Chapter VII. Joan Disobeys Глава VII. Жанна не подчиняется

What he next knew was a fire of agony that wrapped his whole body and consciousness flashed back on him. Ce qu'il a su ensuite, c'est qu'un feu d'agonie a enveloppé tout son corps et que la conscience lui est revenue. Strong arms lifted him up, up; above him he sensed the eyes of his torturer, dim in moonlight, and he beat his clubbed left fist into that face. Des bras puissants le soulevèrent, le soulevèrent ; au-dessus de lui, il sentit les yeux de son tortionnaire, pâles au clair de lune, et il frappa ce visage de son poing gauche armé d'un gourdin. After that he knew he was being dragged onto a saddle, but a wave of pain rushed up his side and numbed his brain. Il sut ensuite qu'on le traînait sur une selle, mais une vague de douleur remonta le long de son flanc et engourdit son cerveau. Thereafter his senses returned by fits and starts, vaguely. Par la suite, ses sens lui revinrent par à-coups, vaguement. Once he felt a steel cable that girdled his waist and breast and held him erect, though his head flopped back and forth; once his eyes opened and above him glittered the bright field of stars towards which he drifted through space, a mind without a body; once a stab of torment wakened him enough to hear: "Easy Satan; watch them stones. Une fois, il sentit un câble d'acier qui ceinturait sa taille et sa poitrine et le maintenait droit, bien que sa tête tombât d'avant en arrière ; une fois, ses yeux s'ouvrirent et au-dessus de lui scintilla le champ lumineux des étoiles vers lesquelles il dérivait dans l'espace, un esprit sans corps ; une fois, un coup de poignard le réveilla suffisamment pour qu'il entende : "Doucement, Satan ; surveille les pierres" : "Doucement, Satan, attention aux pierres. One more jolt like that will send him clear to—" And the voice glided into an eternity of distance. Une autre secousse comme celle-là l'enverra clairement à..." Et la voix glissa dans une éternité de distance. Yet again he swung tip from the pit of darkness and became aware of golden hair around a woman's face, and a marvelous soft, cool hand upon his forehead. Une fois de plus, il bascula du puits des ténèbres et prit conscience de cheveux dorés autour d'un visage de femme, et d'une merveilleuse main douce et fraîche sur son front. Her voice reached him, too, and made him think of all things musical, all things distant, like the sounds of birds falling from the sky and though he understood not a syllable, a sweet assurance of safety flooded through him. Sa voix l'atteignit aussi et lui fit penser à toutes les choses musicales, à toutes les choses lointaines, comme les sons des oiseaux tombant du ciel et, bien qu'il ne comprenne pas une syllabe, une douce assurance de sécurité l'inonda. He slept.

When he woke again, it was from a dream of fleeing through empty air swifter than the wind with a wolf-dog looming behind him out of space, but presently he found that he was lying in a bed with a stream of sunlight washing across a white coverlet. Lorsqu'il se réveilla à nouveau, ce fut après avoir rêvé qu'il fuyait dans l'air vide, plus rapide que le vent, avec un chien-loup qui se profilait derrière lui dans l'espace, mais il s'aperçut alors qu'il était couché dans un lit, avec un filet de lumière solaire qui traversait une couverture blanche. A door at his right swung open and there in the entrance stood the wolf-dog of his vision with a five-year-old girl upon its back. Une porte à sa droite s'ouvrit et, dans l'entrée, se tenait le chien-loup de sa vision, avec une fillette de cinq ans sur son dos.

"Don't go in there, Bart!" whispered the child. "Go on back!" She took one of those pointed wolf-ears in her chubby fist and tugged to swing him around, but Bart, with a speed which the eye could not follow, twisted his head and the rows of great teeth closed over her hand. Elle prit l'une de ces oreilles de loup pointues dans son poing potelé et tira pour la faire pivoter, mais Bart, avec une rapidité que l'œil ne pouvait suivre, tourna la tête et les rangées de grandes dents se refermèrent sur sa main. It was so horrible that the cry froze in the throat of Gregg, yet the child, with only a little murmur of anger, reached over with her other hand and caught the wolf by the nose. C'était si horrible que le cri se figea dans la gorge de Gregg, mais l'enfant, avec seulement un petit murmure de colère, tendit l'autre main et attrapa le loup par le nez.

"Bad Bart!" she whispered, and raised the hand which he instantly released. murmura-t-elle, en levant la main qu'il relâcha instantanément. White marks showed on the pudgy tan. Des marques blanches sont apparues sur le bronzage de l'homme. "Bad dog!" she repeated, and beat his neck with an impotent little fist. The wolf-dog cringed, and turned from the door. Le chien-loup tressaillit et se détourna de la porte.

"Come in," invited Gregg. He was surprised to find his voice thin, apt to swing up to a high pitch beyond his control. Il est surpris de constater que sa voix est fluette et qu'elle a tendance à s'élever vers des aigus qu'il ne contrôle pas. A shower of golden curls tossed away from her face as she looked to him. Une pluie de boucles dorées s'échappe de son visage tandis qu'elle se tourne vers lui. "Oh!" she cried, still with a guarded voice. s'écrie-t-elle, toujours d'une voix prudente. She leaned far over, one hand buried in the ruff of Bart's neck to secure her balance, and with the other she laid hold of his right ear and drew him around facing the door once more. Elle se pencha, une main enfouie dans la nuque de Bart pour assurer son équilibre, et de l'autre, elle lui saisit l'oreille droite et le ramena face à la porte. This time he showed his teeth but submitted, only twitching the ear back and forth a time or two when she relaxed her hold. Cette fois, il montra les dents mais se soumit, se contentant de remuer l'oreille d'avant en arrière une ou deux fois lorsqu'elle relâcha sa prise.

"Come in," repeated Gregg. She canted her head to one side and considered him with fearless blue eyes. Elle pencha la tête sur le côté et le considéra de ses yeux bleus intrépides.

"I want to," she sighed. "Why can't you, honey?" "Munner says no." He attempted to turn further towards her, but the pain in his right shoulder prevented. Il tente de se tourner davantage vers elle, mais la douleur de son épaule droite l'en empêche. He found that his arm was bandaged to the elbow and held close to his side by a complex swathing. Il constate que son bras est bandé jusqu'au coude et maintenu près de son flanc par une écharpe complexe.

"Who is your mother?" asked Vic.

"Munner?" she repeated, frowning in wonder. "Why, munner is—my munner." "Oh," smiled he, "and who's your pa?" "What?" "Who's your father? Who's your dad?" "Daddy Dan. You ask a lot of things," she added, disapprovingly. "Come on in," pleaded Vic Gregg, "and I won't ask nothin' more about you." "Munner says no," she repeated. She employed the moment of indecision by plucking at the hair of Bart's shoulders; he growled softly, terribly, but she paid not the slightest heed. Elle profita de ce moment d'indécision pour arracher les poils des épaules de Bart ; il grogna doucement, terriblement, mais elle n'y prêta pas la moindre attention. "Your mother won't care," asserted Vic. "I know," she nodded, "but Daddy will." "Spanking?" She looked blankly at him.

"What will he do, then, if you come in to see me?" "He'll look at me." "Il va me regarder." She grew breathless at the thought, and cast a guilty glance over her shoulder. Elle s'essouffle à cette idée et jette un regard coupable par-dessus son épaule.

"Honey," chuckled Gregg, weakly, "I'll take all the blame. Just you come along in and he'll do his lookin' at me." Entrez et il me regardera." He thought of the slender fellow who had rescued him and his large, gentle brown eyes, but to a child even those mild eyes might seem terrible with authority. Il pensa à l'homme mince qui l'avait sauvé et à ses grands yeux bruns et doux, mais pour un enfant, même ces yeux doux pouvaient sembler terribles d'autorité.

"Will you, true?" said the child, wistfully.

"Honest and true." "All right." She made up her mind instantly, her face shining with excitement. "Giddap, Bart." "Giddap, Bart." And she thumped the wolf-dog vigorously with her heels. Et elle frappa vigoureusement le chien-loup de ses talons.

He carried her in with a few gliding steps, soundless, except for the light rattle of claws on the floor, but he stopped well out of reach of the bed and when Vic held his left hand as far as he could across his chest, Bart winced and gave harsh warning. Il la porta à l'intérieur en quelques pas glissés, sans bruit, à l'exception du léger cliquetis des griffes sur le sol, mais il s'arrêta bien hors de portée du lit et lorsque Vic porta sa main gauche aussi loin que possible sur sa poitrine, Bart grimaça et lança un avertissement sévère. Vic had seen vicious dogs in his day, seen them fighting, seen them playing, but he had never heard one of them growl like this. Vic avait déjà vu des chiens vicieux, les avait vus se battre, les avait vus jouer, mais il n'avait jamais entendu l'un d'entre eux grogner de la sorte. The upper lips of the animal twitched dangerously back and the sound came from the very depths of his body. It made the flesh crawl along Vic's back; one rip of those great teeth could tear a man's throat open. La chair rampait le long du dos de Vic ; un seul coup de ces grandes dents pouvait déchirer la gorge d'un homme. The child thudded her heels against the ribs of Bart again. L'enfant frappa à nouveau de ses talons les côtes de Bart.

"Giddap!" she cried.

The wolf-dog shuddered but would not budge an inch. Le chien-loup frémit mais ne bougea pas d'un pouce.

"Naughty Bart!" She slipped off to the floor. Elle a glissé sur le sol. "I'll make him come," she said. "Je vais le faire venir", dit-elle. "If it's the same to you," said Vic, rather hastily, "I'd just as soon he stayed where he is." "Si c'est la même chose pour vous, dit Vic, un peu précipitamment, je préférerais qu'il reste là où il est. "He's got to do what I want," she answered. "Il doit faire ce que je veux", répond-elle. She shook a tiny forefinger at him. Elle lui adresse un petit index. "Bart, you just come here!" The dog turned his blazing eyes on her and replied with a growl that shook his sides.

"Stop!" she ordered, and struck him sharply on the nose. ordonna-t-elle, et lui asséna un coup sec sur le nez. He blinked and lowered his head under the blow, but though the snarling stopped his teeth flashed. She caught him by both jowls and tugged him forward.

"Let him be!" urged Vic.

"He's got to come!" And come he did, step by halting step, while she hauled him, and now the snarling hoarse intakes of breath filled the room. Et il vint, pas à pas, tandis qu'elle le tirait, et que les grognements et les respirations rauques emplissaient la pièce. Once she moved a little to one side and Vic caught the glint of two eyes, red-stained, which were fixed undeviatingly upon her face. Une fois, elle se déplaça un peu sur le côté et Vic aperçut la lueur de deux yeux, tachés de rouge, qui étaient fixés sur son visage de façon inébranlable. Mixed with Vic's alarm at the great fighting beast was a peculiar uneasiness, for there was something uncanny in the determination, the fearlessness of this infant. A l'inquiétude de Vic face à la grande bête de combat se mêlait une inquiétude particulière, car il y avait quelque chose d'étrange dans la détermination, l'intrépidité de ce nourrisson. When she stepped away the wolf-dog stood trembling visibly but his eyes were still not upon the man he hated or feared to approach but upon the child's face. Lorsqu'elle s'éloigna, le chien-loup resta debout, tremblant visiblement, mais ses yeux n'étaient toujours pas fixés sur l'homme qu'il détestait ou dont il craignait de s'approcher, mais sur le visage de l'enfant. "Can you pat him now?" she asked, not for an instant turning to Gregg.

"No, but it's close enough," he assured her. "I don't want him any closer." "He's got to come." She stamped. "Bart, you come here!" He flinched forward, an inch. Il a reculé d'un centimètre. "Bart!" Her hands were clenched and her little body quivered with resolution; the snake-like head came to the very edge of the bed. Ses mains étaient crispées et son petit corps frémissait de résolution ; la tête du serpent s'approcha du bord du lit.

"Now pat him!" she commanded.

By very unpleasant degrees, Vic stretched his hand towards that growling menace.

"He'll take my arm off," he complained. Shame kept him from utterly refusing the risk. La honte l'empêche de refuser catégoriquement le risque.

"He won't bite you one bit," declared the child. "But I'll hold his nose if you're afraid." And instantly she clasped the pointed muzzle between her hands. Et instantanément, elle a serré le museau pointu entre ses mains.

Even when Vic's hand hovered above his head Bart had no eye for him, could not divert his gaze from the face of the child. Once, twice and again, delicately as one might handle bubbles, Gregg touched that scarred forehead. Une fois, deux fois et encore, délicatement comme on manipule des bulles, Gregg toucha ce front meurtri.

"I made him come, didn't I?" she cried in triumph, and turned a tense little face towards Vic, but the instant her eyes moved the wolf-dog leaped away half the width of the room, and stood shivering, more devilish than ever. cria-t-elle en triomphe, et tourna un petit visage tendu vers Vic, mais à l'instant où ses yeux se déplacèrent, le chien-loup fit un bond de la moitié de la largeur de la pièce, et se tint debout, frissonnant, plus diabolique que jamais. She stamped again. Elle a de nouveau tamponné.

"Bad, bad, bad Bart," she said angrily. "Shall I make him come again?" "Leave him be," muttered Vic, closing his eyes. "Leave him be where he is. I don't want him." "Oh," she said, "it's hard to make him do things, sometimes. But Daddy Dan can make him do anything." "Humph!" grunted Vic. He was remembering how, at the master's order, Bart had crouched at his feet in the wood, an unchained murderer hungrily waiting for an excuse to kill. Il se rappelait comment, sur l'ordre de son maître, Bart s'était accroupi à ses pieds dans la forêt, meurtrier déchaîné attendant avec avidité une excuse pour tuer. There was something very odd about the people of this house; and it would be a long time before he rid himself of the impression of the cold, steady eyes which had flashed up to him a moment before out of that baby face. Il y avait quelque chose de très étrange chez les gens de cette maison, et il lui faudrait longtemps pour se débarrasser de l'impression des yeux froids et stables qui, un instant auparavant, avaient jailli de ce visage de bébé.

"Joan!" called a voice from beyond, and the soft fiber of it made Vic certain that it belonged to the rider of the black stallion. appela une voix de l'autre côté, et la douceur de sa fibre rendit Vic certain qu'elle appartenait au cavalier de l'étalon noir. The little girl ran a step towards the door, and then stopped and shrank back against the bed. La petite fille fit un pas vers la porte, puis s'arrêta et se recula contre le lit.

"If you're afraid your Dad'll find you here," said Vic, "just you run along." "Si tu as peur que ton père te trouve ici", dit Vic, "tu n'as qu'à courir". She was nervously twisting her hands in her dress.

"Daddy Dan'll know," she whispered without turning. "And—and—he won't let me be afraid—-even of him!" "Et il ne me laissera pas avoir peur, même de lui !" A small hand slipped up, fumbled a bit, found the thumb of Vic Gregg, and closed softly over it. Une petite main s'est glissée, a tâtonné un peu, a trouvé le pouce de Vic Gregg et s'est refermée doucement sur lui. With this to steady her, she waited, facing the door. Avec cela pour se stabiliser, elle attendit, face à la porte.