hec-de-cane, spring-bolt

Page 3. 1. 13. m'a mis en évidence, bas distinguished me.

1. 16. Le duc de Richelieu rient défaire cesser Voccupation de la France. After the battle of Waterloo, Louis XVIII, who had retired before Napoléon on the latter's return from Elba, was reinstated on the throne of France by the united forces of England, Prussia, and Russia, and from July 8, 1815, to November 30, 1818, the allied troops were stationed in France. The Duc de Richelieu, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, obtained the évacuation of French territory from the sovereigns of Russia, Prussia, and Austria, who had met at Aix-la- Chapelle.

1. 22. libéraux, i. e. the moderate party as opposed to the extrême Royalists ; generally speaking, the Opposition during the Restoration.

1. 33. chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. The Légion d'Honneur was founded by Napoléon when Consul in 1802, as a reward for civil and military services.

Page 4. 1. 3. fai été blessé à Saint-Roch en vendémiaire. In October (called vendémiaire = mois des vendanges = ' vintage month ' in the calendar issued by the Convention, see note to p. 15, 1. 26) of the year 1795 the Royalists, encouraged by the reactionary attitude of the Convention, attempted to overthrow the republican government. Bonaparte, however, to whom the crushing of this conspiracy was entrusted, quelled the Royalist forces on the steps of the Church of Saint-Roch in Paris (rue Saint-Honoré).

1. 19. puisque nous avons le vent en pompe : Birotteau means le vent en 2)0upe, i. e. since the wind is in our favour (literally, since the wind is on the stern of our vessel).

Page 5. 1. 1. qui cherche midi à quatorze heures, who looks for a thing in the wrong place ; who looks for knots in a bulrush.

1. 18. faire de cinq sous six blancs, et de six blancs rien. The blanc was an old coin worth 5 deniers, while 1 sou was worth 12 deniers ; thus 5 sous — 60 deniers, and 6 blancs = 30 deniers ;

the expression therefore implies that Birotfceau is about first to reduce his fortune to one half, and then to lose it altogether. A corresponding modem expression is faire de cent sous (see note to p. 37, 1. 22) quatre livres, et de quatre livres rien, i. e., to be a bad manager.

1. 39. Vétude à Roguin, Roguin's practice. A lawyer's office is .always known in France as une étude, e. g. 'une étude d'avoué,' * une étude de notaire.'

Page 6. 1. 1. comptant, in cash.

1. 5. la margoulette, a familiar term for 'jaw,' a diminutive of gueule, mouth (of an animal).

1. 7. si tu as le Pérou, if you hâve discovered gold mines, the South American state of Peru being exceedingly rich in gold. Gagner le Pérou=to make a large fortune.

1. 13. la Madeleine, a beautiful church in Paris in the Corinthian style, facing through the Rue Royale on to the Place de la Concorde.

1. 21. tenir la queue de la 2)oéle, to manage things, to hâve a finger in the pie ; lit. to hold the frying-pan by the handle.