au fond : see note p. 21, line
37. 10. jeter l'argent par les fenêtres, ' to play ducks and drakes with nioney. '
, , , , il n'est telle chère que de vilain ! this proverb, usually translated by ' there is nothing like a miser's feast, ' implies hère that ' no one spends money so lavishly as he who has been unfaniiliar with the use of it.' Thus this Bennezons, who represents merely an offshoot of the old Bennezons
Notes
Page LiNE
faniily, tries to make up by extravagance for what lie lacks in birth. Cf. faire bonne chère, ' to fare sumptuously ' ; faire maigre chère, ' to keep a poor table. ' la solde, ' the pay ' (of an officer) ; /e solde, ' the settlement ' (of an account) ; /es appointements, ' the salary ' (of a secretary) ; le traitement, 'the salary' (of a professional man) ; les honoraires, ' the fce ' (of a lawyer) ; les gages, ' the wages ' (of a workman).
en disponibilité : means — (i), as hère, the period when military men are not on the active list, but may be called on to serve at any moment (in English = on half-pay) ; (2) the period, in France, during which an officiai is siispended from the service by way of punishment.
avec tes 1800 francs au grand complet, ' with your 1800 francs ail told.'
la cocarde tricolore : the people's flag was the tricolour —
blue, white, and red ; see note p. 47, 1. 24.
les plaideurs de la fable . . les coquilles : cf —
Perrin Dandin arrive ; iU le prennent pour juge. Perrin fort gravement ouvre l'huître, et la gruge,
Nos deux messieurs le regardant.
Ce repas fait, il dit, d'un ton de président : " Tenez, la cour vous donne à chacun une écaille Sans dépens ; et qu'en paix chacun chez soi s'en aille."
La Fontaine, L'huître et les plaideurs.
deux jours durant : note that du7-ant is the only préposition in French which may be placed after the noun.
se pavanait, ' was strutting about like a peacock ' ; Lat. pavo.
une clarinette, i.e. (un joueur de) 'clarinette.' Similarly une contre-basse, unejlûte, but îcn trompette (a trumpeter).
avait élu domicile, lit. ' had chosen his résidence,' hence ' had retired.'
ligueur : ' a leaguer ' was a member of the Holy League which had been organised in 1576 by the Duc de Ciuise, with the object of excluding Protestant princes of the blood from the succession to the throne, and of maintaining the Roman Catholic religion in France. The ligucuis were completely defeated at Ivry, in 1590, by Henry IV., king of France (1589-1610), who abjured the Protestant faith in 1593.
Gérard (1770-1837) : a celebrated French painter.
de me faire faire tapisserie : faire tapisserie, ' to be présent at a bail without being asked to dance," i.e. ' to liiu; the walls,' ' to be a wall-flower. '
maître Guibout : maître is used hère as a term of contempt. Maître (not monsieur) is used when applied to mcmbers of
Page LiNE
the légal profession (attorneys, barristers, lawyers, but not to judges), as in English, ' Mr. Serjeant,' 'Mr. Speaker.'
43. 8. Amadis is the hero of a famous romance, composée! of 24
books, the first 13 of which were writtcn in Spanish in the fourteenth century, and the others in French.
44. 21. se trouve en tiers, ' is indirectly interested in . .'
,, 23. nous cédons le pas : céder le pas à, ' to yield precedence to . .'
,, 28. n'a cours que, ' is only in vogue.' Cf. donner cours à sa colère, ' to give vent to one's anger ' ; cela n'a plus cours, ' it is gone out of fashion ' ; le cours de la Bourse, ' Stock Exchange rate. '
45. ig. se trouvait à couvert, ' was under cover,' hence ' was safe. '
