ï. séjour: transi. ' to fréquent

,, 3. absinthe (f. ): in botany, ' wormwood. ' Also used for an aromatic liqueur of a greenish colour and very bitter taste, prepared by steeping in alcohol or strong spirit bitter herbs, such as Artemisia Absinthium ; hence the name. Figuratively absinthe means ' grief, ' ' bitterness. ' Leur style est mêlé de fiel et d'absinthe, ' their style is a mixture of gall and bitterness. '

4. il aurait pu dresser de toutes les viiles . . un plan : i.e. un plan de toutes les villes. The long explanatory phrase following plan has hère caused the inversion.

9. chopes : from Germ. Schoppen (' pint '), a large glass in the shape of a truncated cône, capable of holding about half a litre of béer, ' a beer-glass ' or ' glass of béer. '

, , 24. par trop means ' much too. ' In Old French par had an intensitive meaning, corresponding to the use of the Latin per before an adjective ; as par grand, ' Very great. ' Cf. Latin permagnus. In Modem French par retains this sensé only before trop. In Latin the préposition per could not be separated from the adjective as was frequently done in Old French. Ex. — tant par est blans corne fi ur en es/et, ' it is as white as a flower in summer. '

28. - 5. édifices can be used of any things arranged or combined

with art, in a way in which we sometimes use the word ' érection. '

bols à punch, ' punch-bowls. ' The préposition à signifies that the bowls are intended to hold punch. A bol de punch would mean a bowl actually full of punch. The Hindoo word panch means a mixture of five things, and punch was originally supposed to contain five ingrédients, viz. water or tea, sugar, some kind of wine or spirit, cinnamon, and lemon-peel or juice.

6. billes de billard, ' billiard balls. ' In England the game of billiards is usually played with three balls on a table having six pockets, but the French game is usually played with three balls on a table without pockets.

,, 10. le Champagne : used elliptically for le vin de Champagne.

, , n. trémière is only used in the expression rose trémière, a hollyhock or rose-mallow, although trétnier is occasionally used in some parts of France as a noun. Other names for the hollyhock are rose de Damas, de mer, d 'outre-mer, and passe-rose.

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28. ii. se fit servir: servir is hère used absolutely in the sensé of

to set food or drink on the table, or before any one.

,, 19. point and pas may often be used indiscriminately, but of the two point conveys a stronger négative than pas, even as a ' point ' is smaller than a ' step. '

,, 22. ce nouveau venu: when nouveau venu is used as an adjective the plural is nouveau venus, as fiouveau lias the force of an adverb (= nouvellement) and is therefore invariable ; but when used as a noun the plural is ?wuveaux venus, as nouveau has the force of an adjective. The plural of nouveau-né, even when used as a noun, is, however, nouveau-nés.

,, 23. gaiement is also spelt gaîment.

,, 25. humains is generally used when writing in elevated style or in poetry ; it is hère used in a familiar, playfully satirical manner.

, , 27. razzias : la razzia, ' raid ' ; a new word, borrowed from Arabie. Razzias were formerly commonly practised by the Turks in Algeria and other provinces for the punishment of tribes which refused to pay taxes, by carrying off their cattle, destroying the crops, etc. The practice was continued for a time by the French in Algeria after its conquest, and they then borrowed the word.

,, 28. Constantine, or Constantina, is the capital of the French province of Constantine, the easternmost part of Algeria. It takes its name from Constantine, who rebuilt it. In récenttimes it was governed by a Bey, but when the Bey made common cause with Abd-el-Kader, the town was attacked and taken after a murderous assault by the French under General Damrémont and the Duc de Nemours, October 13, 1837. In the previous year an expédition had been led against Ahmed, the Bey of Constantine, by Marshal Clausel ; but when the troops reached the town, many died from the severe cold, and Clausel was repulsed with great loss and obliged to retreat.

Bou-Maza : presumably the native leader of the force which so bravely defended Constantine in 1837.

29. 2. Saint-Cyr is the name given to a military school situated

near Versailles, in the house founded by Mme de Maintenon for the éducation of young ladies of noble birth. The school is governed by a gênerai, and the course of study lasts for two years. It corresponds to our 'Sandhurst.' ,, 12. mots carrés: un mot carré is a word-square, or letter-puzzle, consisting of a séries of words so chosen that, when they are arranged one above another in the form of a square, they

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may be read alike horizontally and vertically. The words must consist of the same number of letters apiece.

29. 12. rébus, a 'rébus,' or 'puzzle,' consisting of an enigmatical

représentation of words or phrases by means of figures or pictures, or arrangements of words suggestive of them. The word is said to hâve been derived from satirical plays composed by the clerics of Picardy at the annual carnival, and which, from their référence to current topics, were entitled De rébus quae geruntur, i.e. ' concerning things which are happening, ' ' on current events. '

,, 13. le seul qui . . se permît: after le plus, le premier, le dernier, le seul, le moindre, le meilleur, and other superlative expressions, either the indicative or the subjunctive mood is used, the former when an absolu te fact or a positive assertion is declared, the latter when some idea of uncertainty or doubt is desired to be conveyed. Ex. —

l' amour-propre est la seule chose dont on ne vient jamais à

bout, le chien est le seul animal dont la fidélité soit à l'épreuve. ,, 19. le Siècle: a Parisian morning paper of republican views.

, , 20. fils de Loyola : Ignatius de Loyola was born in Spain in 1491 and died at Rome in 1556. He joined the army and was severely wounded at the siège of Pampeluna (1521), after which he became converted and visited Rome and Jérusalem, and in 1528 joined the University of Paris. In 1534 he and a few fellow-students founded the order of the Jesuits, which was approved by Pope Paul III. in 1540, and of which Loyola became the first General in 1541. The objects of the Society of Jésus were (1) the éducation of youth, (2) preaching and instruction to grown-up people, (3) the defence of the Catholic faith against heretics and infidels, and (4) the propagation of Christianity among the heathen by means of missions. Loyola was canonised in 1622.

,, 26. soudain is hère used adverbially in the sensé of aussitôt, dans le même instant.

30. 16. absorber indicates an action completed gradually, by degrees.

Engloutir is used when the action is accomplished suddenly, ail at once. Ex. —

U7i patrimoine est englouti dans une fausse spéculation ; il

est absorbé par les procès, un fleuve s engloutit dans un abîme, il s'absorbe dans les sables.

31. 9. Alger : Algiers, a seaport town, the capital of Algeria, was

for centuries one of the principal strongholds of the Corsairs or sea-robbers, who infested the Mediterranean and levied

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blackmail upon ail trading vessels. It was bombardée! by the English in 1816, and occupied by the French in 1830.

31. 9. arabes : the principal inhabitants of Algeria are Berbers,

Arabs, Europeans, Jews, Moors, and descendants of Turks. In Marocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli, Arabian is the superior language. The classical form of the language is not used, only a dialect being spoken.

,, 23. son pied nu : when is nu invariable?

32. 1. de la maison : i.e. ' one of the household.' 3. allez : cf. note, p. 15 1. 26.

, , 6. on is hère used in the sensé oi je. Ex. — il y a lotigtemps qu'o?i ne vous a vu, i.e. que je ne vous ai vu. Cf. p. 6 1. 22.

,, 8. vienne : the subjunctive is used in this and similar sentences

because there is a doubt in the speaker's mind as to whether

he will live to see the day come. Cf. the provincial English

'corne Michaelmas. ' Vienne la Toussaint is équivalent to

1 quand la Toussai?it arrivera.

la Toussaint : i.e. la fête de tous les saints, Ail Saints' Day, which falls on the ist of November. Names of feast-days are always féminine, because the word fête is understood. Toussaint is incorrect, the spelling should be Toussaints, and the word was formerly correctly spelt with an s at the end.

,, 18. Enfants - Trouvés : used elliptically for 'l'Hospice des Enfants - Trouvés,' the Foundling Hospital. The first Foundling Hospital was established in Paris by Saint Vincent de Paul in 1648. See note on Saint Vincent de Paul, p. 13 1. 22.

,, 25. voilà qui : elliptical for voilà qiielque chose qui.

,.. 26. un soldat . . on le flanque : transi. ' as for a soldier,' etc.

du moins, ' at least,' ' at any rate,' is especially used to qualify a statement. Au ?noins, ' at least,' implies degree, quantity, or intensity. Ex. —

il est très riche, du moins je le crois.

si vous ne voulez pas être four lui, au moins ne soyez fas co?itre.

Du moins may, however, be sometimes used for au moins.

Invalides : the ' Hôtel des Invalides,' a great establishment in Paris on the left bank of the Seine, which provides a home for disabled or infirm soldiers, was founded by Louis XIV. in 1671 under the administration of Colbert, and aftenyards restored by Napoléon I. Beneath the Dôme of the Église des Invalides is an open crypt, in which in 1840 was placed the tomb of Napoléon.

33. 11. le sublime lancier de Leipsick : see note, p. 26 1. 12.

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33. 12. un trépas, 'death,' ' decease,' is used in poetical style, and

conveys with it the idea of passing from one life to the next. Hence it is properly used only of persons. Mort simply refers to the cessation of life, and can be applied on ail occasions, and to animais, trees, etc. , as well as to persons.

,, 26. pas assez riche : i.e. je ne suis pas assez riche.

,, 29. feu, meaning 'late,' agrées with its noun when it follows the article, but remains invariable when it précèdes it. Ex. — la feue reine ; feu la rei?ie. Feu la reine is used if there is no queen living ; la feue reine if she has been succeeded by another. Feu can only be used of contemporaries, except in burlesque.

Bésigue : bésigue is wrongly personified, according to the impression that it was invented by a man of that name, of which there appears to be no proof. Bezique is a cardgame for two, three, or four players. The object of the game is to win the aces, tens, and certain other cards, which when declared entitle the player to score a certain number of points. The captain evidently betted on the resuit.

34. 2. ça me connaît : familiar îox je connais bien cela, ' I am well

used to that,' ' it is quite familiar to me.' For ça cf. note, p. 17 1. 6.

,, 5. toutes deux: grammarians hâve tried to establish a distinction between tous deux and tous les deux, saying that the former meant ' both together, ' and the latter merely ' both,' one after the other, or separately and independently ; but in actual speech no such distinction is maintained. Cf. p. 5 1. 27 tous les deux.

la main : notice, besides the article instead of the possessive adjective, the singular instead of the plural. ,, 18. c'est dit, ' it is ail settled,' ' it is quite decided.'

qu'elle ait : this is the subjunctive of command. Cf. p. 57 1. 5 qu'elle descende.

,, 24. il faudra, ' one will hâve to,' i.e. 'I shall hâve to. '

bocks : bock-beer is a double-strong variety of German béer,

sweeter and darker than the ordinary kinds, and more

intoxicating. Bock-bier is F.imbeckisch Bier (béer from

Einbeck, or Eimbeck, a town in Prussia).

,, 26. il n'y a pas à dire : transi. ' there isno mistake about it,' or

' without any doubt. ' ,, 28. cariatide, also spelt caryatide, is literally a caryatid or figure of a woman dressed in long robes, used in architecture as a column serving to support an entablature or other part of a building. Hère used metaphorically for the habituai guests or supporters of a tavern. Transi. ' pillais. '

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35. 4. combien n'avait-il pas . . : observe the redundant use of

the négative in exclamation.

,, 11. Poniatowski : see note, p. 26 1. 12.

,, 13. dès is usually used of time, but occasionally of place, as hère.

,, 19. réussir, ' to succeed,' is usually a neuter verb ; but sometimes is used actively, and then means ' to exécute well. ' It is implied that the cripple would give an artistic finish to her work.

,, 25. chartreuse, ' charter-house,' 'convent,' ' solitary countryhouse ' ; also a cordial or liqueur, compounded by the monks of the fainous monastery of la Grande -Chartreuse, near Grenoble, with aromatic plants, growing on the mountains, and brandy.

,, 31. quinte et quatorze are hère terms used in the game of piquet. A quinte, or ' quint,' is composed of five cards of the same colour, and counts fifteen. A quatorze, or ' fourteen,' consists of four cards of the same value, as four aces, four kings, etc., and counts fourteen. Avoir quinte et quatorze is used figuratively for ' to hâve the game in one's own hands. '

36. 6. il n'y put tenir, ' he could not hold out,' i.e. 'he could not

bear it any longer.'

, , 9. mille tonnerres : cf. the German Donnerwetter.

,, 10. c'est fini : i.e. ' the change or reformation is complète.'

,, 21. ment: the usual ending for French adverbs. It cornes from the Latin mente, ablative case of mens, ' a mind,' used in the sensé of 'way,' ' fashion. ' Since mens was féminine, the adjective had to be always in the ablative féminine ; hence French adverbs are still formed, as a rule, by adding the suffix ment to the féminine form of the adjective.

,, 27. il sera mort: notice the future in French instead of the English présent after a temporal conjunction.

,, 31. tous les jours. ' every day. ' Toute la journée means ' the

whole day long. ' 38 Title, Le Remplaçant, ' a substitute,' used technically of one who takes the place of another, who is then called le remplacé, in military service. Le remplacé is answerable for the conduct of his remplaçant for a year. The story of the Remplaçant seems to hâve been, in part at least, suggested to Coppée by the appearance of a boy who had been picked up out of the gutter by the poet Catulle Mendès. Cf. the following quotation with the opening of the story as told by Coppée : —

' Le souvenir nous transporte dans le petit rez-de-chaussée de la rue de Douai, où demeurait Catulle Mendès, vers 1865

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... Il viendra du monde, ce soir. On a allumé la lampe . . et toutes les bougies qu'on a pu ; et Covielle, le petit domestique, vient même de disposer ce qu'il faut pour le thé.

' Covielle, c'est un voyou du boulevard des Batignolles qui, à quatorze ans, a déjà fait le tour du monde en qualité de mousse et qui, tout récemment, servait de pitre au marchand de poil à gratter de la place Clichy. Son vrai nom ? on le sait peut-être aux Enfants-Trouvés et aux Jeunes- Détenus. Mais Catulle Mendès a un jour recueilli ce gavroche par charité, en a fait son groom, et l'a baptisé Covielle, en souvenir des farces de Molière. Demain, profitant d'une absence de son maître, il s'enfuira, après avoir vendu la pendule et mis les deux matelas au Mont-de-Piété ; mais aujourd'hui encore, il est fidèle ; il essuie les tasses, fait chauffer l'eau et coupe en tranches égales le baba ; car on attend des poètes, des camarades.' — De Lescure, François Coppée, pp. 45, 46.

38. 6. la Bastille : Bastille was originally a common name given to

a citadel or fortress ; the word was afterwards applied in particular to the old fortress in Paris, the érection of which was begun in 1369. After the other mediaeval fortifications of the city had been destroyed, it was still preserved and used as a prison for persons confined at the arbitrary decree of the king or his ministers. It was stormed by the populace in the Great Révolution on July 14, 1789, and was soon afterwards demolished. The site is now occupied by a square, in the centre of which is a column, surmounted by a statue of Liberty. La Fête Nationale is held on the I4th of July, to commemorate the taking of the Bastille. 7. corde à boyau : see note, p. 39 1. 12.

9. dix centimes, deux sous : a centime is the hundredth part of a franc, and a sou is 5 centimes, or a halfpenny.

,, 12. du poil à gratter : see note, p. 39 1. n.

,, 15. Montmartre is situated to the north of Paris, and on a hill. It possesses old quarries, in which a variety of gypsum, called montmartrite, was found, and from which plaster of Paris is made. St. Denis is said to hâve been martyred on the Butte Montmartre. The slopes of the hill next the city hâve been laid out as a public garden.

,, 20. Frères: i.e. members of a religious body. The society of the ' Frères des écoles chrétiennes,' for instance, possesses schools in every arrondissement of Paris.

,, 21. voilà is hère used elliptically for voilà ce qui est arrivé.