esquilles de sapin, splinters offir-wood

24. on ne se met point en route pour aller si loin ; lit one does not set one's self on the road ; one daes not undertake smk a long joumey,

26. avait beau protester ; itwasuseless . . . to protest; avoir beau = to take useless trouble, to do a thinc in vain, when followed by an infinitive. This expression nas puzzled the ^ammarians a good deal. Formerljr the infinitive followmg was considered as taken substantively and looked upon as an object ; avoir beau meant, then, to hâve a good opportunity of doing the action expressed by the infinitive. It did not then carry the idea of fruitlessness in the efibrts.

tout son avoir, ail she had ; lit. ail her having. Note the infinitive taken substantively, which is often équivalent to the English verbal substantive in ing^ e.g. ail ms leaming, belongings ; tout son savoir, avoir. The infinitive used substantively is, in French, of fréquent occurrence.

30. c'est probable, vraiment, it is very likely, isnotitf indeed, a very likely taie /

)8. 1. retenait ses larmes ; lit held back her tears ; dared nx>t weep.

2. tout b€« ; lit. quite (in a) low (tone of) voice ; silently,

5. s'aller coucher ; lit. to go and lay herself down ; togoto bed.

qui conmiençait fortement à soupçonner, wTio began to entertain strong su^spidon tTiat.