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Prsentation
Biogra hie !es ersonnages Prsentation !es li$res et rs%& Ro)erte Ar&an! et son ne$e% Ton* B%rns
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, Nol
,ar-on de dou;e ans, blond, mince et calme tou$ours au courant de tout. >implement parce que, d1une nature r!fl!chie, il sait !couter et retenir. ?l vit che; les 6enaud depuis qu1il a perdu ses parents dans un accident de voiture, deux ans auparavant, et chacun le consid re comme le fils a@n!. &o'l, orphelin depuis deux ans, vivait che; eux, et &athalie l1avait promu au rang de fr re. :rend le parti de sa cousine lorsque &ic7 taquine trop sa s4ur. &o'l faisait presque figure d1adulte par moments. Une t2te de plus que &ic7, mince, !lanc!, des cheveux blond pAle et l1air romantique, il r!fl!chissait tou$ours avant de prendre une d!cision. &o'l se montre calme et pond!r! .
( Mr. Rena%!
P-re !e Nicolas et !e Nathalie et oncle !e Nol, e. ert/co& ta)le 0 Br%ni-res.
1 M!. Rena%!
Ma&an !e Nicolas et !e Nathalie et tante !e Nol, e. ert/co& ta)le 0 Br%ni-res.
# Oncle Besson
"douard, D!t!rinaire
Le $ie%. sa%le
plusieurs $ours d!$# que les 3rois & se trouvaient # Dolny, une grosse bourgade montagnarde oI l1oncle "douard Jesson exer-ait le m!tier de v!t!rinaire. Kans sa villa spacieuse, entour!e d1un grand $ardin et situ!e un peu # l1!cart de l1agglom!ration, les enfants $ouissaient d1une libert! presque totale. ?ls avaient aussi la possibilit! d1organiser des $eux et des promenades dans la campagne, et ne s1en privaient pas. Lusqu1ici, par chance, le temps s1!tait
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2 Ma!a&e Astier
N1!tait une vieille dame aux cheveux gris et aux $oues ros!s, aux yeux p!tillants de gaiet! derri re des lunettes de myope. &H3OH)?" avait grimp! les escaliers si vite qu1elle arriva essouffl!e au deuxi me !tage de l1immeuble oI habitait sa marraine. Puand elle se trouva devant la porte de l1appartement, la fillette pensa avec plaisir qu1elle allait sErement passer un moment agr!able aupr s de 0lle Hstier, tou$ours si gentille avec sa filleule... et qui lui pr!parait de si bons goEters8 "t puis, &athalie aimait tout particuli rement ce petit logement, si bien install!, rempli de beaux meubl!s et de bibelots pr!cieux. >a marraine les avait re-us en h!ritage et elle en prenait le plus grand soin.
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+ Ma!e&oiselle Biche
>ur le seuil parut une minuscule vieille dame, sans doute # peine plus grande que &athalie. "lle tenait serr! sur son c4ur un caniche nain qui lui ressemblait !trangement % m2me fragilit!, m2mes yeux vifs et, surtout, m2me crini re abondante de bouclettes grisAtres. )a ressemblance entre le chien et sa ma@tresse !tait si frappante que n1importe qui aurait eu du mal # ne pas !clater de rire. )es 6enaud, eux, devinrent aussitQt !carlates de fous rires contenus. )a premi re en gymnastique, # l1!cole, c1!tait moi % on m1appelait l1athl te89 Hu souvenir des bras maigrichons et des mollets en allumettes de 0lle Jiche, 0lle Jiche qui est une fanatique de la marche # pied, c1est au moins cinq ou six 7ilom tres. 3ou$ours aussi originale les yeux qui p!tillent, vive, alerte, une !nergie d!bordante8 "lle !tait drap!e dans une blouse # fleurs trop grande pour sa petite taille, tandis qu1un foulard vert pomme, nou! sur le front, ne laissait d!passer que quelques bouclettes grisAtres. Hinsi accoutr!e, la vieille demoiselle brandissait un plumeau, tel un dragon sabre au clair8 &ic7 se retint # grand(peine de pouffer. .
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A!resse
"n tout cas, elle doit 2tre heureuse d1occuper maintenant sa propre maison, au lieu d1un appartement lou!. R N1est vrai qu1elle a r!cup!r! la demeure de ses anc2tres8 9 remarqua pompeusement &athalie. 0lle Jiche est 9, impasse des Hcacias. 9 Nette impasse se pr!senta bientQt % c1!tait presque un sentier, # peine asse; large pour laisser passer une voiture et fort peu habit! % quelques villas espac!es, alternant avec des champs. Hu num!ro 9 se trouvait une propri!t! asse; !tendue, entour!e d1une haie de charmes, haute et touffue. >ur un portail rouill! on pouvait lire % 5 Dilla les Nharmilles 9. &o'l tira sur la sonnette, qui !mit un son gr2le. Nomme personne ne venait, il poussa le vantail % un $ardin apparut, rempli d1herbes folles et d1arbres touffus qui masquaient # demi une grande bAtisse quelque peu d!labr!e.
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>ur le seuil parut une minuscule vieille dame, sans doute # peine plus grande que &athalie. "lle tenait serr! sur son c4ur un caniche nain qui lui ressemblait !trangement % m2me fragilit!, m2mes yeux vifs et, surtout, m2me crini re abondante de bouclettes grisAtres. )a ressemblance entre le chien et sa ma@tresse !tait si frappante que n1importe qui aurait eu du mal # ne pas !clater de rire. )es 6enaud, eux, devinrent aussitQt !carlates de fous rires contenus. 5 Jon$our, mes enfants. Le suis Hd!laSde Jiche et, autant vous le dire tout de suite, $e sais parfaitement pourquoi vous ave; envie de rire % c1est parce que mon Oercule me ressemble. Hlors ne vous g2ne; surtout pas8 9 Kevant tant de perspicacit!, les rires s1!touff rent dans les gorges. "lle poursuivit (d1un ton d!cid! % 5 Konc, lui s1appelle Oercule et moi, Hd!laSde Jiche. Le vois tout de suite # vos t2tes que nous nous entendrons tr s bien tous les cinq89 0lle Jiche semblait fort sympathique, drQle et gentille # la foisT c1!tait quelqu1un # qui on avait aussitQt envie de faire plaisir. Hussi &o'l, &ic7 et &athalie se pr!cipit rent(ils ensemble pour la d!barrasser de sa valise et de son parapluie. &athalie se chargea des pr!sentations % 5 Ne grand qui a dou;e ans, c1est &o'l, notre cousin. ?l vit avec nous depuis qu1il est orphelin. Nelui(l#, le brun qui ne reste $amais en place, c1est mon fr re &icolas, dit &ic7. ?l a on;e ans. ( "t celle(ci, susurra &ic7, la grosse fille de neuf ans qui parle # tort et # travers, c1est &athalie, ma charmante s4ur. R "t # nous trois, a$outa &o'l, nous formons les 3rois & % &athalie, &ic7, et moi &o'l. R Jon8 Le vois que $e suis tomb!e dans une maison on ne peut plus normale, oI les fr res et les s4urs ne cessent de se taquiner, remarqua 0lle Jiche. :arfait, parfait8 Le vous dis que nous allons tr s bien nous entendre, ( Ua alors8 9 fit &athalie en !carquillant les yeux. "lle fut incapable d1en dire davantage, car l1!tonnement lui coupait la voix. N1!tait bien la premi re fois qu1elle entendait une grande personne complimenter des enfants parce qu1ils se taquinaient8 5 L1adore vivre dans une maison oI il y a beaucoup de bruit et de mouvement, poursuivait 0lle Jiche en se frottant les mains. ?l y a bien
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longtemps, $1ai !t! une gamine insupportable et casse(cou % c1est fou ce que -a m1a laiss! de bons souvenirs8 9 )es enfants n1en revenaient pas8 Kire qu1un moment ils avaient craint d1avoir # supporter quin;e $ours durant une vieille dame acariAtre et ennuyeuse8 "lle !tait si amusante qu1ils rest rent autour d1elle toute la soir!e, cherchant # lui rendre service. )e soir venu, &ic7 fut le premier # proposer % 5 Doule;(vous que $e sorte Oercule, mademoiselleV R Dolontiers, &ic7, mais prends garde8 N1est un toutou fac!tieux, et une promenade avec lui n1est pas forc!ment de tout repos8 9 &ic7 ne tarda pas # s1en rendre compte % ils n1avaient pas plus tQt tourn! le coin de la rue que le chien, # force de tirer sur sa laisse, avait r!ussi # d!gager sa t2te de son collier et d!guerpissait aussi vite que le lui permettaient ses petites pattes. Hffol!, &ic7 courait derri re Oercule qui filait comme un courant d1air. W.
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H ce moment retentit un aboiement aigu, et un caniche nain au poil gris(brun tout fris! se pr!cipita dans les $ambes des arrivants avec de grandes d!monstrations d1amiti!. )e caniche ne r!pondant que par un 5 ouah(ouah 9 sonore, le trio p!n!tra dans la villa, et visita sans succ s le re;(de(chauss!e.
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1B $uin 2M1M. voir l1article du Kauphin! &!e en 191=, elle s1est !teinte # 9* ans. "lle !tait du Kauphin! et avait !t! professeur de sciences(physiques. X* & X parue dans la Jiblioth que 6ose de 19BM # 19B9 et qui compte 1+ titres.
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Ton* et Tante Bo). 3ony Jurns est pr!sentement avocat, $e le connais # travers mon travail quotidien en ville. :endant ses soir!es libres, il a traduit un livre pour enfants du fran-ais en anglais, ce qui de tout temps a !t! un d!fi de taille. Le voulais savoir ce qui l1a incit! # entreprendre cette tAche et quelle a !t! la m!thode de traduction quil a utilis!e T naturellement, $e l1ai invit! # !crire au su$et de son exp!rience sur ce blog. Ton* crit6 9ne histoire !e Ea&ille. )es 5 *& et le Jouton d1argent 9 a !t! !crit par ma grand(tante, 6oberte Hrmand, dans le cadre d1une s!rie de romans d1aventures pour enfants qu1elle a !crite et qui a !t! publi!e par Oachette en France entre 19BM et 19BC. 6oberte Hrmand !tait la s4ur de ma grand(m re, la plus $eune des trois filles, auxquelles ont !t! donn!s des noms de gar-ons car mon grand(p re voulait un gar-on mais n1en a $amais eu8 "lle a maintenant 91 ans et est encore en pleine forme, vivant dans les Hlpes fran-aises. "lle a !t! une personne tr s active toute sa vie, avec une imagination incroyable. 6oberte Hrmand a grandi # ,renoble, en France. :rofesseur de sciences renomm! .son p re !tait lui(m2me un professeur bien connu # l1Universit! de ,renoble/, elle a eu quatre enfants, trois fils, suivis d1une fille, sur lesquels les personnages de ses livres sont bas!s. )a belle campagne dans laquelle elle a grandi constitue un cadre pour les histoires qui visent les 9(12 ans. 5 3rois & 9 pr!sente &athalie, &ic7 et &o'l. &athalie # 9 ans et est la plus $eune du trio, mais elle est n!anmoins tr s perspicace, elle repr!sente sa fille dans la vie r!elle. &ic7, son fr re, est agressif et se moque sans cesse de sa s4ur T &o'l, le cousin, .Oachette a insist! sur le fait qu1il soit son cousin et non son fr re/, est raisonnable T lui et &athalie, qui est la gentillesse m2me, apparaissent comme la fusion de ses deux enfants a@n!s. Nonnaissant la famille, bien que ces enfants soient de la g!n!ration de ma m re, $e ne peux honn2tement mimaginer comment les personnages du livre repr!sentent des personnes
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r!elles. Le pense que c1est vraiment important car les personnages semblent plus authentiques. La srie ,N. Hu total, 1+ livres de cette s!rie ont !t! publi!s dans les ann!es 19BM par Oachette, en France, dans la 5 Jiblioth que 6ose 9. ?ls n1ont $amais !t! traduits en anglais. )orsque le 1<e manuscrit lui a !t! soumis, une nouvelle personne che; Oachette a d!cid! qu1il n1aimait pas ces livres, en faisant observer qu1il n1y avait pas asse; de 5 savoureux goEters 9, de 5 d!licieux th!s 9, comme cela peut se rencontrer dans les livres d"nid Jlyton 8 Hucun autre titre na !t! publi!, mais il existe 1= manuscrits in!dits, sans oublier le plus r!cent a$out # la s!rie, !crit l1hiver pr!c!dent, quelque *M ans apr s l!criture du dernier volume. )a derni re histoire s1appelle 5 )es *& et l1extra(terrestre 9, et se concentre principalement sur les probl mes li!s au r!chauffement climatique. 9n li$re !e che$et. L1ai commenc! ce pro$et apr s avoir lu quelques uns de mes livres # mon fils a@n!. ?l avait C ans # l1!poque et m2me si $e devais les lui traduire au fur et # mesure que $e progressais dans ma lecture, il !tait fascin! par les histoires. Hpr s lui avoir lu le second, $e pensais que l1histoire !tait tellement bonne, que $1ai estim! que les enfants devraient en savoir davantage # ce su$et et ai commenc! un processus de traduction long et ardu. "n tant qu1avocat occup! et avec 2 $eunes gar-ons, le temps mest mesur!, mais au bout de 9 mois, le pro$et a abouti 8 L1ai eu la chance de vivre en France pendant quelques ann!es !tant enfant, et avec une grand(m re fran-aise, et apr s avoir pass! beaucoup de temps che; les Fran-ais, $1ai une bonne ma@trise de la langue. 0on tr s bon niveau et mon degr! de comp!tence en fran-ais mont !t! dun grand secours. )a traduction est un art, car il n1est pas tou$ours possible de proposer une traduction parfaite, en particulier lorsque vous rencontre; un $eu de mots qui ne peut tout simplement pas 2tre rendu en anglais. )es Fran-ais ont lobsession de la nourriture, ce qui peut se comprendre, mais "nid Jlyton aussi insistait beaucoup sur ses recettes de bi re au gingembre etc 8 Le rocess%s !e tra!%ction. L1ai eu la chance d1avoir l1auteur # l1autre bout du fil lorsquun !claircissement sav!rait n!cessaire, mais heureusement, ce n1!tait pas trop souvent n!cessaire. ?l y avait un passage qui impliquait les enfants qui visitaient un !levage de visons et que $ai estim! n2tre peut(2tre pas politiquement correct
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de nos $ours. Keux semaines plus tard, $1ai re-u par la poste un extrait r!vis! de ma grand(tante oI elle avait re(dactylographi! une page enti re du livre 8 .:robablement # laide de sa machine # !crire des ann!es 19BM d1origine/ T elle a effectu! le changement de r!f!rence du vison aux poissons exotiques, avec les modifications associ!es et les dialogues 8 "lle a reconnu avoir !t! surprise par cette demande, mais l1id!e lui en !tait venue apr s plusieurs voyages # la biblioth que locale en France8 Hvec la poursuite du travail, $e me suis de plus en plus impliqu! dans les personnages, et $1ai commenc! # comprendre comment ils se voyaient, imaginant les personnages de la vie r!elle quand ils !taient eux(m2mes enfants. Ne fut une exp!rience tr s enrichissante. Le me r!$ouis !galement que l1ensemble du processus a ra$euni ma grand( tante. :our aller au(del# et !crire un autre livre # 91 ans cen est la preuve8 "lle a !t! r!ellement enthousiasm!e par le regain d1int!r2t pour ses histoires qui signifiaient tant pour elle, surtout si elles devaient 2tre publi!es # nouveau. >es enfants sont !galement ravis que leur m re ait r!agi de cette fa-on. 0es gar-ons ont maintenant 9 et B ans et # linstar d"nid Jlyton, $!tais dans le grand style, comme dans 5 )es >ept 9, 5 )e Nlub des Ninq9 etcW Nes histoires se vendent tou$ours tr s bien, m2me si elles ont !t! !crites dans les ann!es 19<M. "h bien voici quelque chose # offrir, mais avec des diff!rences subtiles .une seule de ces histoires contient un passage secret8/. Le pense que les enfants adorent une bonne histoire, quelle quen soit l1!poque, et c1est ce que ces livres proposent. )e fait d2tre un math!maticien, un scientifique, fait que l1auteur ne laisse aucune question sans r!ponse et toutes les intrigues se terminent bien et simbriquent parfaitement, cest ce que les enfants aiment par(dessus tout. )es commentaires que mont adress!s les enfants qui ont lu ma traduction ont !t! positifs # 1MM[. Ne sont principalement des enfants de la classe de mon fils # l1!cole et de celle de ma filleule. )es adultes !galement lont appr!ci!e. XPuand sort le prochain VX Kisent(ils. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 3ony est # la recherche d1un agent ou dun !diteur au 6oyaume(Uni pour g!rer la parution des 5 *& 9 et du 5 Jouton d1argent 9 et afin que davantage d1enfants puissent avoir le plaisir de lire les aventures de &athalie, &ic7 et &o'l. Konc si quelqu1un peut maider en me communicant ses suggestions ou ses recommandations en vue de donner au prochain livre de 3ante Job une plus large audience au public anglophone, merci dentrer en contact avec moi en me
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laissant un commentaire ou en m1!crivant via le formulaire de contact T Nontact Form et $e transmettrai votre e(mail # 3ony. Dous pouve; lire le premier chapitre en anglais en t!l!chargeant le fichier pdf en cliquant sur la case ci(dessous ou via le lien , 3he *& and 3he >ilver Jutton 5 )es *& et le Jouton d1Hrgent 9.
Hrticle traduit
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Ton* an! Tante Bo) Tony Burns is a lawyer by day, whom I know through my day job in the City. In the evenings, he has translated a childrens book from French into nglish, which is a daunting challenge for anyone at the best of times. I wanted to know what !rom!ted him to take on this task and what the !rocess of translation is like " so naturally, I invited him to write about his e#!erience on this blog. Tony writes$ A Ea&il* connection )es *& et le Jouton dargent .3he *& and the >ilver Jutton/ ]as ]ritten by my great aunt, 6oberte Hrmand, as part of a series of childrens adventure stories ]hich she ]rote and ]hich ]ere published by Oachette in France bet]een 19BM and 19BC. 6oberte Hrmand ]as my grandmothers sister, the youngest of three daughters, all of ]hom ]ere given boys names by my great grandfather ]ho ]anted a boy but never had one8 >he is no] 91 and is still in fine fettle, living in the French Hlps. Hn extremely active person all her life, ]ith an ama;ing imagination, 6oberte Hrmand gre] up in ,renoble, France. Hn acclaimed science teacher .her father ]as himself a ]ell 7no]n professor at ,renoble University/ , she had four children, three sons follo]ed by a daughter, upon ]hom the characters in her boo7s are based. 3he beautiful countryside in ]hich she gre] up forms the setting for the stories, ]hich are aimed at 9(12 year olds. 3he 3hree & stands for &athalie, &ic7 and &oel. &athalie, at 9 the youngest of the trio, but nonetheless very perceptive represents her real life daughter. &ic7, her brother is the aggressive one ]ho teases his sister endlessly, and &oel, the cousin .Oachette insisted he be the cousin and not brother/, ]ho is the reasonable one, and 7ind to &athalie, represents an amalgamation of her t]o eldest sons. ^no]ing the family, although those children are my mothers generation, ? can honestly see ho] the characters in the boo7 represent real life people. ? thin7 that is really important because it ma7es the characters seem more real.
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The ,N series ?n total, 1+ boo7s in this series ]ere published in the 19BMs by Oachette, France, in the _Jilbliotheque 6ose`. 3hey have never been translated into "nglish. ahen the 1<th manuscript ]as submitted, a ne] person at Oachette decided he did not li7e the boo7s any more, commenting that there ]ere not enough _savoureux gouters` ( _delicious teas`, as could be found in "nid Jlyton boo7s8 &o more ]ere published, although there are 1= unpublished manuscripts, not to mention the most recent addition to the series, ]ritten last ]inter, some *M years after last do]ning pens. 3he latest story is called )es *& et )"xtra ( 3errestre, and focusses topically on the problems of global ]arming. A )ook at )e!ti&e ? started on this pro$ect after reading a couple of the boo7s to my eldest son. Oe ]as C at the time and although ? ]as having to translate as ? ]ent along, he ]as fascinated by the stories. Hfter reading the second one to him, ? thought the story ]as so good that ? decided more children should 7no] about them and began the long and daunting process of translating. Hs a busy la]yer ]ith 2 young boys , time is at a premium, but after 9 months the draft ]as finished8 ? ]as luc7y enough to live in France for a fe] years as a child, and ]ith a French grandmother and having spent alot of time among French people, ? have a good grasp of the language. 0y H level and degree level French s7ills came into their o]n. 3ranslating is an art because there is not al]ays a perfect translation possible, particularly ]here you have a play on ]ords or a pun ]hich simply does not ]or7 in "nglish. 3he French have an obsession ]ith food, ]hich comes through, but then "nid Jlyton ]as also very 7een on her lashings of ginger beer etc8 The translation rocess ? ]as fortunate to have the author on the other end of the phone if clarification ]as required but luc7ily this ]as not needed too often. 3here ]as one passage ]hich involved the children visiting a min7 farm ]hich ? advised might not be politically correct no]adays. 3]o ]ee7s later ? received through the post a revised extract from my great aunt ]here she had re ( typed one entire page of the boo7 .probably ]ith her original 19BMs type]riter8/, changing the reference from min7 to exotic fish, ]ith associated changes in the dialogue8 >he did admit to being stumped by this request but came up ]ith the idea after several trips to her local library in France8 Hs the ]or7 continued ? got more and more into the characters, and began to understand ho] they themselves thought, picturing the real life characters ]hen they ]ere themselves children. ?t ]as a very re]arding experience.
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? am also delighted that the ]hole process has re$uvenated my great aunt. 3o go a]ay and ]rite another boo7 at 91 is proof of that8 >he has been so excited about the rene]ed interest in her stories and it ]ould mean so much to her if they ]ere to be published again. Oer children are also thrilled that her mother has reacted in this ]ay. 0y boys are no] 9 and B and into "nid Jlyton in a big ]ay, as ? ]as, >ecret >even, Famous < etc. 3hose stories are still selling very ]ell even though they ]ere ]ritten in the 19<Ms. aell here is something to match them, but ]ith subtle differences .only one of the stories has a secret passage8/. ? thin7 children $ust love a good story, from ]hatever era, and this is ]hat these boo7s provide. Jeing a mathemeticianb scientist, the author leaves no unans]ered questions and all the plots end neatly ]ith all loose ends tied up, $ust ho] children li7e it. 3he feedbac7 ? have had from children ]ho have read my translation has been 1MM[ positive. 3hese are mainly children in my sons class at school and that of my goddaughter. Hdults too have en$oyed it. _ahens the next one coming outV` they say. cccccccccccccccc 3ony is loo7ing for an agentb publisher in the U^ to ta7e on 3he *& and 3he >ilver Jutton so that more children can have the pleasure of reading the adventures of &athalie, &ic7 and &oel. >o if anyone can help ]ith suggestions or recommendations as to ]hat he can do next to bring 3ante Jobs boo7 to a ]ider "nglish(spea7ing audience, please do get in touch by leaving a comment and emailing me via the Nontact Form and ?ll pass on your email to 3ony.
Gou can read the first chapter in "nglish by do]nloading the pdf from the box belo], or via this lin7 to , 3he *& and 3he >ilver Jutton 9M
Les ,N et le Bo%ton !:Argent The ,N an! the sil$er )%tton B* Ro)erte Ar&an!
>he thought they ]ere $ust fine that ]ay. Fnce again she thought ho] &oel, &icholas and she &athalie ( the 3hree &s ( made such an inseparable trio. Oer cousin invited her to sit do]n next to him and filled her bo]l. For a minute the little girl forgot that she had something to tell the boys. ?t ]as only after a fe] mouthfuls that she announced% X?t1s a beautiful dayX XHndVX grumbled &ic7 XKid you thin7 ]e hadn1t noticedV ? ]ould not have got up so early other]iseX. X&obody1s stopping you from having a lie(in,X remar7ed his cousin, Xit is the holidays after all.X X? did ]ant to play football, you 7no], it1s ages since ]e 7ic7ed a ball around. >o, ]ill you play ]ith meVX X"r...X hesitated &oel, Xthe fields might be a bit dampX. &ic7, losing patience, raised his eyes s7y]ard. XHre you ]orried about your rheumatismVX &athalie felt they ]ere getting a]ay from ]hat she really ]anted to do. XGou promised me, she declared, that on the first nice day ]e had you ]ould ta7e me do]n to the stream and ma7e me a small ]indmill.X X3here1s too much ]aterX protested &ic7, X?t hasn1t stopped raining for a ]ee7X. XH promise is a promiseX replied &athalie ]ith a dignified air. Oer cousin approved of the idea at once. Finally it ]as decided that the game of football ]ould ta7e place in the morning, ]hilst the sun dried out the grass. 3hat afternoon the trio ]ould head to the stream ]hich ran quite close to Jessons house ]here the boys ]ould construct the famous ]indmill. 3he morning passed pleasantly. Ht lunch they discussed their plans for the afternoon. X?f ? ]ere you, said uncle "d]ard, ? ]ould build your ]indmill a bit further a]ay% there are lots of nice places ]ith ]ater around Dolny. Ko you 7no] the aild DalleyVX X?t1s a small river, ? believe,X replied &oel. X?t1s more li7e a torrent running through a deep valley. ?t1s ]orth a loo7. XHre there any trout in that riverVX as7ed &ic7. X?1m sure there are but ? have never had the time to go fishing there.X Uncle "d]ard ]as a vet, and his ]or7 too7 up a huge amount of his time. Oe offered his fishing rod to his nephe]s ]ho accepted enthusiastically. Hs for Hunt 6ose, she filled a bas7et ]ith provisions ]hich the little girl too7 charge of ( enough there for an excellent picnic tea by the river. Hnd so the 3hree &s set off on a beautiful sunny late Hugust afternoon. Hfter passing a small hamlet, they entered a narro] valley, formed rather li7e a sort of groove in the mountains. Ht the bottom gushed the ]aters of the torrent. ?t ]as an austere place, $ust grey roc7s on ]hich gre] barely any vegetation. X?t gives me the shivers, this placeX, declared &ic7, melodramatically.
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X&o] ]e 7no] ]hy it1s called the aild Dalley replied &oel, its ]ild and deserted around here. 3here really ]as no sign of life. 3he ]hole place certainly had an impression on the children ]ho follo]ed a narro] path along the river ban7 and ]al7ed in single file ]ithout uttering a ]ord. Hfter about a mile the valley ]idened out and became more ]elcoming. 3here ]ere trees and bushes and even a little pebbly beach ]here the ]al7ers decided to stop. X3here1s ]ood here to build the ]indmill,X noticed &ic7. For a quarter of an hour the boys, armed ]ith their pen 7nives, cut, sculpted, and assembled.. .the result ]as a structure ]ith four small sails. 3]o for7ed branches ]ere planted vertically in the ]ater to support the main structure, and the sails began to turn ]ith effect of the current. &athalie, delighted, $umped up to hug the boys. XHll right, all right8X said &ic7 cutting short her sho] of gratitude. X&o], you en$oy yourself ]hile ]e do some trout fishing.X aith a business li7e air he set up the fishing rod ]hich ]as a rather special model. Xaith this ? bet ]e catch a load of fish for Hunt 6oseX he assured the others. XOmtnX said &oel, less optimistic than his cousin. X3his is a difficult type of fishing.X XKefeatist8X replied &ic7 shrugging his shoulders. Oe leapt onto a large roc7 in one bound and ]ith a ]ide movement cast his line out into the ]ater. 3hen he ]aited.. .five minutes, ten minutes% nothing. >everal times he repeated the exercise but ]ithout success. XOere, you have a go,X he said, passing the rod to &oel. Oe ]as both furious and disappointed, especially as a moc7ing expression appeared on &athalie1s round face. >he had become tired of ]atching the ]ater mill going round and round, and had sat do]n to ]atch the fishermen. ahen &oel handed the rod bac7 to his cousin, not one fish had ta7en the bait. ?t ]as hopeless8 3he time passed. &athalie had ceased to ]atch the movements of the float bobbing up and do]n and her eyes had come to rest on the picnic bas7et. aould it not soon be tea timeV 3he ]al7ing and the mountain air had made her feel a]fully hungry. Jut fearing more teasing from &ic7, she decided to 7eep quiet about it for no]. 3o avoid such temptations she concentrated on the river. ?t ]as then that she sa] a strange ob$ect floating along, a sort of tiny raft ]ith a sail ]ith the dimensions of a small hand7erchief. XNatch it &ic78X cried &athalie. X?t gives me the shivers, this placeX, declared &ic7, melodramatically. X&o] ]e 7no] ]hy it1s called the aild Dalley replied &oel, its ]ild and deserted around here. 3here really ]as no sign of life. 3he ]hole place certainly had an impression on the children ]ho follo]ed a narro] path along the river ban7 and ]al7ed in single file ]ithout uttering a ]ord. Hfter about a mile the valley
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]idened out and became more ]elcoming. 3here ]ere trees and bushes and even a little pebbly beach ]here the ]al7ers decided to stop. X3here1s ]ood here to build the ]indmill,X noticed &ic7. For a quarter of an hour the boys, armed ]ith their pen 7nives, cut, sculpted, and assembled.. .the result ]as a structure ]ith four small sails. 3]o for7ed branches ]ere planted vertically in the ]ater to support the main structure, and the sails began to turn ]ith effect of the current. &athalie, delighted, $umped up to hug the boys. XHll right, all right8X said &ic7 cutting short her sho] of gratitude. X&o], you en$oy yourself ]hile ]e do some trout fishing.X aith a business li7e air he set up the fishing rod ]hich ]as a rather special model. Xaith this ? bet ]e catch a load of fish for Hunt 6oseX he assured the others. XOmtnX said &oel, less optimistic than his cousin. X3his is a difficult type of fishing.X XKefeatist8X replied &ic7 shrugging his shoulders. Oe leapt onto a large roc7 in one bound and ]ith a ]ide movement cast his line out into the ]ater. 3hen he ]aited.. .five minutes, ten minutes% nothing. >everal times he repeated the exercise but ]ithout success. XOere, you have a go,X he said, passing the rod to &oel. Oe ]as both furious and disappointed, especially as a moc7ing expression appeared on &athalie1s round face. >he had become tired of ]atching the ]ater mill going round and round, and had sat do]n to ]atch the fishermen. ahen &oel handed the rod bac7 to his cousin, not one fish had ta7en the bait. ?t ]as hopeless8 3he time passed. &athalie had ceased to ]atch the movements of the float bobbing up and do]n and her eyes had come to rest on the picnic bas7et. aould it not soon be tea timeV 3he ]al7ing and the mountain air had made her feel a]fully hungry. Jut fearing more teasing from &ic7, she decided to 7eep quiet about it for no]. 3o avoid such temptations she concentrated on the river. ?t ]as then that she sa] a strange ob$ect floating along, a sort of tiny raft ]ith a sail ]ith the dimensions of a small hand7erchief. XNatch it &ic78X cried &athalie. X?1ve got itX exclaimed the young boy at the same time. Jut he ]as not tal7ing about the raft, as, lifting his rod triumphantly, he reeled in a little fish ]riggling on the line. XH troutV aell done8X cried &oel rushing to]ards him. Jut he ]as soon exclaiming contemptuously% X?t1s too small, thro] it bac7 in the ]ater.X X3he one time ? actually manage to catch something8 &ic7 said to himself, enraged. XNatch it8X cried &athalie again. >he ]as totally disinterested in her brother1s fishing exploits, and ]as follo]ing the fragile s7iff, that the current ]as rapidly ta7ing a]ay.
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Xahat are you tal7ing aboutVX as7ed &ic7 unpleasantly. Hh, do you mean that thing floating over thereV Oang on8X ,etting bac7 on the roc7, he cast his line again. 3he first t]o attempts ]ere fruitless. Fn the third attempt the hoo7 caught the raft and &ic7 brought it bac7 to the ban7. 3hree heads leaned over the ob$ect% a square of approximately 1M centimetres along each side, made of intert]ined reed, ]ith, in the centre, a piece of ]hite material acting as a sail fixed onto a vertical stic7. XH miniature raft on this ]ild riverV Oo] strangeX, commented &oel. Xahy is that strangeVX cut in &ic7. >ome boys must have made it and launched it a bit further upstream.X X3hat1s ]hat has happened. Oo]ever...X X3he sail8X said &athalie, XOave you seen the sailVX Xahat about itV H piece of material.. .no doubt an old hand7erchief.X X3here1s something ]ritten on it8 ?nsisted the little girl. X,osh, you are right8X admitted &ic7. XJut it1s practically illegible.X 3hree blac7 letters, rather smudged, ]ere ]ritten on the material% it loo7ed li7e they hade been ]ritten using a piece of charcoal. X>F>X deciphered &oel. X?s it a call for helpVX as7ed &athalie. X?t must be. ahat else could it beVX said &ic7 $umping up and do]n. X>omeone is in danger further up the river% let1s go.X XF7X, agreed &oel. XF7X, repeated &athalie, but not ]ithout regret as she had to abandon her ]ater mill and, temporarily at least, give up on the long a]aited picnic8 aith a sigh, she grabbed the bas7et and follo]ed the boys once again along the path bac7 up the river% the call for help could only be coming from this direction. 3he trio covered about a 7ilometre at a rate as quic7ly as the difficulty of the $ourney ]ould permit. ?n some places the path]ay ]as so tight bet]een the river and the cliff, that there ]as only $ust enough room to squee;e along. ?n other places the ban7 ]idened to form little beaches, some invaded by reeds. ?t ]as on one of these that &ic7, ]ho ]as leading the group, noticed the man% a bearded, dishevelled and semi ]ild loo7ing fello]. >itting on the edge of the torrent, his bac7 against roc7, his eyes ]ere closed and he appeared to be in pain. 3a7ing pity on him the boys approached, follo]ed a good distance behind by &athalie ]ho ]as quite frightened by the appearance of this un7no]n person. &oel leaned over the man. XHre you ill, sirVX 3he man opened his eyes, loo7ed at the three children ]ith surprise and eventually replied% X>o, you have found the little raft that ? sent do]n riverV 3hat is luc7y. ? did not hold out much hope that anyone ]ould reply to my message.X Hnd as if these ]ords had tired him out, he shut his eyes and ]as silent for a ]hile.
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