le ' Faubourg Marceau ' : St. Marcel, or St. Marceau

was born at Paris in the fourth century, and became bishop of that city. His relies hâve been deposited in the cathedral. He gave his name to a village now united with the capital, and popularly called the ' Faubourg Marceau,' Parisian workmen, in their hatred of clericalism, generally omitting the word Saint when it occurs in the names of streets, etc.

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1. 19. pauvresse: pauvre, used as an adj. , remains unchanged

in the féminine ; but when used as a noun it becomes pauvresse. Cf. borgne, ' a one-eyed man ' ; drôle, ' a rascal ' ; mulâtre, ' a mulatto ' ; and suisse, ' a Swiss.' madras : elliptical for mouchoir de Madras, a sort of bright-coloured kerchief of silk and cotton, made in India. The French imitations are made of cotton only. It hère signifies a cotton kerchief thrown over the head. ,, 19, 20. traînant and portant hâve hère verbal force ; hence there is no agreement. But when the vvord in -ant has adjectival force, when it dénotes state or condition rather than movement or action, it agrées, like an adjective, with the noun to which it refers. Cf. p. 3 11. 12-13 flambante . . et lançant, etc.

2. 8. tourniquet, 'turnstile,' etc. ; hère a game of chance, in

which an indicator points to numbers on the edge of a revolving circle. Transi. ' a wheel of fortune. ' A player wins or loses according to the number at which the hand of the indicator is pointing when the circle ceases to revolve. The prizes for the winners were in this case litres of wine, a litre bottle containing rather more than a pint.

„ 9. aussi =' accordingly. ' In this sensé aussi is followed by the interrogative construction ; when it means ' also ' there is no inversion.

,, 23. la rue Lhomond : this is a small street lying to the west of the Rue Mouffetard, with which it forms an acute angle near the church of Saint-Médard. Lhomond, 1727-94, was a professor at the University of Paris, and wrote many elementary school-books, some of which are still in use. le Bollandiste : the name given to certain Jesuits, the collaborators and successors of Johann Bolland, the first editor of the Acta Sanctorum, a celebrated martyrology, begun in 1643, and not completed before 1870. Hère the name is applied to a particular édition, as we say 'an Elzevir.'

„ 29. brave : many adjectives vary in meaning in French according to their position in the sentence — e.g. un brave- homme, 'a worthy man ' ; un hom?/ie brave, ' a brave man.' Une bonne fem?ne, p. 2 1. 13, is ' a good, simple soûl ' ; une femme bonne, *a kind, charitable woman.' Un honnête homme is ' an honest, upright man ' ; un homme ho?incte may hâve the same meaning, but also is sometimes used for ' a polite, well-bred man.' Pauvre femme, p. 14 1. 21, is used in friendly commisération, whereas une femme pauvre is ' an indigent woman,' ' one in want.' ne pouvait : after the verbs pouvoir, cesser, and oser used negatively/uj- and point may be omitted.

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3. i. caissier : transi. ' as a cashier. ' A noun in apposition is

not preceded by an article, gencrally speaking.

,, 7. soutane : a long black cassock, buttoned down the front and reaching to the heels, such as is worn by Roman Catholic priests ; but the word is hère used in a gênerai sensé, as \ve say ' the cloth ' in référence to the profession, rather than to the actual garb which is the sign of the profession. // a pris la soutane, ' he has become a priest.'

,, 14. l'on : note that the article is only used before on when required for the sake of euphony, as after such words as que, si, et, où, etc., when, if the article were omitted, a hiatus would be caused by the conjunction of two vowels. But such a construction as si on les voit . . must be used instead of si l'on les to avoid the ugly répétition of the /. On is only used in the subjective case ; it represents the Latin nominative komo, whilst homme represents the accusative case, hominem.

,, 16. zinc: popular for comptoir, 'bar.'

,, 19. croua ! croua ! an imitation of the cawing of crows, to which priests hâve been compared on account of their black cassocks.

,, 27. lueur rouge : in France the lamp that is kept always burning before the high altar is usually made of red glass ; the light shining through this gives a reddish glimmer.

4. 4. la rue Monge runs in a southerly direction, at first parallel

with the Rue Mouffetard and to the east of it, but at length it turns to the south-west and enters the Avenue des Gobelins near its junction with the Rue Claude Bernard. Gaspard Monge was born at Beaune in 1746 and died at Paris in 18 18. He was a celebrated mathematician, and created the science of descriptive geometry. He was Minister of Marine from 1792-93, and the chief founder of the Polytechnic School at Paris.

„ 5. avoir fait danser l'anse du panier: V anse du panier vs> the handle of the basket (which the cook takes to the market to make purchases), and faire danser l'anse du panier means ' to make unlawful profits on purchases,' ' to gain upon marketing,' ' to make a market-penny.'

,, 6. au seul mot . . : transi. ' at the very word "restitution,"' or ' at the bare mention of , ' etc. Seul following its noun means ' alone ' ; preceding the ncun it may usually be translated by 'only,' 'mère,' 'very,' 'sole.'

,, 27. qu'un autre, 'than any one else,' or ' than my neighbours.' Les autres, p. 10 1. 29, is also used quite indefinitely for ' others,' ' other people.'

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4. 30. il faut que vous m'écoutiez : note the use of the sub-

junctive after most impersonal verbs and expressions.

5. 1. il ne s'agissait plus . ., ' it was no longer a question.'

Distinguish between agir, ' to act,' etc., and s agir, ' to be in question.'

4. qu'il écoutait and absolvait : note the use of the imperfect tense to show habit, and transi. ' to vvhich he was wont to listen,' etc. The imperfect is also used to dénote a graduai process ; cf. p. 41 1. 8 il devenait un de ces êtres fuyants, etc.

8. trouble, 'agitation,' not 'trouble.' , , 22. sabot, ' bungler. '

6. 1. forcé d' épargner : forcer is ' to compel,' ' constrain. '

Some grammarians hâve tried to establish a distinction between forcer à and forcer de followed by an infmitive, but there is no real différence between the two. In the passive voice de is more commonly used.

,; 16. pas moyen : elliptical phrase for il n'y avait pas moyen.

,, 19. il me sembla qu'il y en avait assez . . : the impersonal verb il semble usually takes the subjunctive after it when it has no indirect object, as il semble que vous n ayez jamais rien vu de pareil. When accompanied by an indirect object the following verb is usually in the indicative. So in the above sentence the indicative is used, il y en avait, the indirect object being me.

,, 22. qu'on : on is hère used in the sensé of elle. Cf. p. 32 1. 6.

je n'avais rien d'un séducteur : transi. ' there was nothing fascinating about me. '

7. 16. pardonnez - moi : note that pardo?iner takes an indirect

object of the person and a direct object of the thing : pardonner quelque chose à quelqu'un, ' to forgive a person (for) a thing. '

,, 22. ce que . . : this sentence is very elliptical. The sensé is, ' What could I do? why ! (I could do) what I believed would be to their happiness, (namely) marry them.'

., 29. Camille : in French Camille may be either masculine or féminine, Camillus or Camilla.

8. 17. le Mont-de-Piété, 'the pawnbroker's.* The mont-de-piété

was first invented in Italy in the fifteenth century by a pious confraternity. The institution known as the Mont-de-Piété at Paris was founded in 1777, and enjoys the monopoly of loans on pledges. The central bureau is in the Rue des Francs- Bourgeois, but there are two branch offices, as well

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as twenty-four auxiliary offices, in the différent arrondissements, corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. At the central office the bbrrower pays oi per cent interest ; in other cases 12 per cent.

8. 18. toute * tout is hère used adverbially, meaning tout à fait,

entièrement. The rule in this case is that tout varies, for the sake of euphony, when it précèdes a féminine adjective beginning with a consonant or aspirated h. Otherwise tout remains invariable. It would therefore be correct to say tout amaigrie et toute pâlie, but Coppée often disregards the rule. Cf. p. ia L 2.

,, 31. la Bonne Vierge : i.e. the Virgin Mary.

,, 23. des bêtises et des infamies, ' foolish and insulting talk.' In this sensé infamies is only used in the plural.

9. 2. le quartier : hère 'the district,' 'the neighbourhood,' i.e.

the one in which lay the lodgings of Philippe and Catherine. ,, 15. quoique l'intérieur soit .. attristé : quoique, in one word,

means ' although ' ; quoi que, in two words, means ' what-

ever.' Both ahvays require the following verb to be in the

subjunctive mood.

,, 16. ça va déjà mieux: i.e. things are already going better,

the outlook is already brighter.

,, 29. m'en voilà pour cinq ans, ' I ara in for five years of it.'

10. 5. parce que, in two words, means ' because ' ; par ce que, in three words, means ' by that which,' ' by what. ' Ex. —

l'homme n'est malheureux que parce qu'il est méchant, par ce que l'homme fait, on peut juger de ses principes.

,, 10. le boulevard, Arago: 'boulevard' is literally a bulvvark, then a walk on the bulwarks. The meaning was further extended to any broad walk planted with trees and encircling a town. Now the word is commonly used for any wide road, planted with trees, crossing a town in any direction. The Boulevard Arago runs in an easterly direction from the Place Denfert-Rochereau to the Boulevard Saint- Marcel. There were three brothers of the name of Arago ; the most noted was Dominique François Arago, born near Perpignan in 1786, died at Paris in 1853. He was a physicist and astronomer, and was well known for his discoveries in magnetism and electricity. In 1809 he became a member of the Académie des Sciences, and professor of geometry at the Polytechnic. He was afterwards appointed chief director of the Observât ory, and in 1830 perpétuai secretary to the Académie. Elected deputy in 1831, he distinguished himself by his liberalism and became a member of the provisional government in May 1848.

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10. 12. monté la maison : hère ' raised,' ' run the house up to.'

,, 18. un dédit, ' forfeit.' The house was being built by contract, anci a certain sum would be forfeited by the builder if it were not completed by a fixed date, as stipulated in the agreement.

11. 3. fils de veuve : the only son of a widovv might be excused

from service in the army.

,, 14. descendirent: they were working on the fourth storey, as mentioned above.

,, 16. ne voilà-t-il pas qu'il . . : a sort of exclamation of surprise. Transi. ' if actually he did not look at me,' etc. Voilà-t-il pas and ?ie voilà-t-il pas are allowable but altogether incorrect expressions.

,, 18. le fll-en-quatre : lit. 'wiremade of four twists.' A popular expression, as hère, for the bad brandy sold at the small public-houses. The quatre refers perhaps to the amount of spirit of wine contained in it, as le Jil-en-quatre is very strong. (Fi l-e n- trois likewise occurs. )

,, 20. près de, ' about to,' 'on the point of ; prêt à, ' ready to,' ' prepared to' ; il est près de mourir, ' he is about to die,' ' on the point of death ' ; je suis prêt à partir, ' I am ready to go. '

12. 6. m'a refusée: not ' declined to give me,' but 'declined to

accept from me.' ,, 14. à peu près: transi, 'or thereabouts. ' A peu près may usually be translated 'very nearly,' 'about.'

13. 1. matinal is applied to a person who has risen early, though

without being in the habit of rising early. It is also applied to things, when it means ' pertaining to the morning. ' Ex. —

vous êtes bien matinal aujourd'hui.

la brise matinale.

Matineux is applied to one who is in the habit of rising early, Ex. — les belles dames ne sont guère matineuses. ,, 2. chaude : becausé it was summer rain, the time being towards

the end of the month of August.

,, 3. la rue de Sèvres, on the left bank of the Seine and south of the ' Invalides,' runs to the south-west in the direction of Sèvres, which is about 6 miles from Paris. Sèvres is famous for its manufactory of porcelain.

4. square du Bon-Marché : the extensive shops of the Bon- Marché stand at the corner of the Rue de Sèvres and the Rue du Bac. In front of them is a square with gardens. The English word square is not used in French except for a square with gardens.

Notes 79

Page line 13. 8. oinnibus : the vehicles of the ' Compagnie générale des omnibus ' run through Paris by over thirty différent routes, designated on the outside of each omnibus by one or more letters of the alphabet. The omnibuses of the différent routes are known in the daytime by their différent colours, and at night by coloured lamps.

la Chaussée du Maine : this is an important street on the south side of the Seine, starting from the church of St. Pierre de Montrouge, and passing to the west of the Gare de l'Ouest. Le Maine was a province of France, capital Le Mans.

la gare du Nord : the terminus of the railway known as ' le chemin de fer du Nord ' is situated in the Place Roubaix, on the right bank of the Seine.

„ g. la rue de l'Abbé-Grégoire : this is a short cross-street, running from the Rue de Vaugirard to the Rue de Sèvres, which it enters opposite l'Hôpital Laennec. Henri Grégoire was born in 1750 and died at Paris in 183 1. He was a wellknown revolutionist, and was at one time Bishop of Blois. ' Coppée m'arrêta devant le numéro 9 de cette rue qui s'appelait autrefois rue Saint-Maur-Saint-Germain, qui s'est appelée ensuite rue des Missions, et est aujourd'hui placée sous le vocable de l'abbé Grégoire . . . C'est au second étage de ce numéro 9 . . que François Coppée naquit le 26 janvier 1842/ — De Lescure, François Coppée, p. 3.

,, 10. poitevins : horses from Poitou. A two-horse omnibus contains from 26 to 28 places — 14 inside and 12 or 14 outside.

,, 12. légionnaires romains : the Roman légion was a body of infantry, containing from 3000 to over 6000 men at différent times, and usually combined with a large body of cavalry. The ancient légion had 300 horse. Each légion was divided into ten cohorts, each cohort into three maniples, and each maniple into two centuries.

,, 13. s'abritant de leurs boucliers : the Roman shields or bucklers were usually of wood covered with leather, and were provided with a strap, worn on the left arm. In battle, and especially when besieging a town, the Roman soldiers sometimes protected themselves by raising their shields above their heads, and locking them ail together. This arrangement was known as the ' testudo ' or ' tortoise-shell. '

„ 14. marchent à l'assaut de, ' advance to storm.'

,, 16. les 'Nord' : i.e. passengers bound for the gare du Nord.

,: 17. sans se douter de, ' without suspecting' ; douter de means ' to doubt,' ' to question'; se douter de is ' to suspect,' 'conjecture'; je m'en doutais bien, 'I thought as much.'

8o Contes Choisis

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Note that douter always requires the verb in the subordinate clause to be in the subjunctive mood, whilst se douter governs the indicative if the phrase is affirmative, the subjunctive if the phrase is interrogative or négative.

13. 18. le un : un hère receives a sort of semi-aspiration, in order to

make the meaning clearer, and avoid confusion with l'un, meaning 'theone' (of two things). Each passenger has to take a numbered ticket at the bureau, and when the omnibus arrives the numbers are called in succession, and each passenger has to wait until his number is called before entering the vehicle.

,, 22. une sœur de Saint-Vincent de Paul: St. Vincent de Paul was born in 1576 and died in 1660. He did much humane work amongst the galley slaves, and established confréries de charité in various places. In 1625 he founded the 'Congrégation des Prêtres de la Mission,' to supply the provinces with efficient religious teachers, in 1632 the order of the Lazarists, and in 1634 that of the ' Sœurs de la Charité' or Sisters of Mercy. He also founded at Paris the hospitals of ' La Salpétrière ' and ' Les Enfants Trouvés ' or Foundling Hospital. Cf. note, p. 32 1. i3. He took an active part in the controversy directed against the Jansenists, and was canonised in 1737. The church of St. Vincent de Paul is situated in the Place Lafayette, near the Gare du Nord.

14. 1. correspondance : in Paris passengers are allowed to change

from one omnibus to another on making application for a ticket called correspondance while paying the fare to the conductor on entering the vehicle. This ticket must be given, at the office where the change takes place, to the conductor of the second omnibus. The offices or stations of correspotidance are marked by a blue sign-board, bearing in white letters the words ' Compagnie générale des omnibus.'

8. qui écarte la foule, ' who makes her way through the crowd,' lit. ' who makes the crowd give way.'

,, 10. abritant de son mieux, ' doing her best to shelter.'

,, 18. trois ans et demi: demi placed before a substantive is invariable. Ex. — une demi-douzaine. Placed after the substantive it agrées with it in gender, but always remains in the singular number. Ex. — une douzaine et demie; deux ans et demi (i.e. un demi-an). When used as a noun, it may take the sign of the plural. Cf. demi-voix, à, in Vocab.

,, 19. enfin : hère ' never mind.'

,, 20. tout de même really has the same meaning as de même, viz. 'in a similar manner,' ' of the same kind ' ; but it is also used to mean ' nevertheless,' as hère.

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14. 24. l'omnibus complet : when an omnibus is mil a small board

is suspended over the door, inscribed with the word complet ; another such board is placed beneath the drivers seat.

, , 25. se remet en branle, ' sets itself again in motion,' ' in swing. '

15. t. six gros sous : a sou corresponds to a half- penny, a gros

sou to a penny. Each inside passenger in an omnibus pays 30 centimes, whatever be the distance traversed. A gros sou is worth 10 centimes, six gros sous is therefore correct payment for two persons.

5. l'hôpital Lariboisière : this hospital is situated in a square close to the Gare du Nord, in the angle formed by the meeting of the Boulevard de la Chapelle and the Boulevard de Magenta. It was built between 1846 and 1853 and contains over 600 beds. in the chapel lies the tomb of Mme de Lariboisière, from whom it takes its name. She bequeathed nearly three million francs to the poor of Paris.

,, 14. qui ne se peuvent rendre que, ' which can only be conveyed or expressed.'

,, 15. Philippe de Champaigne, or de Champagne, a painter of the Flemish school, was born at Brussels in 1602 and died at Paris in 1674. He went to Paris at the âge of nineteen, became painter to the Queen of France, and was received into the Académie de Peinture on its foundation by Mazarin in 1648. His portraits are most esteemed, particularly one of Richelieu.

,, 19. elles, referring to les mains which follows, is used as an introductory subject.

,, 23. les bonnes gens: as a gênerai rule, adjectives and participles preceding gens and belonging to the same clause are put in the féminine gender, those which follow or are in a separate clause in the masculine.

, , 26. allez : hère ' I can tell you. '

,, 28. un petit sec, 'a little, dried-up, thin raan.' Homme is understood.

., 29. ancien, 'former.'

chasseur, 'hunter,' 'fowler,' 'huntsman,' 'footman,' 'waiter.' Hère it means a soldier belonging to a body of light troops, mounted or on foot, specially designed for rapid movements and for the pursuit of the enemy. Les chasseurs d' Afrique wear a blue tunic and red trousers, and a red fez ; chasseurs de Vincennes, ' Vincennes rifle-corps. ' Vincennes : a town about 2 miles east of the fortifications of Paris, noted for its castle, in the moat of which the Duc d'Enghien was shot in 1804.

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16. i. Crimée : the Crimean war was fought in 1853-56 between

Russia and the allied forces of Turkey, France, Great Britain, and Sardinia. It arose through a quarrel about the ' Holy Places ' in Palestine, and the jealousy between England and Russia. The chief events were — the battle of Sinope, 1853 ; the Russian occupation of the principalities on the Danube, battle of the Aima, beginning of siège of Sebastopol, Balaklava, and Inkerman in 1854 ; attacks on Sebastopol, Tchernaya, storming the Malakoff, fall of Sebastopol, and the capture of Kars by the Russians in 1855. The war was ended by the Treaty of Paris in 1856.

6. Enfant- Jésus : this is apparently the same as l'Hôpital des

Enfants Malades, a large children's hospital lying between the Rue de Sèvres and the Rue de Vaugirard.