chapter ix

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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?’

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