Chapter IV: Part 4

Tous ces détails sur l’oncle Baptiste et l’existence lugubre que Mme Eyssette menait chez lui, je ne les [102] connus que plus tard; pourtant, dès mon arrivée dans la maison, je compris que, quoi qu’elle en dit, ma mère ne devait pas être heureuse.… Quand j’entrai, on venait de se mettre à table pour le dîner. Mme Eyssette bondit de joie en me voyant, et, comme vous pensez, elle embrassa son petit Chose de toutes ses forces. Cependant la pauvre mère avait l’air gênée; elle parlait peu, —toujours sa petite voix douce et tremblante, les yeux dans son assiette. Elle faisait peine à voir avec sa robe étriquée et toute noire.

L’accueil de mon oncle et de ma tante fut très froid. Ma tante me demanda d’un air effrayé si j’avais dîné. Je me hâtai de répondre que oui.… La tante respira; elle avait tremblé un instant pour son dîner. Joli, le dîner! des pois chiches et de la morue.

L’oncle Baptiste, lui, me demanda si nous étions en vacances.… Je répondis que je quittais l’Université, et que j’allais à Paris rejoindre mon frère Jacques, qui m’avait trouvé une bonne place. J’inventai ce mensonge pour rassurer la pauvre Mme Eyssette sur mon avenir, et puis aussi pour avoir l’air sérieux aux yeux de mon oncle.

En apprenant que le petit Chose avait une bonne place, la tante Baptiste ouvrit de grands yeux.

— Daniel, dit-elle, il faudra faire venir ta mère à Paris.… La pauvre chère femme s’ennuie loin de ses enfants; et puis, tu comprends! c’est une charge pour nous, et ton oncle ne peut pas toujours être _la vache à lait_ de la famille.

— Le fait est, dit l’oncle Baptiste, la bouche pleine, que je suis _la vache à lait_.…

[103]

Cette expression de _vache à lait_ l’avait ravi, et il la répéta plusieurs fois avec la même gravité.…

Le dîner fut long, comme entre vieilles gens. Ma mère mangeait peu, m’adressait quelques paroles et me regardait à la dérobée; ma tante la surveillait.

— Vois ta sœur! disait-elle à son mari, la joie de retrouver Daniel lui coupe l’appétit. Hier elle a pris deux fois du pain, aujourd’hui une fois seulement.

Ah! chère madame Eyssette! comme j’aurais voulu vous emporter ce soir-là, comme j’aurais voulu vous arracher à cette impitoyable vache à lait, et à son épouse; mais, hélas! je m’en allais au hasard moi-même, ayant juste de quoi payer ma route, et je pensais bien que la chambre de Jacques n’était pas assez grande pour nous tenir tous les trois. Encore si j’avais pu vous parler, vous embrasser à mon aise; mais non! On ne nous laissa pas seuls une minute.… Rappelez-vous: tout de suite après dîner l’oncle se remit à sa grammaire espagnole, la tante essuyait son argenterie, et tous deux ils nous épiaient du coin de l’œil.… L’heure du départ arriva, sans que nous eussions rien pu nous dire.

Aussi le petit Chose avait le cœur bien gros, quand il sortit de chez l’oncle Baptiste; et en s’en allant, tout seul, dans l’ombre de la grande avenue qui mène au chemin de fer, il se jura deux ou trois fois très solennellement de se conduire désormais comme un homme et de ne plus songer qu’à reconstruire le foyer.

NOTES

_Title_. Le Petit Chose, ‘Little What’s-his-name,’ or ‘Little
What-do-you-call-him’: so also _Monsieur Chose, Madame Chose_.

Page 1. (chapter i. full=i)

2. Languedoc: an old province of the south of France,
so called from the name given to the language of its
inhabitants, who used the word _oc_ as an affirmative,
and were said to speak the _langue d’oc_ as distinguished
from the dialect spoken north of the Loire, which
expressed the affirmative by _oïl_ and was called the
_langue d’oïl_.

5. Carmélites: nuns of the order of Mount Carmel.
Their congregation was introduced into France in 1452.

13. aussi: note the inversion. In sentences beginning with
_aussi,_ ‘therefore,’ ‘so’; _à peine_, ‘hardly’;
_peut-être_, ‘perhaps’; _toujours,_ ‘still’; _au moins_,
‘at least’; _encore_, ‘yet,’ ‘even then,’ and a few more,
the _interrogative_ form of the verb is used.

Page 2.

7. Marseille, ‘Marseilles,’ Note the difference in spelling.
So also _Lyon_ (p. 9 l. 8.)

qui lui emportait plus de quarante mile francs, ‘who
robbed him of more than 40,000 francs.’ Why not _plus que_?

13. la grève des ourdisseuses, ‘the strike of the warping-women.’
_La grève_, originally=‘the strand,’ ‘beach.’
_La Place de Grève_, situated on the banks of the Seine,
was the Tyburn of ancient Paris. It was also in olden times
the rendezvous for the unemployed, hence the meaning ‘strike.’
Cf. _se mettre en grève, faire grève, les grévistes_.

16. la Révolution: i.e. the Revolution of February 24, 1848,
which caused Louis-Philippe, ‘king of the French,’ to
abdicate and a republic to be proclaimed.

17. coup de grâce, ‘the finishing stroke.’ Learn the following:—
p. 3 l. 23, _tout à coup_, ‘suddenly.’
p. 5 l. 19, _pour le coup_, ‘this time.’
p. 21 l. 19, _le coup de sonnette_, ‘the ring at the bell.’
p. 72 l. 20, _un coup de tête_, ‘a rash act.’
p. 75 l. 18, _à coup sûr_, ‘to be sure,’ ‘certainly.’
p. 96 l. 22, _un coup de théâtre_, ‘a clap-trap,
transformation scene.’
p. 100 l. 12, _un coup d’épée_, ‘a sword-thrust.’

18. à partir de, ‘from,’ ‘beginning from.’

ne battit plus que d’une aile, ‘was on its last legs,’
i.e. like a bird that is wounded and can fly with only one wing.

20. un métier bas, ‘one loom put aside.’

21. table d’impression, ‘printing-block.’

24. du second: sc. _étage_.

25. condamnée, ‘shut up.’ Pronounce _condané_.

27. agonisa, ‘was on the verge of ruin.’

Page 3.

13. assister à l’agonie: note _assister à qc._, ‘to be present
at something’; _assister qn._, to help some one.’
The original meaning of _assister_=‘to stand by,’ ‘to be present’;
then ‘to stand by a person,’ i.e. ‘to assist him.’
_Les assistants,_ ‘those present,’ or ‘the bystanders.’

16. à ma guise, ‘to my heart’s content.’

22. par exemple, ‘however.’ The meaning of this expression
varies according to the context. It can mean ‘however,’
‘indeed,’ ‘well now,’ ‘to be sure,’ ‘bless me,’ etc.

24-29. c’était dans l’habitude . . à tout ce qui l’entourait,
‘his was usually a fiery, violent, immoderate nature,
given to shouting, breaking and storming. In reality,
he was an excellent man; quick, however, with his hands,
loud in his speech, and prompted by an imperious desire
to make all those around him tremble.’

31. à qui s’en prendre, ‘on whom to lay the blame.’
Note the expletive use of _en_ and cf.—
_en vouloir à qn._, ‘to have a grudge against some one.’
_en venir aux mains_, ‘to come to blows.’
_il en est de même de . ._, ‘it is the same with . .’

Page 4.

1. mistral: a dry cutting NW. wind which blows across the south coast
of France. It is especially prevalent in the Rhone valley.

6. n’étaient pas en odeur de sainteté, ‘were not looked upon with
much favour.’

19. à voix basse, ‘in a whisper’; but _à haute voix_, ‘in a loud voice.’

23. mon grand frère l’abbé, ‘my big brother the clergyman,’ i.e. Henri
Daudet, professor at the College of the Assumption at Nîmes.
He died at the early age of twenty-four. The term _abbé_
originally meant the Superior of an abbey, then was extended
to any ecclesiastic.

31. un singulier enfant que mon frère Jacques: i.e. _mon frère
Jacques était un singulier enfant._ Note the _que_ of
emphatic inversion. It is a very common type of construction.
Cf. p. 73 l. 3, _la jolie ville que ce Paris!_ p. 100 l. 22,
_un singulier type d’homme que cet oncle Baptiste!_

Page 5.

2. les yeux rouges et la joue ruisselante: note the absence
of a preposition corresponding to the English ‘with.’
It is a very characteristic French idiom.

12. que veux-tu, mon ami? ‘how can we help it, my dear?’
lit. ‘what would you have (him do)?’

16. qu’avait cet étrange garçon: inversion frequently occurs
in relative clauses, especially when the subject is
longer than the verb.

18. désolation, ‘distress’; désolé, ‘grieved,’ ‘disconsolate,’
_not_ ‘desolate.’

19. c’est pour le coup . . à son aise, ‘this was a grand
opportunity for him to sob to his heart’s content.’

31. une douzaine d’années: the suffix _-aine_ added to
numerals generally implies an approximate number;
_une quinzaine_, ‘about fifteen.’

Page 6.

5. mon fidèle Vendredi: Robinson Crusoe’s servant and companion.

12. je le jouais, ‘I acted it.’

21. tenait son emploi, ‘played his part.’

24. toujours est-il que, ‘anyhow.’ Cf. note, p. 1 l. 13.

28. j’en avais quelquefois le cœur bouleversé, ‘my courage was
sometimes shaken.’

Page 7.

1. gros mots d’enfants de la rue, ‘coarse expressions of the
street arabs.’

3. en pleine table, ‘before the whole table.’ Cf.—
p. 25 l. 11, _en pleine montagne_, ‘right on the hill
side, ‘in the heart of the mountains.’
p. 64 l. 20, _en pleine révolte_, ‘in open mutiny.’
p. 65 l. 30, _en pleine étude_, ‘before the whole class.’
So also—
_en plein air_, ‘in the open air.’
_en pleine rue_, ‘in the middle of the street.’
_en plein hiver_, ‘in the depths of winter.’

11. ukase: a Russian term for an ‘edict’ or imperial order.

13. loge, ‘porter’s lodge.’

du côté de, ‘somewhere about,’ ‘in the direction of.’
Note this use of _de_ of motion ‘towards,’ and cf. _de
mon côté_ (p. 8. l. 12), _du côté de sa chère fabrique_
(p. 10 l. 6), etc. Don’t confuse with _à côté de_;
see note, p. 11 l. 3.

26. se dégoûta de, ‘became tired of.’

28. au fond de, ‘in the remotest parts of.’ Note _il sait
l’anglais a fond_, ‘he knows English thoroughly.’

Page 8.

10. de bonne heure, ‘early’; _à la bonne heure_, ‘all right,’
‘well done,’ ‘capital!’ Like _par exemple_ (see note,
p. 3 l. 22), the latter derives its meaning from the
context or tone in which it is said. Note _sur l’heure_
(p. 78 l. 8), ‘immediately,’ ‘at once’; _tout à l’heure_,
‘a moment ago,’ ‘presently.’

14. juste Dieu! ‘good gracious!’ ‘gracious me!’ So also _grand Dieu_
(l. 29). These and similar exclamations, e.g. _mon Dieu!—ah!
mon Dieu!—mon Dieu, oui!_ must _not_ be translated literally.
There is no idea of profanity attached to them.

16. à plat ventre, ‘flat on my face.’

19. c’est égal, ‘all the same.’

30. il n’en fut rien, ‘nothing of the kind happened.’

Page 9.

1. dès qu’ils furent partis, je courus: after _après que,
aussitôt que, dès que, à peine, quand, lorsque_,
the _Past Anterior_, not the _Pluperfect_, must be used
when the principal verb is in the preterite. In other
words, the auxiliary of the compound verb must be in the
same tense as the verb in the principal sentence.

22. il avait pris les devants, ‘he had gone on in front.’

26. Beaucaire: a fine town on the right bank of the Rhone.
It is connected with Tarascon by a splendid
suspension-bridge, and is famous for its fair held annually
in July, and frequented by many thousands of people.
Daudet gives a graphic account of it in _Numa Roumestan_.

Page 10.

2. Un parapluie: note the gender; nouns ending in _e_ mute
preceded by a vowel are usually feminine. Other
exceptions are _génie, incendie, lycée, musée_.

3. tout de même, ‘all the same.’

Page 11. (chapter ii. full=ii)

3. à côté de, ‘by the side of,’ ‘beside.’ Cf. note,
p. 7 l. 13. Distinguish also _à côté_ and _de côté_;
e.g. _il demeure à côté_, ‘he lives close by’; _la maison
d’à côté_ ‘the next house’; _le tableau est de côté_ ‘the
picture is on one side’; _un regard de côté_, ‘a side glance.’

7. large, ‘broad,’ _never_ ‘large.’

8. le ciel riait, ‘the sky was radiant.’

9. descendaient au fil de l’eau, ‘were going down stream.’

19. ma foi! ‘upon my word!’ ‘faith!’ _not_ ‘my faith!’
Never translate this expression literally.

Page 12.

3. serrés les uns contre les autres, ‘closely packed.’

9. à tâtons, ‘groping his way along.’

qui vive? ‘who goes there?’ The challenge of a French sentinel.

14. et en route, ‘and moved off.’

21. ah! mon Dieu! see note, p. 8 l. 14.

23. me serra plus fort, ‘grasped my hand more firmly.’

29. s’il parlait, je crois bien: on l’entendait d’une lieue,
‘I should rather think it was talking, you could hear it
a mile off.’ The sentence is elliptical, _vous demandez_
being understood before _s’il_. Note the idiomatic use
of _bien_, and cf. _je le veux bien_, ‘I am _perfectly_
willing’; _voulez-vous bien vous en aller_, ‘_won’t_ you go away!’
_je donnerais bien un franc_, ‘I shouldn’t mind giving a franc.’

30. trouble, ‘agitation,’ ‘confusion,’ _not_ ‘trouble,’
the French for which is _peine, chagrin, douleur.
Les troubles_=‘rebellion,’ ‘rising,’ e.g. _des troubles
éclatèrent en France_.

Page 13.

9. plus de Vendredi! plus de perroquet…plus possible: _plus_ is
often used negatively without _ne_ when the verb is understood.
Trans. ‘without a Friday, or a parrot, a Robinson would not
be possible any longer.’

10. le moyen: elliptical for _dites-moi le moyen_.
Trans. ‘how was it possible to…’ or ‘how could one…’

11. d’ailleurs, ‘besides’; _ailleurs_=‘elsewhere.’

13. rue Lanterne: note omission of preposition and article.

28. le lendemain soir: note this is the correct way of
expressing in French ‘next evening’; cf. _le lendemain matin_.

Page 14.

17. s’y maria, ‘got married there.’ Note _marier_, ‘to give in marriage,’
or ‘to perform the marriage ceremony’; e.g. _le curé les a
mariés; se marier avec_, ‘to be married to,’ e.g. _elle s’est
mariée avec Monsieur B_., or _elle a épousé Monsieur B_.

20. gros ouvrage, ‘rough work.’

26. par exemple: see note, p. 3 l. 22.

27. lui non plus, ‘either,’ added for emphasis at the end of the
sentence.

29. avait fini par le prendre en grippe, ‘had at length taken a
dislike to him.’

l’abreuvait de taloches, ‘rapped his head at every turn.’

31. le fait est: a favourite expression of Daudet. It does not
correspond to the English ‘the fact is,’ which generally denotes
a contradiction, but rather strengthens what has been said.
Trans. ‘indeed.’

Page 15.

2. perdait tous ses moyens, ‘completely lost his wits.’

9. le voilà qui prend: the use of _le voilà_ is very emphatic;
_voi_ is the imperative of _voir_, and _le voilà=vois-le là_.

18. tu as beau lui dire, ‘it is no use your telling him.’ _Avoir
beau_ + infinitive is ironical, and elliptical for _avoir beau
temps pour_, i.e. to have a fine opportunity, but to no purpose;
cf. the English ‘it is all very _fine_ for you to tell him.’

19. tout de même: see note, p. 10 l. 3.

30. pourvu qu’il ne lui soit rien arrivé, ‘I hope nothing has
happened to him.’

31. parbleu: a euphemism for _pardieu_. Trans. ‘why, of course not.’

Page 16.

15. recteur: as far as education is concerned, France is
divided into seventeen _académies_, each under a _recteur_,
who represents the _Ministre de l’instruction publique_.

24. de bonne foi, ‘honestly’; cf. _de bon cœur_, ‘gladly’
(p. 35 l. 28); _de meilleur cœur_, ‘more cheerfully,’
‘more willingly’ (p. 49 l. 27).

28. non plus: see note, p. 14 l. 27.

Page 17.

1. gones: provincial slang, ‘street arabs.’

2. blouse à carreaux: note the French _à_ of description
where we say ‘with’; cf.—

p. 33 l. 14, _un personnage à favoris rouges_.
p. 35 l. 20, _la fée aux lunettes_.
p. 35 l. 24, _l’ homme aux moustaches_.
p. 42 l. 20, _l’ homme aux clefs_.
p. 52 l. 28, _ses souliers à boucles_.

5. Tiens! expresses surprise and may be rendered, according to
the context, by ‘here!’ ‘look here!’ ‘I say!’ ‘halloa!’
‘well, I never!’ etc.

6. me prit en aversion, ‘took a violent dislike to me’;
cf. note, p. 14 l. 29.

7. du bout des lèvres, ‘in a most casual manner’; cf. _rire du
tout des lèvres_.

16. sentaient bon, ‘smelt very nice.’ For other adjectives
used as adverbs cf. _parlant haut_ (p. 40 l. 27);
_il s’arrêta court_ (p. 43 l. 26); _ne pas manger
tranquille_ (p 51 l. 23); _prier ferme_ (p. 56 l. 2);
_il s’arrêta net_ (p. 98 l. 1).

20. moisis, fanés, sentant le rance, ‘mouldy, musty and
frowsy.’ _Sentir le rance_, ‘to smell rancid,’ lit.
‘to smell of rancidity’ (cf. _sentir le vin, le tabac_,
etc.). The term ‘rancid’ could not be applied here.
In English it is only used of _oil_ and similar substances.

22. faisait bien de son mieux, ‘did indeed his very best.’

Page 18.

4. boursier, ‘foundation scholar’; cf. the Scotch ‘bursar.’

6. ma foi! see note, p. 11 l. 19.

10. le givre fouettait les vitres, ‘the frozen rain was
beating against the window-panes.’

13. j’ai reçu votre honorée du 8 courant, ‘I have received
your favour of the 8th instant.

Page 19. (chapter iii. full=iv)

6. fermer à double tour, ‘double-lock.’

16. pour toute réponse, ‘by way of answer.’

17. veste, ‘jacket’ _gilet_=‘vest,’ ‘waistcoat.’

Page 20.

7. songez donc! ‘just think!’

10. qu’il n’y avait encore de fait que les quatre premiers
vers, ‘that the first four lines only were done so far.’

17. jamais il n’en put venir a bout, ‘he could never get
through.’ _En_ is used here as the object, _ce reste_,
to which it refers, precedes the verb for the sake of
emphasis. Note _n’en put_, somewhat archaic for _ne put en…_

18. que voulez-vous? ‘there is no help for it!’ See note, p. 5 l. 12.

21. le poète eut beau faire: see note, p. 15 l. 18.

Page 21.

1. parbleu! ‘of course!’ See note, p. 15 l. 31.

3. si le lecteur le veut bien, ‘if the reader has an objection.’
Note _lecteur, lectrice_, ‘reader’; _lecture_, ‘reading’;
_conférence_, ‘lecture’; _conférencier_, ‘lecturer.’

4. est en train de: cf. _être en train de travailler_,
‘to be busy working.’

5. enjambée: the suffix _-ée_ denotes _quantity_; e.g.
p. 36 l. 5, _poignée_, ‘handful’; p. 47 l. 2, _nuée_,
‘thick cloud,’ ‘swarm.’

12. la même chanson, ‘the same old tune.’

13. misère, ‘poverty,’ ‘want,’ _not_ misery’;
_les misères_, ‘hardships’; une misère, ‘a trifle.’

les affaires qui ne vont pas, ‘business not prospering.’

en retard, ‘in arrears,’ ‘to be paid up.’

15. l’argenterie au mont-de-piété, ‘the pawning of the family plate.’
Monts-de-piété, ‘pawnshops,’ were founded out of piety to enable
people in straitened circumstances to escape the exorbitant usury
of the Jews, and borrow money at a reasonable rate of interest.
The most ancient of these was established at Perugia, 1477, and
situated on a _mountain_; hence its name. The name and system
were introduced into France, where these institutions were put
under Government control. Had such benevolent establishments
only been introduced into England under the same conditions
thousands of people might have been saved from utter ruin.

19. huissier, ‘bailiff,’ lit, one who keeps the _huis_ or ‘door.’

23. achevait sa philosophie, ‘was finishing his course of
philosophy,’ i.e. was completing his school education.
The order of the forms in a French school, beginning with the
lowest, is _neuvième, huitième, septième, sixième, cinquième,
quatrième, troisième, seconde, première, philosophie_.

29. Eyssette père, ‘Eyssette senior’ so _Eyssette fils_
(p. 24 l. 21), ‘Eyssette junior.’

Page 22.

20. un parti à prendre, ‘one decision to come to.’ Note
_prendre son parti_, ‘to make up one’s mind’; _épouser un
bon parti_, ‘to make a good match’; _tirer parti de_, ‘to
turn to account.’ Distinguish carefully from _la part_,
‘share,’ and _la partie_, ‘part,’ ‘portion,’ ‘game,’ etc.

22. de notre côté, ‘for ourselves.’ Cf. note, p. 7 l. 13.

28. jusqu’à nouvel ordre, ‘until matters improve.’

31. comme commis-voyageur à la société vinicole, ‘as a
commercial traveller for the wine-growers’ society.’

Page 23.

3. justement je reçois, ‘it just happens that I have received.’

4. maître d’étude, ‘usher.’

10. c’est bien, ‘very well.’

19. qu’on s’occupe de sa malle, ‘let some one see to his trunk
being packed.’

23. fait au . ., ‘accustomed to . .’

28. Eyesette: names of persons or families are _invariable_
in the plural, e.g. _les Corneille et les Racine_,
except certain well-known historical names, chiefly of
dynasties, e.g. _les Césars, les Tudors, les Bourbons_.
But when used as common nouns to denote ‘persons like’ or
‘works by’ those named, they are variable. In the latter
case, however, they only take the mark of the plural,
according to some grammarians, when speaking of different
editions, not of several copies of the same edition.

Page 24.

17. Académie: see note, p. 16 l. 15.

20. n’ayant rien qui sentît le pédant, ‘having nothing about
him which savoured of the pedant.’ Cf. note, p. 17 l. 20.
Why is _sentît_ subjunctive?

23. brave: note _un brave homme_, ‘a good, honest man’;
_un homme brave_, ‘a brave, courageous man.’

25. ah! mon Dieu! ‘why!’ Cf. note, p. 8 l. 14.

27. mauviette, ‘delicate’; _une mauviette_, lit. ‘a lark.’

Page 25.

6. mais enfin, ‘however.’

9. baraque: slang for ‘school.’

10. collège communal, ‘communal’ or ‘municipal school.’
Distinguish carefully between a lycée and a collège.
The former is kept up entirely by the State; the latter
partly by the State, partly by the town. Both provide
‘secondary’ education.

11. Sarlande: a fictitious name. Alais was the place where
Daudet really went.

en pleine montagne: see note, p. 7 l. 3. Alais is near
the Cévennes mountains.

16. la lettre terminée: this construction of a noun or pronoun
with a participle, standing independently of any other
word in the sentence, and representing a subordinate
clause, is very common in French. It is the exact
equivalent of the ablative absolute in Latin.

20. quatre à quatre, ‘four steps at a time,’ lit. ‘four by four.’
Cf. peu à peu (p. 40 l. 25); goutte à goutte (p. 83 l. 1).

21. séculaire, ‘ancient,’ lit. ‘centuries old.’ ‘Secular’ in
French is séculier.

28. cabaret: a small public-house where food and drink only
are supplied, not lodging, as in an auberge (p. 36 l. 9).

Page 26.

1. au compagnon du tour de France, ‘the Oddfellows’ Arms.’
A _compagnon_ was a workman affiliated to a ‘Trade Union’
(_compagnonnage_). As an emblem of their association the
_compagnons_ carried long canes with ribbons tied to them.
Note that in French, as in German, the dative is used in
the signs of inns, shops, etc.; e.g. _à la Toison d’or,
au Cerf-Volant, à la ville de Marseille; zum goldenen Löwen_.

2. voici mon affaire, ‘this is just what I want.’

13. un vieux coureur de tavernes, ‘an habitué of public-houses.’

19. miséricorde! ‘gracious me!’

22. eh! mon Dieu, oui, ‘yes indeed.’

23. anciennement, ‘formerly.’ Cf. note, p. 28 l. 31.

Page 27.

12. justice divine! see note, p. 8 l. 14.

17. mouillettes: long narrow pieces of bread to dip into wine
or boiled eggs.

19. Un vieux Château-Neuf-des-Papes: a famous wine, so called
from the name of a vineyard near Avignon.

25. va trinquer, ‘is going to have a friendly glass with us.’
_Trinquer_, ‘to touch glasses,’ a continental fashion when
drinking some one’s health. Cf. German _trinken_, and
English to ‘clink’ glasses.

29. à quoi encore? ‘and what next?’

Page 28.

9. enfin, ‘still,’ ‘however.’

21. que voulez-vous? see notes, p. 5 l. 12 and p. 20 l. 18.

31. ancien, ‘former.’ Cf. _quelques anciens_ (p. 63 l. 14),
‘a few old boys (of the school).’ So _un nouveau_
(p. 30 l. 21), ‘a new boy.’

Page 29.

1. à toutes jambes, ‘as fast as he could.’

7. bout: trans. ‘vestige.’ Note—

_un bout d’homme_, ‘a little bit of a man.’
_un bout de conversation_, ‘a short chat.’
_un bout de papier_, ‘a scrap of paper.’
_un bout de lettre_, ‘a line.’

8. qui dépasse, ‘overhanging.’

plus . . plus: see note, p. 13 l. 9.

(chapter iv. full=v)

17. que la montagne enserre de partout, ‘which is closed in on
all sides by the mountains.’

21. tramontane, ‘north wind. A term used along the French
Mediterranean. It comes from the Italian _tramontana_,
‘on the other side the Alps.’

25. place d’armes, ‘parade-ground.’

Page 30.

3. impériale, ‘seat behind the driver.’ The stage-coach of
olden times in France was divided into four
compartments—(1) _le coupé_ ‘the seat facing the
horses,’ and hence the most expensive; (2) _l’intérieur_,
the seat inside’; (3) _la rotonde_, ‘the back seat’;
(4) _l’impériale_, a word now used for the top of an
omnibus or tramway.

29. pour le quart d’heure, ‘at present,’ just now.’

M. le principal. ‘the headmaster.’ In French it is
usual to prefix _monsieur, madame, mademoiselle_,
etc., when speaking of a person to whom respect is
due. Thus _Monsieur votre père, Madame votre mère_,
but of course you would not say _Monsieur mon père_.

Page 31.

9. Monsieur, ‘the young gentleman.’

11. le fait est que: see note, p. 14 l. 31.

14. Veillon l’aîné, ‘Veillon major.’

30. avant 89: i.e. before the French Revolution of 1789.

Page 32.

6. matelassée, ‘padded.’

10. tout au fond, ‘right at the end.’

22. pâlotte et sèche, ‘rather pale and wizen.’

27. pour le coup: see note, p. 5 l. 19.

Page 33.

2. finit par: see note, p. 14 l. 29.

16. surveillant général: the duty of this official is not to
teach but to supervise, i.e. to go round the school and
see that masters and boys are doing their respective
duties.

21. grinçaient, ‘jingled.’ Lit. _grincer_=‘to grind,’
‘gnash.’ frinc! ‘clink!’

26. s’agitèrent, ‘rattled.’

28. allons donc! ‘nonsense!’

Page 34.

3. veut bien, ‘will be kind enough.’ Cf. note, p. 12 l. 29.

4. tutelle, ‘protection.’ _Tuteur, tutrice_=‘guardian’;
‘tutor’=_précepteur_.

8. sa bienveillance m’était acquise, ‘I could certainly rely
upon his kindness.’

11. il fallait les entendre, ‘you should have heard them.’

avec frénésie, ‘frantically.’

15. couchiez: note _coucher_, ‘to spend the night’; _se
coucher_, ‘to go to bed.’

21. le règlement de la maison, ‘a copy of the school rules.’

28. un peu de lune, ‘a moonbeam.’

29. s’orienter, ‘to find one’s bearings’; lit. to find out
where you are in relation to the ‘orient’ or ‘east’ and
the other cardinal points.

Page 35.

1. à mes côtés, ‘beside me.’ See note, p. 11 l. 3.

3. si rapide qu’elle eût été: note this use of _si . . que_
instead of _quelque . . que_, ‘however.’ In all such
concessive sentences the subjunctive is necessary.

7. lunettes, ‘spectacles’; _la lunette_=telescope.’

23. mince affaire, ‘easy matter.’

26. disposition, ‘disposal,’ _not_ ‘disposition,’ which in French
is generally rendered by _le caractère_ or _le naturel_.

29. avait l’air très bon enfant, ‘looked a very good fellow.’
Distinguish—

_il a l’air bon_, ‘he looks kind.’
_il a bon air_, ‘he looks gentlemanly.’

30. chemin faisant, ‘on the way.’

Page 36.

2. chasseurs d’Afrique, ‘African light cavalry.’
Cf. note, p. 85 l. 18.

acheva de: trans. by an adverb, ‘completely.’

5. force poignées de main, ‘a good deal of hand-shaking.’
What part of speech is _force_?

16. plus de toit . . plus do foyer: see note, p. 13 l. 9.
_Foyer_=‘hearth,’ and in some phrases is used for ‘home.’

18. misère: _not_ ‘misery.’

20. à lui tout seul, ‘all by himself.’

24. se mettre au courant de, ‘to post himself up in.’

26. de la propre main de M. Viot, ‘in M. Viot’s own hand-writing.’

Page 37.

5. appointements, ‘salaries.’ _Traitement_ is generally used
for the salary of civil servants and professional men.

17. ou bien, ‘or else.’

Page 38.

3. un original, ‘an eccentric fellow.’

21. parbleu! c’est bien le cas de dire . . ‘by Jove! one may indeed
say . .’

25. en rit: _rire_ and _sourire_ with _à_ imply greeting,
with _de_ derision.

28. pour avoir seulement quelques pouces de plus,
‘to have been so much as a few inches taller.’

30. ça ne fait rien, ‘never mind,’ ‘no matter.’

31. pour passer sous la même toise, ‘to be measured by the
same standard.’ _Toise_, ‘fathom,’ an old length measure
about 6 ft. 5 in., used for measuring the height of conscripts.

Page 39.

3. Je paye un punch d’adieu, ‘I’ll pay for a farewell glass
of punch.’ _Punch_, from an Indian word meaning ‘five,’
so called from its five ingredients, viz. spirit, water,
lemon, sugar and spice. It is also called
‘contradiction,’ because it is composed of spirit to make
it strong, water to make it weak, lemon juice to make it
sour, and sugar to make it sweet.

4. je veux que vous en soyez: cf. _êtes-vous des nôtres?_
‘are you one of our party?’ or ‘won’t you join us?’

14. le ban et l’arrière-ban des habitués, ‘the whole body of
the frequenters.’ The _ban_ in the Middle Ages=the
immediate vassals of the king, i.e. those under his _banner_;
the _arrière-ban_=the reserve force, composed of older citizens,
who did not take up arms except in moments of peril.

17. à dire vrai, ‘to tell the truth.’ Cf. _à tout prendre_,
‘upon the whole’; _à bien regarder_, ‘on close consideration.’

28. en somme, vous êtes bien tombé, ‘on the whole you have
fallen on your feet.’

29. absinthe: a plant having a somewhat strong smell and
bitter taste. It is used for medicinal purposes, and
also for the preparation of the liqueur known as ‘absinthe.’

30. à la boîte: cf. _baraque_, p. 25 l. 9.

31. vous ne serez pas trop mal, ‘you will not be too badly off.’

Page 40.

2. l’étude des petits, ‘the junior school.’ So _l’étude des
moyens_ (p. 51 l. 5), ‘the middle school.’

3. qu’on mène à la baguette, ‘that you can rule with a rod of iron.’

4. méchant. Note—

_un méchant homme_, ‘a bad _or_ wicked man.’
_un homme méchant_, ‘a mischievous _or_ spiteful man.’
Cf. note, p. 24 l. 23.

6. père Viot, ‘old Viot.’

11. les fonctions d’économe, ‘the duties of a bursar.’

15. fée, ‘old hag’ or ‘old witch.’

24. confidences, ‘secrets.’

27. parlant haut: see note, p. 17 l. 16.

Page 41.

6. ce que c’est que de nous, pourtant! ‘and yet, what weak
creatures we are!’

7. un file de famille en rupture de ban, ‘a youth of good family,
who had gone the pace a bit’; lit. ‘escaped from banishment.’

11. d’un meilleur œil, ‘more favourably.’

Page 42.

13. troublé, ‘disturbed in mind.’ Cf. note, p. 12 l. 30.

15. entre deux grands coups secs frappés, ‘between two loud
sharp raps.’

(chapter v. full=vi)

23. ils ne sentaient pas encore le collège, ‘they were as yet
untouched by the moral atmosphere of the school.
Cf. note, p. 17 l. 20.

25. pépialent, ‘chirped,’ i.e. ‘chattered.’

Page 43.

3. je vous demande! ‘just think of it!’

7. bon . . sages, ‘kind . . good.’

11. encriers, règles, porte plumes: note the frequent omission
of the article in enumerations.

13. grands yeux: cf. _les fenêtres sont grandes ouvertes_,
‘the windows are wide open.’

14. à leur intention, ‘especially for them.’ Cf. _à mon
intention_, p. 51 l. 2.

18. n’entendait pas, ‘did not want.’

de la sorte, ‘in this way.’

Page 44.

9. à la récréation de quatre heures, ‘at the 4 o’clock interval.’

16. Jean Lapin leur manquait, ‘they missed Jean Lapin.’
Note carefully—

_vous me manquez_, ‘I miss you.’
_je vous manque_, ‘you miss me.’
_j’ai manqué le train_, ‘I have missed the train,
_il manque d’esprit_, ‘he is wanting in brains.’
_j’ai manqué de tomber_, ‘I nearly fell.’

18. quartiers, ‘departments.’

les grands, les moyens, les petits, ‘the senior school,
the middle school, the junior school.’

23. avait beau me sourire, ‘might smile at me as much as he
liked.’ See note, p. 15 l. 18.

28. le regardaient du haut de leur toque, ‘eyed him up and
down.’ _Toque_=‘college cap.’

Page 45.

3. m’en vouloir: see note, p. 3 l. 31.

8. sous les combles, ‘under the roof,’ ‘at the top of the house.’

c’est là que . ., ‘that was where . .’

14. criblé de taches d’encre et d’inscriptions au canif,
‘covered with ink-spots and names carved with a penknife.’

17. pour le quart d’heure: see note, p. 30 l. 29.

18. passer licencié, ‘pass my Master of Arts degree.’
All university students in France, who wish to become
teachers in a _lycée_ or _collège_, or professors in
a university, must pass several examinations before
becoming qualified for such posts. The _Baccalauréat_
—sort of school-leaving certificate—is followed by the
_licence_, so-called because it gives the _licence_ or
permission to one to teach in a _lycée_ or _collège_.
Upon those who have passed these examinations the titles
of _Bachelier_ and _Licencié ès lettres_ or _ès sciences_
(_ès=en les_) are respectively conferred. The _Agrégation_
and _Doctorat_, the passing of which confers the titles
of _agrégé_ and _docteur_, are very stiff. The former is
competitive, the number of places being strictly limited,
and allows the successful candidate to take a post in one
of the higher schools. For the _Doctorat_ one must write
a thesis on some original subject, and no one can obtain a
university professorship who has not passed this examination.

Page 46.

1. sur les bras, ‘on my hands.’

6. emboîtaient le pas à merveille, ‘fell into step splendidly.’

8. jacassaient le long de la route, ‘chattered the whole way along.’

13. tunique: a sort of frock-coat formerly worn by _lycéens_.

14. marmaille folle, ‘unruly gang of ragamuffins.’

17. diablotine ébouriffés, ‘dishevelled imps.’

21. avorton, ‘shrimp of a fellow.’

23. sentant le ruisseau, ‘redolent of the gutter.’ See note,
p. 17 l. 20.

pour que rien ne lui manquât, ‘to crown all.’

30. paye: used here in the restricted sense of ‘neighbourhood.’

Page 47.

2. à nos trousses, ‘at our heels.’

qui faisaient la roue sur nos derrières, ‘rolling along on
their hands and feet like a wheel behind us.’

5. bonnes singeries, ‘silly monkey-tricks.’

8. circonstancié, ‘detailed.’

16. dans un état de toilette tel que . ., ‘looking such a little
pickle that . .’

24. je ne sais quoi always denotes the ‘indescribable’ in
French. Trans. ‘something about it.’

25. sentait les doigte matornels, ‘spoke loudly of his
mother’s fingers.’ Cf. note, p. 17 l. 20.

29. comme si de rien n’était, ‘as if nothing were the matter.’

Page 48.

12. doublez le pas, ‘walk in double-quick time.’

14. filer d’un train d’enfer, ‘to go off at a frightful pace.’

Page 49.

7. sur son compte, ‘about him.’

9. se saignait les quatre membres, ‘was working himself to death.’

13. on lui avait donné un modèle de bâtons, ‘they had set him
some pot-hooks and hangers to copy.’

16. grand Dieu! see note, p. 12 l. 22.

22. à pleines mains, ‘tightly in his hand.’ Cf.—
_donner à pleines mains_, ‘to give generously.’

Page 50.

6. je serais venu à bout de lui apprendre . ., ‘I should have
managed to teach him . .’

11. rhétoricien, ‘sixth-form boy.’

16. à l’œuvre, ‘at their tricks.’

17. me serrait le cœur, ‘depressed me.’

Page 51. (chapter vi. full=vii)

2. à mon intention: see note, p. 43 l. 14.

8. métayers: a _métayer_ is a farmer who gives the owner of
the land a certain part of the produce of his _métairie_
or ‘farm,’ keeping the rest for himself.

14. Pion: a term of contempt given by schoolboys to a _maître
d’étude_ or ‘usher.’

25. ah! mon Dieu! see note, p. 8 l. 14.

Page 52.

9. donnait sur: cf.—
_la salle à manger donne sur le jardin_, ‘the dining-room
looks out on to the garden.’

14. aux enfants trouvés, ‘at the Foundling Hospital.’

20. l’abbé Germane: see note, p. 4 l. 23.

25. d’une voix brève et cassante, ‘in a curt, gruff voice.’

Page 53.

2. un Mirabeau en soutane, ‘a regular Mirabeau in a cassock.’
Mirabeau (1749-1791) was the greatest orator of the
French Revolution, a man of fearless temperament and a
bold, impetuous disposition. He would have enjoyed no
small share of manly beauty had he not, when a little
child, been sorely disfigured for life by the smallpox.

28. Condillac: a celebrated French philosopher, born at Grenoble, 1715.
He died in 1780.

30. bibliothèque, ‘library’; _librairie_, ‘bookseller’s shop _or_ trade.’
So _bibliothécaire_, ‘librarian’; _libraire_, ‘bookseller.’

Page 54.

1. tenir, ‘to keep in stock.’

5. diable d’homme, ‘terrible man.’ Note—

_un bon diable_, ‘a good fellow.’
_c’est là le diable_, ‘that’s the trouble.’
_cela ne vaut pas le diable_, ‘that is not worth anything.’

10. voix de Titan, ‘Titanic voice.’ The Titans in ancient
mythology were gigantic beings, representing the
primitive powers of Nature.

17. brûle-gueule, ‘cutty.’

21. le tranchant de sa voix, ‘his peremptory voice.’

22. tapissée de, ‘lined with.’

25. tant bien que mal, ‘as well as I could.’

Page 55.

2. les Condillac: the plural would be preferable. See note,
p. 23 l. 28.

4. tu ne veux pas? . . à ton aise, ‘you don’t care about
smoking?… well! just as you like.’ Note—

_être à son aise_, ‘to be in easy circumstances.’
_ne pas se sentir à son aise_, ‘to feel uncomfortable.’

6. surtout ne le gâte pas, ‘but be very careful and don’t
spoil it.’

10. tu t’occupes donc de philosophie? ‘so you are busy reading
philosophy, are you?’

12. par hasard, ‘I wonder.’ A sarcastic colloquialism.

des histoires, mon cher, de pures histoires! ‘fables,
my dear boy, nothing but fables!’

14. je vous demande un peu! ‘just think of it!’

16. pendant qu’ils y étaient, ‘whilst they were at it.’

18. ah! misère de moi! ‘ah me!’

31. à propos, ‘by the bye.’ Note—

_il est venu fort à propos_, ‘he came very opportunely.’
_à propos de_, ‘with regard to.’
_de propos délibéré_, ‘on purpose.’

Page 56.

1. le bon Dieu: do not translate _le bon_. Cf. the German
_der_ liebe _Gott_.

2. sans quoi tu ne t’en tireras jamais, ‘or else you will
never get over your troubles.’

7. j’ai passé par là, ‘I have been through it all.’ Cf.—
_il faut bien que j’en passe par là_, ‘I must put up with it.’

9. monsieur l’abbé: simply ‘sir.’

19. le plus souvent, ‘more often than not.’

23. pattes de mouche, ‘scrawl.’

30. seulement, ‘even,’ ‘so much as.’ A quite common and classical
use of this word.

Page 57.

5. il était temps; je n’y pouvais plus tenir, ‘it was high time,
I could stand it no longer.’

10. au fond, ‘at the far end.’ Cf. note, p. 7 l. 28.

20. en serre-file, ‘bringing up the rear.’

21. le professeur de seconde, ‘the second-form master. He would
correspond to a fifth-form master in an English school.
Cf. note, p. 21 l. 23.

30. la tête: note (1) the number, (2) the use of the definite article.

31. foulards ponceau, ‘flame-coloured silk handkerchiefs.’
Nouns serving as adjectives of colour are generally invariable.

Page 58.

6. ne les laissait pas chômer, ‘did not allow them any rest’:
_chômer_=‘to be out of work,’ _chômage_, ‘want of work.’
‘Unemployment’ would be the best word were it English.

10. tohu-bohu: an onomatopoeia.

14. par ici! ‘this way!’ ‘along here!’ Cf. _par là! par où?_

16. faisaient froufrou, ‘rustled.’

22. au passage, ‘as they went along.’

23. à l’année prochaine! ‘good-bye till next year!’ Cf. _à demain!
à ce soir! à bientôt! au revoir!_

Page 59.

1. clic! clac! another onomatopoeia.

8. riant à belles dents, ‘laughing merrily’; lit. ‘showing their
pretty teeth as they laughed.’

12. chasser à la pipée, ‘to go bird-catching with a bird-call.’

(chapter vii. full=viii)

19. au fond d’un grand fauteuil, ‘comfortably seated in a big arm-chair.’

Page 60.

26. paillettes, ‘spangles.’

30. en, ‘on account of them.’

Page 61.

1. confidences: see note, p. 40 l. 24.

13. ou bien encore, ‘or else.’

16. ce n’est que cela? ‘is that all?’

22. de guerre lasse, ‘in utter despair.’

27. quelle est la lettre dont il s’agit, ‘what the letter in question
is all about.’

Page 62.

25. non plus: see note, p. 14 l. 27.

31. pour comble de malheur, ‘to crown his misfortunes.’

Page 63.

1. la rentrée, ‘the first day of term.’

10. n’a qu’à bien se tenir, ‘must put himself on his best behaviour.’

14. berlines: a ‘berline’ is a large closed carriage of the chariot
type, so called from Berlin, where it was first made.

15. manquent à: cf. note, p. 44 l. 16.

(chapter viii. full=ix)

22. en train: sc. _de travailler_.

23. grands mois, ‘full months’; cf. _au grand soleil_.

24. son va-et-vient habituel, ‘its ordinary routine.’

Page 64.

4. litanies, ‘long files.’

14. de mon côté, ‘for my own part.’

24. cocorico! ‘cock-a-doodle-doo.’

26. les papiers mâchés, ‘chewed paper pellets.’

30. en désespoir de cause, ‘as a last shift.’

Page 65.

11. me faisait mauvais accueil, ‘always received me coldly.

17. tenait beaucoup à cet élève, ‘thought a great deal of this pupil.’
Note—
_il tient de sa mère_, ‘he takes after his mother.’

28. j’avais affaire à forte partie, ‘I had a difficult customer
to deal with.’ Note—
_avoir affaire de_, ‘to have need of.’
_avoir affaire avec_, ‘to do business with.’

29. faquin de marquis, ‘puppy of a marquis.’

30. en pleine étude: see note, p. 7 l. 3.

Page 66.

7. je m’engageais dans une méchante affaire, ‘I was getting involved
in rather a critical business.’

14. il fallait voir de quel air, ‘you should have seen the air he put on.’

26. j’eus le geste de le prendre au collet, ‘I stretched out my hand as
if to seize him by the coat-collar.’

28. misérable, ‘wretch.’

Page 67.

3. pour le coup: see note, p. 2 l. 17.

12. mis à la raison par ce gringalet de pion, ‘brought to his senses
by this slip of an usher.’

24. troublèrent, ‘disturbed.’ See note, p. 12 l. 30.

Page 68.

1. j’en serais quitte pour la peur, ‘I should get off with a good fright.’

12. j’étais perdu, ‘it was all over with me.’

Page 69.

1. là-dessus le voilà parti à . ., ‘thereupon he began to . .’

12. réquisitoire, ‘indictment.’

21. On, ‘Someone.’

22. qu’On se le tint pour dit, ‘Someone must bear in mind that . .’

25. riaient sous cape, ‘were laughing in their sleeves.’
Cf. _rire dans sa barbe_.

28. injures, ‘insults’: so _injurieux_, ‘insulting.’ What is the
French for ‘injury’?

31. où aller? ‘where could he go?’ Interrogative infinitive,
often used in deliberative sentences.

Page 70.

1. ils furent à sec d’éloquence, ‘they were hard up for something
more to say.’

5. me riaient au nez, ‘laughed in my face.’

11. à faire dresser tes cheveux: for this use of it in the sense
of _assez pour_ cf. p. 79 l. 8, _me serrant les poignets à
les briser_; p. 84 l. 19, _les autres riaient à se tordre_.

Page 71.

4. je finis par ne plus m’occuper d’eux, ‘after a time I no
longer troubled about them’; cf. note, p. 14 l. 29.

(chapter ix. full=xi)

18. maîtresse poutre, ‘kingpost.’

Page 72.

12. les enfants auraient . ., que je ne m’en fusse pas aperçu,
‘if the boys had . . I should not have noticed.’

18. tu ne te doutais pas, hein? ‘you had no idea, eh?’

24. M. le curé de Saint-Nizier, ‘the vicar of Saint Nizier.’
Note _curé_=‘parson,’ i.e. either the ‘vicar’ or ‘rector’
of a parish, but _vicaire_=‘curate.’

27. mémoires: note _le mémoire_, ‘memoir,’ ‘memorandum’;
_la mémoire_, ‘memory.’

30. tout compte fait, ‘after reckoning everything up.’

Page 73.

1. sur mes économies, ‘out of my savings.’

3. la jolie ville que ce Paris! see note, p. 4 l. 31.

9. j’en étais là, de la lettre, ‘I had just come to that part
of the letter.’

10. sourd: lit. ‘deaf.’ The word is often applied to sounds
which are indistinctly heard. Trans. ‘dull.’

12. à tue-tête, ‘at the top of their voices.’

14. sous-préfet, ‘sub-prefect.’ At the head of each _département_
there is a _Préfet_ who represents the _Ministre de l’intérieur_
(Home Secretary). Under him are _Sous-Préfets_, who are
responsible in each _arrondissement_ to the _Préfet_ for
the maintenance of law and order.

17. pour le quart d’heure: see note, p. 30 l. 29.

18. ce qui me tenait à cœur, ‘what I cared for.’

21. se culbutaient, ‘jostled one another.’

30. encore: idiomatic, ‘too,’ or ‘at that.’

Page 74.

6. bien, ‘really.’

10. Quartier Latin: a quarter of Paris, on the left bank of the Seine,
where the University is situated.

pense un peu! ‘just think of it!’

30. il me tardait d’être seul: note—

_il me tarde de vous voir_, ‘I am longing to see you.’
_il ne tardera pas à venir_, ‘he will not be long in coming.

Page 75.

11. fou: note—

_il est fou_, ‘he is mad.’
_c’est un sot, une bête, un imbécile_, ‘he is a fool.’

18. à coup sûr: see note, p. 2 l. 17.

Page 76.

9. c’est donc Monsieur, ‘so it is you, sir, is it?’

19. de quoi il s’agissait, ‘what he was driving at.’

28. sûr la tablette: note the preposition. The French look at
the object _before_, the English _after_ it has been removed.

Page 77.

13. de près, ‘close to.’

18. miséricorde! ‘good gracious!’

Page 78.

1. je ne voulais pas répondre, ‘I was determined not to reply.’

8. sur l’heure: see note, p. 8 l. 10.

15. d’un trait, lit. ‘at a stretch,’ i.e. ‘without stopping.’

Page 79.

3. noble cœur, ‘fine fellow.’

8. me serrant les poignets à les briser: see note, p. 70 l. 11.

9. je ne vous dis que ça, ‘that is all I have to say.’

Page 80.

2. j’étais au service, ‘I was in the army.’ _Être au
service_ is used only of military service. Distinguish
from _être de service_, ‘to be on duty,’ ‘be in
attendance’; _se mettre en service_, ‘to go into service.’

3. par un coup de ma mauvaise tête, ‘by any quick-tempered act of mine.’

17. être à même de, ‘to be in a position to,’ ‘be able to.’

20. c’était bien le moins qu’on attendit, ‘the least one could do
was to wait.’

27. ce que c’est que de nous! see note, p. 41 l. 6.

Page 81.

12. de quoi: cf.—
_j’ai de quoi payer le voyage_, ‘I have enough to pay for
the journey.’
_il n’y a pas de quoi rire_, ‘it is no laughing matter.’
_il n’y a pas de quoi!_ ‘don’t mention it!’

19. le moyen de: see note, p. 13 l. 10.

Page 82.

1. je pardonnai les arrêts des élèves, ‘I let the boys off detention.’

10. que diable pouvaient-ils faire? ‘whatever could they be doing?’

(chapter x. full=xii)

18. du train dont j’allais, ‘judging from the rate at which I
was walking’; cf.—
_à fond de train_ ‘at full speed.’
_il nous a menés bon train_, ‘he brought us along at a great rate.’

je dus faire le trajet, ‘I must have covered the ground.’

Page 83.

10. le coup de l’étrier, ‘the stirrup-cup.’ A glass of liquor given
in the Highlands to a guest on leaving, when his feet are
already in the stirrups. It is sometimes called the ‘parting cup,’
or in the north of the Highlands ‘the cup at the door.’

12. et me voilà courant, ‘and I started to run.’

à perdre haleine: see note, p. 99 l. 12.

15. pourvu que: see note, p. 15 l. 30.

17. conduisit: remember that to ‘take’ a person somewhere is _conduire_
or _mener_, not _prendre_.

19. louche, ‘of doubtful reputation.’

Page 84.

8. à faire pleurer: see note, p. 70 l. 11.

11. la ripaille devait chauffer, ‘the revelry must have reached
its climax.’

12. toutes grandes, ‘quite wide.’ When is the adverb _tout_ variable?

19. riaient à se tordre, ‘were splitting with laughter’;
see note, p. 70 l. 11.

25. fort à propos: see note, p. 55 l. 31.

Page 85.

14. devaient être, ‘must have been.’

15. auditoire, ‘audience’; the French _audience_=‘official reception,’
e.g. _le roi lui a donné audience_.

18. des zouaves: the Zouaves are a body of French infantry serving
in Algeria. They are famous for their fearless courage.

19. la partie perdue, ‘the game was up.’

25. ayons l’œil, Roger, et en avant la grands scène! ‘come, Roger,
bestir yourself; now is the time for the grand scene.’

Page 86.

3. se roulait: same meaning as _riait à se tordre_.

7. avait fait exprès d’envoyer…, ‘had purposely sent…’

18. me mit hors de moi, ‘enraged me.’

24. je n’y tins plus: see note, p. 57 l. 5.

29. je ne sais quel: see note, p. 47 l. 24.

Page 87.

6. où trouver de l’argent? comment m’en aller? see note, p. 69 l. 31.

Page 88.

8. par exemple, ‘however’; cf, note, p. 3 l. 22.

21. j’en aurais encore long à te dire, ‘there is a good deal more
I could say to you.’

24. ou bien, ‘or else.’

26. ignorer: _not_ ‘to ignore,’ which in French is _méconnaître_
or _faire semblant de ne pas connaître_.

Page 89.

5. vous couperez de mes cheveux: cf.—
_j’ai de vos livres_, ‘I have some of your books.’

22. attendant qu’ils soient…: note the subjunctive and the use
of _que_ instead of _jusqu’à ce que_ after _attendre_.

Page 90.

3. il se glisse à petits pas dans l’ombre des murs, ‘he steals
along slowly under cover of the walls.’

6. péristyle: a range of pillars surrounding a courtyard or an edifice.

14. un peu de lune descend et vient donner en plein sur…,
‘a moonbeam comes down and shines full upon…’

16. ne fait qu’y penser depuis des heures, ‘has done nothing
but think about it for hours past’; note—
_il ne fit que le toucher_, ‘he only touched it.’
_il ne fait que manger_, ‘he does nothing but eat.’
_il ne fait que de sortir_, ‘he has just gone out.’
_il n’a que faire de sortir_, ‘he has no occasion to go out.’

Page 91.

1. en voilà une idée, de faire du trapèze, ‘that’s a queer idea, to
practise on the trapeze’; _en_ is redundant, cf. note, p. 3 l. 31.

8. suicidé, ‘would-be suicide.’

Page 92.

2. c’est comme cela! ‘that’s your little game, is it?’

12. en finir, ‘to put an end to himself.’

13. a bien parlé, bien pleuré, bien dégonflé son pauvre cœur malade,
‘has sobbed and told all and unburdened his poor aching heart.’

19. un grand bonheur, ‘a great stroke of luck.’

20. sans attendre tes huit jours, ‘without waiting till your week’s
notice is up.’

Page 93.

4. au fond d’un bon lit, ‘ensconced in a comfortable bed.’

30. J’ai fait ton compte, ‘I have portioned it out for you.’

Page 94.

2. de côté: see note. p. 11 l. 3.

3. faire un remplaçant, ‘to provide a substitute.’ Formerly recruits
were taken by lot from the conscription-list, and anyone who drew
a losing number could pay another, who was called a _remplaçant_,
to take his place. Under the present law, however, every
able-bodied Frenchman must serve as a soldier.

ne tire au sort que dans six ans, ‘has not to draw lots for six years.’

4. d’ici là, ‘before that time.’

8. l’air de cette Bastille ne te vaut rien, ‘the air of this prison
is not good for you.’ The Bastille, the famous State prison
in Paris, was stormed on July 14, 1789, by the Revolutionists
and razed to the ground.

Page 95.

9. ma place à retenir, ‘my seat to book.’

(chapter xi. full=xiii)

23. à grandes enjambées: cf. _à grands pas_. What does the suffix
_-ée_ denote?

Page 96.

13. de ce pas, ‘immediately,’ ‘at once.’

19. à pleines mains: cf. note, p. 49 l. 22.

22. un coup de théâtre: an event which is quite unforeseen by
the audience and alters the whole course of a play.
See note, p. 2 l. 17.

Page 97.

2. j’étais ferré à glace sur . ., ‘I was quite an expert in . .’:
_ferré à glace_, lit. ‘rough-shod.’ Cf.—
_il est ferré sur la géographie_, ‘he is well up in geography.

11. bureau des messageries, ‘coach-office.’

16. étaient au complet, ‘were all present.’

23. sur l’oreille, ‘on one side.’

Page 98.

1. net: see note, p. 17 l. 16.

6. flambant, ‘overbearing.’

11. va! ‘I tell you!’ ‘Va!’ like ‘_allez!_’ is often used emphatically,
with the meaning of ‘I can tell you!’ ‘indeed!’ ‘take my word for
it!’ ‘depend on it!’

Page 99.

4. délices: this word is masculine in the singular and feminine
in the plural. Cf. _amour_ and _orgue_.

12. d’une haleine: lit. ‘in one breath,’ i.e. ‘without stopping to
take breath.’ Cf.—

_j’ai couru à perte d’haleine_, ‘I ran until I was out of breath.’

Page 100.

15. fais feu de tes quatre roues, ‘rattle along.’

18. et qu’ensuite il mette le cap sur Paris, ‘and then steer for Paris.’
A naval expression.

(chapter xii. full=xiv)

22. que: emphatic. See note, p. 4 l. 31.

24. à un grand gendarme de femme, ‘to a big masterful woman.’

Page 101.

25. convaincu, ‘confident.’

Page 102.

3. ne devait pas être, ‘was not likely to be,’ ‘could not be.’

7. avait l’air gênée, ‘seemed very uneasy.’ With the expression
_avoir l’air_ the adjective may agree indifferently with the
subject or with _air_ when it refers to either; but if it cannot
refer to one of them it must agree with the other, e.g. _cette
pomme a l’air mûre_, not _mûr_, because the air cannot be ripe.

14. joli, le dîner! ‘a fine dinner it was, too!’

Page 103.

3. vieilles gens: attributive adjectives are generally _feminine_
when preceding and _masculine_ when following _gens_.

7. lui coupe l’appétit, ‘has taken away her appetite.’

13. de quoi payer: cf. note, p. 81 l. 12.

15. encore si . ., ‘if only . .’