pour la seconde fois. Seconde tends to be used when
NOTES
there are only two objects in existence or in question, and deuxième when there are more than two, but this rule is by no means absolute.
32. José Navarro. The most famous Andalusian bandit after the death of José Marfa was actually named Navarro.
Page 13. — 6. pour qui le livrera. Qui here = celui qui.
Translate, for the man who will hand him over to justice.
7. Je sais un poste de lanciers. Sais is here used in the colloquial speech of a guide instead of connais. Translate, I know of. ■ — une lieue et demie. Demi agrees in gender with a preceding noun. When hyphenated with a noun it is invariable, as in une demi-douzaine, ‘ a half-dozen ’ (page 15, line 25).
10. le Navarro. The definite article is used here in contemptuously familiar style before a personal name.
11. Que le diable vous emporte! The subjunctive of wish (I, B). The use of the subjunctive of command (I, A) is similar.
12. pour le dénoncer, that you should inform against him. It would be more exact to say, pour que vous le dénonciez (see note to line 19), but French tends wherever possible to replace the subjunctive by the infinitive construction.
13. êtes-vous sûr qu’il soit . . . Verbs of knowledge, used negatively, interrogatively, or conditionally, are frequently followed by the subjunctive (II, A, 3) in written French.
18. Tant qu’il vous saura là. French regularly uses the future after conjunctions (lorsque, pendant que, quand, tant que, etc.) referring to future time, while English uses the present.
19. assez . . . pour qu’on ne pût entendre. In such clauses of result the indicative is used when the result is looked upon as attained, and the subjunctive (as here), when it is not (II, C, 2). Clauses of result are preceded by assez (or trop) . . . pour que, de (or en) sorte que, si (tant, tel, tellement) . . . que.
26. deux cents ducats ne sont pas à perdre. À + the infinitive is here used in a passive sense (= ‘ to be lost ’), expressing the idea of obligation or necessity.
Page 14. — 16. pourvu qu’il soit bon. Pourvu que, like most conjunctions introducing conditions, such as à condition que, à
NOTES
moins que, au (or en) cas que, supposé que, etc., takes the subjunctive (II, C, 3). Si, however, is usually followed by the indicative.
Page 15. — 15. du riz à la valencienne. Some such word as mode or façon is understood before valencienne. “ Valencian rice,” one of the most popular dishes in Spain, is made of rice, chicken, saffron, crabs or crawfish, sometimes ham, and other ingredients. For information on this point and other Spanish matters the editor is indebted to his colleague, D. José Robles.
20. est-ce un préjugé que cet instinct . . . , is that impulse . . . a prejudice. Que introduces the subject of the sentence, which it separates sharply from the predicate.
21. qui résiste à tous les raisonnements, which turns a deaf ear to reason.
31. Elle ajouta que . . . Don José may well have suggested this idea to her just before he left (cf. p. 15, 1. 7), perhaps with the idea of clearing the archaeologist of suspicion. — son habitude, his . . .
Page 16. — 8. une gratification aussi forte que l’état de mes finances pouvait me le permettre. Omit the pleonastic le in translation; such uses of le are particularly frequent in comparative sentences.
11. bibliothèque des dominicains. Mérimée probably refers to the convent of San Pablo, which belonged at that time to the Dominicans and possessed many choice books.
13. Fort bien. Fort, like bas, cher, dur (colloquially), haut, tout and other adjectives, can be used as an adverb, as here, without changing its form.
23. vêtue, tout en noir. Tout is not feminine in form, though referring to a woman, because it is used as an adverb and precedes a vowel. It becomes toute, however, when an adjective beginning with a consonant or aspirate h follows, as in toute française (page 17, line 2).
28. à l’obscure clarté (‘ dim light ’) qui tombe des étoiles.
Corneille, Le Cid, Act IV, sc. Ill, line 1273:
Cette obscure clarté qui tombe des étoiles.
NOTES
Page 17. — 2. d’une politesse toute française, altogether French in its courtesy.
5. j’en avais de tels, 1 had some of that sort. The partitive article is generally omitted before a plural adjective which replaces a noun.
ii. indiscret is one of many words having similar forms but somewhat different meanings in French and in English. ‘ Indiscreet ’ means in general ‘ lacking in judgment or prudence indiscret means 1 lacking in reserve, intrusive,’ or ‘ unable to keep a secret.’ Translate here, I thought I should not be going too far.
14. Je fis sonner ma montre, I made my repeater strike the time.
