I was so embarrassed by the abruptness of his manner that I could but stammer out that I hoped I should do my duty, on which his stern mouth relaxed into a good-humoured smile, and he laid his little brown hand for an instant upon my shoulder.
Je fus si embarrassé par la brusquerie de son langage, que je pus à peine répondre en balbutiant que j'espérais faire mon devoir. Alors, sa bouche sévère se détendit en un sourire plein de bienveillance, et bientôt, il posa sur mon épaule sa petite main brune.