I.
A gentleman[2], just returned[3] from a journey to (S. 72, N. 4) London, was surrounded by[4] his children, eager[5], after the first salutation was over, to hear the news, and still more eager to see the contents[6] of a small portmanteau, which[7] were, one by one, carefully unfolded and displayed to view. After[8] having distributed amongst the children a few small presents, the[9] father took his seat again, saying, that[10] he must confess he[11] had brought from town[12], for his own use, something far more curious and valuable than any[13] of the little gifts (S. 16, N. 10) they had received. It was, he said[14], too good to[15] present to any of them; but he would, if[16] they pleased, first give them a brief description of it (S. 4, N. 5, _B_), and[17] then perhaps they might be allowed to inspect it.
[1] +merkwürdig.+
[2] The noun ‘=gentleman=’ may be used in its unaltered form in German.
[3] +heim´kehren+; for the constr. see S. 7, N. 3, _B_.
[4] +von+; to surround, +umrin´gen+.
[5] Say ‘who after the first salutations were eager (+begierig+)’.
[6] +der Inhalt+, which has no plural.
[7] Since the antecedent of the pron. _which_ (i.e. +Inhalt+) has no plural in German, the constr. of the passage ‘which — to view’ must be altered. Let us say ‘from which (+aus welcher+, to agree with +Reisetasche+ in the fem. sing.) then (supply the adverb +auch+ in this place) every piece was carefully unpacked (+aus´packen+) and shown round (+umher´zeigen+)’.
[8] Construe accord. to S. 55, N. 1; to distribute, +vertei´len+; amongst, +unter+, with the acc. The direct object must be placed before the words ‘amongst the children’.
[9] Say ‘he sat down again and said’.
[10] that he must confess, +er wolle es nur gestehen+.
[11] This passage is best introduced by the conj. +daß+. Read carefully App. §§ 28 and 30.
[12] +aus der Stadt+, which place before the p. p. (+mitgebracht+).
[13] +irgend eins.+
[14] Say ‘he continued’.
[15] See S. 19, N. 7, and supply here the pron. +es+; to any = to one.
[16] Say ‘if they wished it’.
[17] +und dann dürften sie es sich vielleicht ansehen.+
_Section 89._
A CURIOUS INSTRUMENT.