menacé . . du sort d'Absalon : cf. ' And Absalom

rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head cauglit hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth ; and the mule that was under him went away ' (2 Samuel xviii. 9). , , 26. tablier : the leather covering in carriages used as a protection

to the fcet and legs.

10. 3. joutant: lit. yVw/'ÉT means to fighl on horscbnck with lances, as in the old tournaments, i.e. ' to tilt' ; translate ' meeting each other. ' 3. bonnet phrygien : the Phrygian cap gencrally placed on the statues of Liberty and the Republic. ,, II. la décoration de juillet: an ordcr crcatcd to conimemorate the Révolution of July 1830, which brouglu about the fall

I02 L'Anneau d'Argent

Page LiNE

of Charles X. (1824-30) and the Bourbon family, and ultimately placed Louis - Philippe, Duke of Orléans, upon the throne of France.

10. 28. un peu d'humeur; the French hinneur ('temper') is not

to be mistaken for the English ' humour, ' vvhich is now used in French with its English meaning.

, , 30. sa face à tous crins ! strictly speaking crin — ' horse's hair ' ; e.g. un cheval à tous crins, 'a horse with flowing mane and tail.' The expression hère refers to the beard and eyebrows as well as to the hair. Translate ' with his shaggy face. '

11. 3. propos de vaincu, ' you speak like one who has got the

worst of it,' i.e. you iind fault with him because he has been more lucky than you in getting the pièce of veil.

,, 15. îovthïery, \.e. fort jolie.

,, 22. le boston : an American game of cards.

je ferai sa partie : when referring to the playing of a game, partie is used and ï\o\.Jeu; e.g. faire vue partie de billa>-d, d' échecs, de cartes, ' to hâve a game at billiards, at chess, at cards ' ; but le cricket est un beau jeu, ' cricket is a fine game. '

, , 23. l'ami d'Azor : Azor is a name very commonly given to dogs

in France.

,, 24. il y a des gimblettes partout (understood ' to be given to

Azor ') : gimblette (fem. ) is a little hard cake in the shape of

a ring, i.e. 'a ring-biscuit.' ,, 26. parler carlin : carlin is a little short-haired dog, with a

black and flat nmzzle ; translate 'pug-dog. ' Similarly :

parler musique, parler chevaux, parler boutique.

, , 27. qui sente la douairière : translate ' which smacks of the conversation of a dowager.' Cf. —

Je ne hais point la vie et j'en aime l'usage, Mais sans attachement qui sente l'esclavage. — Corneille. Cela sent son vieillard. — Molière.

13. I. l'ex-garde : i.e. ' the e.\-guard of the king' (Charles X.)

,, 17. pour unique loi de classement, 'as the sole principle of their order.'

,, 31. gentilhomme, ' man of good family.' It is better hère to retain \hc\\ord gefitillioin?nc m the translation. The English Word ' gentleman ' refers more to personal character.

14. S- fera de notre rôle . . sinécure, ' will make a sinécure of

our dutifs of gentlenien-in-\vaiting,' i.e. will be so attentive 10 the ladies as to leave us nothing to do. ,, 8. Coblentz : a town in Prussia at the confluence of the Rhinc and the Moselle. During the French Révolution Coblentz was the rendezvous of the French Royalist émigrés, who forined there the Armée de Condé ; see note, p. 48, 1. 19.

Notes

Page LIT 14. 10.