Exposer son maitre à rougir. ‘ Render his master

NOTES

liable to blush ’ or ‘ expose his master to shame on acoount of ’

Albert et Charlotte. Characters in the Gœthe’s novel, Die Leiden des Junçien Werthers, ( The Sorrows of Young Werther)^ a book tliat met with “ vehement acceptanee ” throughout Europe. Werther, passionate, full of genius, loves Charlotte, whose hand is promised to the cold, methodical Albert. When these marry, Werther’s life, previously radiant with happiness, is lilled with unrest and gloom. The f riendship subsisting between the three is gradually dissolved by Albert’s dislike of Werther. Charlotte, whose nature inclined her to her friend rather than her husband, pitied and tried to guide him. The latter, however, found no ease for his anguish but by suieide.

The scene referred to in this chapter is that where Werther, about to shoot himself, sends to Albert to borrow his pistols on preteuce of a journey. The latter, engrossed in business correspondence, “ turned with ealm indifférence to his wife, ‘ Cive him the pistols ; I wish him a good journey.’ This order was a thunder-stroke to Charlotte. She rose, alarmed, from her seat ; with a slow and tottering pace approached the wall where the pistols were hanging, and with trembling hands took them down. She then began leisurely to wipe off the dust, and would hâve made a still greater delay had not a signifieant look from Albert forced her to obey. She delivered the fatal arms to the servant .... and retired to her ehamber, overcome with the most poignant grief and dreadful forebodings. ”

25.— De noirs pressentiments. Note the place of ‘ woir’ in its figurative sense.

28. — Sac de procès^stics contenant les pièces d'un procès, lawyers’ bags, bags full of law papers. Procès— lawsuit. Il a gagné (perdu) son procès, he has gained (lost) his suit. Je suis en procès avec lui, I am at law with him.

30 — Briser la glace. Briser, casser and rompre represent in French the idea of breaking, but with a différence of signification. On rompt un bâton, du pain, la conversation, One breaks a stick, bread, the conversation. On casse un verre, une noix, un bras, One breaks a glass, a nut, an arm. On brise, une glace, un os, une porte, One shatters a mirror, a bone, a door. On casse (one breaks) a brittle body ; on brise (one shatters) a body that Aies into many pièces.

65 2. — Fouler aux pieds=‘trample under foot.’

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