meilleur que je ne... For ne see note to page 4, line

9. Aprés avoir mangé. Aprés regularly is followed by the perfect infinitive. En is followed by the present participle (gerund); all other prepositions govern the infinitive.

20. s’étant fait donner la mandoline, after having the mandolin handed to him.

24. Si je ne me trompe. Pas is frequently omitted in the ifclauses of conditional sentences and regularly in si ce n’est, Sexcepts

27. langue basque. Basque isa peculiar and difficult language, probably derived from that of the ancient Iberian inhabitants of Spain. It is now spoken by some 600,000 people in Spain, and by not over 100,000 in Southwestern France.

Page 11.— 1. le Satan de Milton. Mérimée is probably thinking of Paradise Lost, I, sox ff.; cf. also Paradise Lost, 1, 54-8 and IV, 23-6.

15. Je crains que le cheval de Monsieur ne soit malade. Verbs of fearing, like other verbs expressing emotion, are regularly followed by the subjunctive (II, A, 2).

16. Je voudrais que Monsieur le vit. Subjunctive after verbs of will (II, A, r). ce qu’il faut lui faire, what to do for him.

20. au point of nous en étions, as matters stood. For en see note to page 7, line 4.

Page 12. — 9. Dés que j’en eus compris la nature. The past anterior is used in written French of a completed action, generally immediately preceding another action which is in the past definite. Tt is so used after aussit6t que, dés que, sitét que, ‘as soon as’; alors que, lorsque, quand, ‘ when’; and aprés que, ‘ after.’

ro. ala belle étoile, like the longer and less common coucher a lenseigne de 1’étoile, is an ironical phrase properly meaning ‘put up at the Star Inn,’ that is ‘ (sleep) in the open air.’