tu auras affaire à moi, you'll catch it

131. cinq sous la livre. Notice that the definite article is used in French, instead of the indefinite in English before words of measure, price, weight.

172. c'était une affaire délicate que le découpage : cf. note on iv. 106.

176. à la gamelle, at mess. Gamelle lit. means a bowl, and is then used as a military term of a group of men who form 4 a mess.'

215. j'avais beau jouer, I played in vain. Cf. 'Vous avez beau parler,' and our English idiom, ' It 's ail very fine talking.' It is an elliptical expression, and some word like ' champ ' must be supplied. It thus means 'to hâve an opportunity, but fail,' and is used ironically. In full, the phrase would be something like 'J'avais beau champ pour jouer,' i.e. ■ I had a fine field for playing — but it was ail of no use. '