difficile, dainty

276. dardaient, literally to shoot ; cf. Eng. dart : translate hère to direct,

280. si frugal qu'eût : a concessive sentence, and therefore subjunctive. Si . . . que, is hère put for quelque . . . que, a not uncommon use.

298. avaient pris leur parti de, had made up their minds to. Note and learn the phrases, * prendre parti pour,' to side with ; 1 prendre un parti,' to corne to a décision ; and the substantive, 1 un parti pris,' afixed resolution.

306. combien je dormis de temps. Notice the séparation of the adverb of quantity from its partitive genitive. This is very common in French. Cf. 'Tant l'amour a d'empire sur lui,' and ' Ce qu'elle lui inspirait d'estime. '

308. la couche, the drift. The word literally means a bed, and then, in geology, a layer, stratum.