estlà. See last note

la tribune here is the Platform from which the députés address the Chamber. It Corresponds to the English

phrase ‘floor of the House.” J’aborderais la tribune is about equivalent to ‘I should stand on the floor of the House.”

Sa ne se peut pas, ‘that cannot be.’

Ça bouillonne, ‘things are getting lively.’

qui vous en veut, ‘ who has a is angry with you.’

S’il est possible! ‘Is it possible !?

Sans lui demander... femme, ‘without his wife.’ je

grudge against you,’ ‘who

Norss. 45

gentil pour sa femme, ‘nice as regards his wife.” Note also, ÿ] est bon pour moi, ‘he is kind to me.’

Comment? ‘What do you mean ??

a fait, ‘has raised.

prétend, ‘claims,’ ‘says,’ ‘asserte,” ‘ Pretend’ js com. monly translated by J'eindre, faire semblant de, etc.

que vous ...... dix fois, ‘that you have gone past ten times. Compare, ‘passer devant chez nous, ‘to go past our house.’

à te parler...... choux, : ‘0 speak frankly, I never looked at his cabbages.’ Note the pleonastic construction, in es.,.., 8e choux, so common in familiar discourse.

en Voisin, ‘as a neighbour.’

chapeau neuf, ‘new hat”; nouveau chapeau, ‘another hat’ ; chapeau nouveau, ‘ hat of a new style.’

je vous donnerai la réplique, ‘ l’11 give you the cue,’ ‘TI prompt you.’

de la graine, ‘seed. Note diuerence between graine and

grain (=gra- Note pleonasm again in en...... de

ses choux.

This Scene III. is, although it borders on farce, a strong piece of satire on some of the weak spots in democratic institutions.

Monsieur, ‘ The master.

quelle drôle d'idée! ‘what an odd idea !’ This construction is remarkable ; Compare ce diable d'homme, quel chien de temps ! (=what ugly weather), ete. Note that the noun following de Soverns the gender of drôle, as in un drôle d'homme. Note also that grêle has frequently the meaning of ‘scamp,” ‘ scoundrel,? particularly when used as an ordinary substantive : le drôle a été pris.

Monsieur Poitrinas in this speech begins to announce to the audience that the subject of satire in this scene is the antiquary, by no means a new subject of satire in literaiure.

nn RE

Page. Line, 8. 12 Il vient de sortir, ‘He has just

Nores,

Bone out." Note also the following phrases With venir: 6! vient me voir, ‘he

Comes to see me,’ si venait à le happen to do it.’

12 maisil ne. +: Fentrer, ‘but it will not be long before he returns.” Note also the following use of tarder : il me tarde de le voir, ‘I long to see him.’

14. Note difference between attendre and s'attendre : Je vais lattendre, ‘I am going to wait for him,’ je ne m tendu, ‘I did not expect it.’

16. Ah! comme ça... jei 9 ‘Ab, well 1 to stay here ?? Monsieur and

faire, ‘if he should

19. une chambre à faire ! ‘a room to Put in order!’ Jean views the arrival of &uests from his own standpoint, The

word faire means not only to ‘put in order,’ but also to ‘keep in order.’