that translated into prose, Charlotta?" "No, I can understand that," said Charlotta. "A wedding ain't poetry. Why, Miss Shirley, ma'am, you're crying! What for?" "Oh, because it's all so beautiful . and story bookish . and romantic . and sad," said Anne, winking the tears out of her eyes. "It's all perfectly lovely . but there's a little sadness mixed up in it too, somehow." "Oh, of course there's a resk in marrying anybody," conceded Charlotta the Fourth, "but, when all's said and done, Miss Shirley, ma'am, there's many a worse thing than a husband." "Oh, bien sûr, il y a un risque à épouser n'importe qui", concède Charlotta la quatrième, "mais, en fin de compte, Miss Shirley, madame, il y a bien pire qu'un mari".