regard. We say 'eye

1. 26. se veulent grandir... 'who want to magnify and assert themselves by fair means or foul.' The position of se before veulent is somewhat old-fashioned, E.B. 49. Notice the difference between grandir and se grandir. The latter would apply, for example, to standing on tiptoe. Toute here, of course, means any, E.B. 109. For the dative forming an adverbial phrase see E.B. 151.

1. 28. la Convenance, 'decorum,' 'propriety,' not quite 'conventionality.'

1. 33. à attendrir sur ce qu'il souffre, a condensed way of saying 'to move others by calling attention to (sur) his sufferings.' The use of a transitive verb with its accusative suppressed is not uncommon in French. We have it in English :

" To err is human, to forgive divine."

1. 37. des Suisses. There were Swiss soldiers serving in France from the time of Louis XI. till Aug. 10, 1792, when the Tuileries were forced by the populace, and the Swiss Guard cut to pieces. After the Restoration, fresh Swiss regiments were formed, which are those here alluded to. They were disbanded after the July Revolution.

1. 38. le feu de chaussée en avançant. 'Street-firing' or firing in narrow ground, where of course special precautions must be taken to get the front rank out of the way when they have fired. It may be either en avançant or en se retirant.

1. 39. Depuis que je sers. ' Since I have been in the service, I have never seen it practically applied.' There are two differences of

7o LA CANNE DE JONC.

tense between French and English to be noticed here. The first is obvious, sers, E.B 169 a. The other is rather more difficult. Why not je n'ai pas vu? The reason is that he refers to something that is past, not merely at the moment of speaking, but at an earlier time, • viz. the morning of the same day. See E.B. 174 Obs.

Page 5.

1. 5. continuait à. With à, continuer means to go on and complete an action begun, as here; with de to keep up a habit. But Littré says that the distinction is not always observed.

1. 8. du groupe des officiers.. .'from the group formed by the officers and soldiers,' not 'the group of officers...,' which would be d'officiers.

1. 9. exaltation, a state of excitement in whicli the faculties are more vigorous. The use of exalter as a term of primitive chemistry throws light on its meaning; it is there used of the sublimation (solid evaporation) of a substance like chloride of antimony, by which it is made purer, and so possesses its characteristic qualities in a higher degree.