En la brilia de la sol invernin a la matina seguente en cuando lo flue sur la table de come de matina, Herbert rie a sua temes. La sala ave un aspeta de sania prosin cual ia manca de lo a la note pasada, e la pedeta peti, susia e plietada, es lansada sur la comoda de cosina en un modo nonatendente cual sinifia no cuantia grande de crede en sua potias.
In the brightness of the wintry sun next morning as it streamed over the breakfast table Herbert laughed at his fears. There was an air of prosaic wholesomeness about the room which it had lacked on the previous night, and the dirty, shrivelled little paw was pitched on the sideboard with a carelessness which betokened no great belief in its virtues.
“Me suposa ce tota soldatos vea es la mesma.” — sra White dise. “La idea ce nos ia escuta tan asurdas! Como desiras ta pote es realida en esta dias? E si los ta pote, como dusento paundes ta pote feri tu, padre?”
“I suppose all old soldiers are the same,” said Mrs White. “The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?”
“Posible los ta cade sur sua testa de la sielo.” — Herbert la nonseria dise.
“Might drop on his head from the sky,” said the frivolous Herbert.
“Morris ia dise ce cosas ia aveni tan natural,” — sua padre dise — “ce on ta pote, si on ta vole, atribui lo a coaveni.”
“Morris said the things happened so naturally,” said his father, “that you might if you so wished attribute it to coincidence.”
“Alora, no comensa spende la mone ante cuando me reveni.” — Herbert dise, a cuando el leva se de la table. “Me teme ce lo va muta tu a un om basa e avar, e nos va debe nega tu.”
“Well, don’t break into the money before I come back,” said Herbert, as he rose from the table. “I’m afraid it’ll turn you into a mean, avaricious man, and we shall have to disown you.”
Sua madre rie, e seguente el a la porte, vijila ce el pasea a via, e a reveni a la table de come de matina, es multe felis de burla la credosia de sua sposo. Tota de cual no preveni la fem de freta a la porte cuando la postor bateta, e no preveni el de refere alga agu a sarjento-majores retirada con abituas de bevi cuando el trova ce la posta trae un fatura de talior.
His mother laughed, and following him to the door, watched him down the road, and returning to the breakfast table, was very happy at the expense of her husband’s credulity. All of which did not prevent her from scurrying to the door at the postman’s knock, nor prevent her from referring somewhat shortly to retired sergeant-majors of bibulous habits when she found that the post brought a tailor’s bill.
“Herbert va ave plu de sua comentas comica, me espeta, cuando el reveni.” — el dise, a cuando los senta a come de sera.
“Herbert will have some more of his funny remarks, I expect, when he comes home,” she said, as they sat at dinner.
“Probable,” — sr White dise, en versa a se alga bir — “ma an tal, la cosa ia move en mea mano; sur acel me va atesta.”
“I dare say,” said Mr. White, pouring himself out some beer; “but for all that, the thing moved in my hand; that I’ll swear to.”
“Tu ia pensa ce lo fa.” — la fem vea dise calminte.
“You thought it did,” said the old lady soothingly.
“Me dise ce lo ia fa.” — la otra replica. “On no ia ave pensa sur lo; me ia veni de — cual es mal?”
“I say it did,” replied the other. “There was no thought about it; I had just — What’s the matter?”
Sua sposa no responde. El es en vijila la moves misteriosa de un om a estra, ci, en regarda nondesidente la casa, pare tentante deside entra. En lia mental con la dusento paundes, el persepi ce la stranjer es bon vestida e porta un xapo de seda de novia brilietante. A tre veses la om pausa a la porteta, alora recomensa pasea. A la ves cuatro, el sta con sua mano sur lo, e alora con un deside subita el lansa abrida lo e pasea a la porte. A la mesma momento sra White pone sua manos a pos se, e pos desfisa fretante la cordetas de sua faldon, pone acel veste usosa su la cuxin de sua seja.
His wife made no reply. She was watching the mysterious movements of a man outside, who, peering in an undecided fashion at the house, appeared to be trying to make up his mind to enter. In mental connection with the two hundred pounds, she noticed that the stranger was well dressed and wore a silk hat of glossy newness. Three times he paused at the gate, and then walked on again. The fourth time he stood with his hand upon it, and then with sudden resolution flung it open and walked up the path. Mrs. White at the same moment placed her hands behind her, and hurriedly unfastening the strings of her apron, put that useful article of apparel beneath the cushion of her chair.
El trae la stranjer, ci pare noncuieta, a en la sala. La om contempla el secreta, e escuta en modo preocupada en cuando la fem vea demanda un pardona per la aspeta de la sala, e per la jaca de sua sposo, un veste cual el reserva usual per la jardin. Alora la fem espeta, tan pasiente como sua seso ta permete, ce la om ta comensa discute sua conserna, ma el es a prima strana silente.
She brought the stranger, who seemed ill at ease, into the room. He gazed at her furtively, and listened in a preoccupied fashion as the old lady apologized for the appearance of the room, and her husband’s coat, a garment which he usually reserved for the garden. She then waited as patiently as her sex would permit, for him to broach his business, but he was at first strangely silent.
“Me es — on ia demanda ce me visita.” — el dise final, e curvi per prende un peso de coton de sua pantalon. “Me veni de Maw e Meggins.”
“I — was asked to call,” he said at last, and stooped and picked a piece of cotton from his trousers. “I come from Maw and Meggins.”
La fem vea salteta. “Esce alga es mal?” — el demanda sin aira. “Esce alga cosa aveni a Herbert? Cual es lo? Cual es lo?”
The old lady started. “Is anything the matter?” she asked breathlessly. “Has anything happened to Herbert? What is it? What is it?”
Sua sposo interveni. “Alora, madre.” — el dise fretante. “Senta se, e no salta a concluis. Tu no trae mal novas, me es serta, senior.” — e el regarda la visitor espetante.
Her husband interposed. “There, there, mother,” he said hastily. “Sit down, and don’t jump to conclusions. You’ve not brought bad news, I’m sure, sir” and he eyed the other wistfully.
“Me regrete —” — la visitor comensa.
“I’m sorry —” began the visitor.
“Esce el es ferida?” — la madre demanda.
“Is he hurt?” demanded the mother.
La visitor acorda inclinante. “Mal ferida,” — el dise cuieta — “ma el no dole.”
The visitor bowed in assent. “Badly hurt,” he said quietly, “but he is not in any pain.”
“O grasias a Dio!” — le fem vea dise, juntante sua manos. “Grasias a Dio per acel! Grasias —”
“Oh, thank God!” said the old woman, clasping her hands. “Thank God for that! Thank —”
El sesa subita a cuando la sinifia malfortunosa de la espresa evidenti a el e el vide la confirma xocante de sua temes en la fas diverjeda de la otra. El pausa momental sua respira, e verjente a sua sposo min comprendente, pone sua mano vea e tremante sur la sua. On ave un silentia longa.
She broke off suddenly as the sinister meaning of the assurance dawned upon her and she saw the awful confirmation of her fears in the other’s averted face. She caught her breath, and turning to her slower-witted husband, laid her trembling old hand upon his. There was a long silence.
“El ia es saisida en la macinas.” — la visitor dise pos longa, en un vose cuieta.
“He was caught in the machinery,” said the visitor at length, in a low voice.
“Saisida en la macinas,” — sr White repete aturdida — “si.”
“Caught in the machinery,” repeated Mr. White, in a dazed fashion, “yes.”
El senta e regarda vacua a estra la fenetra, e prendente la mano de sua sposa entre sua propres, presa lo como el ia abitua fa en sua dias de cortea ante cuasi cuatrodes anios.
He sat staring blankly out at the window, and taking his wife’s hand between his own, pressed it as he had been wont to do in their old courting days nearly forty years before.
“El ia es la sola de nos ci ia survive.” — el dise, cuieta turnante a la visitor. “Lo es difisil.”
“He was the only one left to us,” he said, turning gently to the visitor. “It is hard.”
La otra tose, e levante se, pasea lenta a la fenetra. “La compania desira ce me espresa sua compatia sinsera con tu per tua perde grande.” — el dise, sin regarda a retro. “Me prea ce tu va comprende ce me es sola la servor de los e mera obedinte sua comandas.”
The other coughed, and rising, walked slowly to the window. “The firm wished me to convey their sincere sympathy with you in your great loss,” he said, without looking round. “I beg that you will understand I am only their servant and merely obeying orders.”
On ave no responde; la fas de la fem vea es blanca, sua oios en regarda intensa, e sua respira nonoiable; sur la fas de la sposo es un aspeta como cisa sua ami la sarjento ia ta porta a en sua batalia prima.
There was no reply; the old woman’s face was white, her eyes staring, and her breath inaudible; on the husband’s face was a look such as his friend the sergeant might have carried into his first action.
“On ia esije ce me dise ce Maw e Meggins declara tota no culpa.” — la otra continua. “Los confesa tota no obliga, ma en la considera de la servis de tua fio, los vole dona a tu un soma spesifada como compensa.”
“I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility,” continued the other. “They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son’s services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation.”
Sr White lasa cade la mano de sua sposa, e a sta se, regarda sua visitor con un aspeta de teror. Sua labios seca forma la parola — “Cuanto?”
Mr. White dropped his wife’s hand, and rising to his feet, gazed with a look of horror at his visitor. His dry lips shaped the words, “How much?”
“Dusento paundes.” — es la responde.
“Two hundred pounds,” was the answer.
Nonconsensa de la xilia de sua sposa, la om vea surie cuieta, estende sua manos como un sieca, e cade, un pila sin sensa, a la solo.
Unconscious of his wife’s shriek, the old man smiled faintly, put out his hands like a sightless man, and dropped, a senseless heap, to the floor.
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Lo ia es automatada jenerada de la paje corespondente en la Vici de Elefen a 30 junio 2024 (16:38 UTC).