à peu près: transl. ‘or thereabouts

18. un dédit, : forfeit.” ‘The house was being built by contract, and a -ertain sum would be forfeited by the builder if it were not completed by a fixed date, as stipulated in the agreement,

3. fils de veuve: the only son of a widow might be excuser 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. Transl. ‘if actually he did not look at me,'etc. Voilà-t-il pas

and ne voilà-t-il pas are allowable but altogether incorrect expressions.

:8. le fil-en-quatre : lit. ‘wire made of four twists.' expression, as here, for the bad brandy sold at the small public-houses. The gua/re refers perhaps to the amount of spirit of wine contained in it, as Ze fl-en-quatre is very Strong. (Æï/-en-trois likewise occurs, )

A popular

‘ready to, ‘prepared to : j/ est Près de mourir, ‘he is about to die,

on the point of death ; Je suis prêt à partir, ‘1 am ready to go.’ 6. m'a refusée : not : declined to give me,’ but ‘declined te accept {om me.’ Peu près may usually be translated ‘very nearly,' ‘ about I 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 risin Ex. —/es belles dames ne sont £guère matineuses.

2. Chaude: oecause it was Summer rain, the time being towards the end of the month of August.

g early,