Fabrice dit quelques paroles, puis s’arrêta, comme si la voix lui manquait tout à coup ; il essaya vainement de commencer quelques phrases ; il se retourna, et prit un papier écrit.
Fabrizio uttered a few words, then stopped, as though his voice had suddenly failed; he tried in vain to begin various sentences; he turned round and took up a sheet of paper: