toutes les femmes . . . que j’aie jamais rencontrées
The subjunctive is used here because the sentence means: Elle était la plus jolie femme de sa race que j’aie jamais rencontrée.
See Outline, II, B, 2.
29. il faut qu’elle réunisse, subjunctive after expressions of necessity (II, A, 4, a).
30. trente si. Si, so, here has, as occasionally in the sixteenth century, the meaning of ‘ condition, quality.’
Page 19. — 18. Œil de bohémien, œil de loup. Mérimée imitates French proverbs in omitting, in Old French fashion, articles before the nouns. He also omits a verb because proverbs frequently do so. — Notice how often Mérimée speaks of Carmen’s eyes.
Page 20. — 8. vaste. See Vocabulary for difference in meaning between vaste and English ‘ vast.’
NOTES
29. le seul mot que je comprisse. Seul, like premier, dernier, and unique, is equivalent to a superlative and is consequently sometimes followed by the subjunctive (II, B, 2, a).
Page 21. — 11. jaune. See note to page 16, line 13.
23. j’avais quelques soupçons que cette gorge ne fût la mienne. Avoir des soupçons, like soupçonner, is sometimes, as here, an ironical expression meaning ‘ to fear,’ and therefore takes ne with the subjunctive.
Page 22. — 1. toujours tout droit, right straight on.
7. pour qu’il voulût bien la faire chercher, to he good enough tu have it sought for. Subjunctive of purpose, regular after afin que, pour que or que meaning ‘ in order that ’ (II, C, 1).
16. capitale of the Omeyyad caliphs (756-1031), who made Cordova one of the richest cities in Europe and the center of Mohammedan culture.
23. des Pater et des Ave. The Latin Pater and Ave belong to a small group of foreign words which are generally not modified in the plural.
25. car pour volé nous savons que vous l’êtes, we already knew you were robbed; literally, ‘ for, so far as being robbed is concerned, we know you were.’
29. Eh bien! Well! Distinguish carefully between this expression and bien! very well! all right!
Page 23. — 6. là-bas, when you are back in France.
13. C’est un hidalgo que votre voleur, Your robber is a gentleman.
14. garrotté. Mérimée adds the note: “ En 1830, la noblesse jouissait encore de ce privilège. Aujourd’hui, sous le régime constitutionnel, les vilains ont conquis le droit au garrotte."
