ancien, retired

7. — 1. bourgeoises. Bourgeoisie means, literally, "middle class," i.e., the class of people (tradesmen in the main) between the nobility and the common people. Inasmuch as the^other classes of Prench society attribute to the bourgeoisie certain displeasing traits, such as meanness, vulgarity, and narrow-mindedness, the adjectivo

NOTES

bourgeois has acquired the péjorative sensé of "mean," "vulgar," "narrow," "narrow-minded."

3. Je mène un train de prince, je fais courir, je joue un jeu d'enfer, / live in princely style, I keep race horses, I gambîe despet" cUely. Train means, literally, "gait," "pace," "way of living." Je joue un jeu (T enfer means, literally, "I gamble an infernal game."

6. Vatel, steward of the great French gênerai Condé. Feanng that there would not be enough sea-fish at a dinner offered by Condé to Louis XIV, Vatel committed suicide (1671), only a few moments before the arrivai of an additional supply of searfish.

11. te laissent ... la bride sur le cou, give y ou free rein; let y ou dojust as you please; lit., "leave you the bridle on the neck."

20. en espalier, as a waU fruU-tree, An espalier is a tree or row of trees trained flat on a trellis or a wall, to obtain better exposure to air and light.

24. Georges Dandin, the hero of Molière's comedy of the same name. He marries above his rank, and is duped right and left by his wife and her relatives. Dandin, as a common noim, means "booby," "ninny."

8. — 7. Corvisart (1755-1821), a French physician, the favorite doctor of Napoléon Bonaparte.

9. compté . . . décompter. A play on words. Décompter means both "to discount," "to deduct," and "to be disappointed."

10. Tu passais à l'état de neveu honoraire, You, hecame an honorary nephew, i.e., a nephew who would inherit none of your imcle's wealth.

11. Je songeai à reprendre du service actif . . ., 7 thought of reerdisting for active service . . ., i.e., I thought of getting marrîed.

29. ci, that is; that makes; a term placed by bookkeepers before each item of an account; for example. Cinq parapluies à deux francs, ci , , . 10 francs.

30. le jour du contrat, Ut., "the day of the contract," i.e., the day when the marriage contract was signed. In France, the marriage contract, which régulâtes, among other matters, questions conceming ownership of property, inheritance, and dowry, is signed by the parents and by the couple to be married.

NOTES

9. — 1. un coupon de renteSi annuity coupon; in this case, five per cent govemment bonds.