la route de Tours, * the road to Tours

23. ce fût bien autre chose, * it was far more wonderful,' literally, 'something else indeed.' The phrase standing by itself, ce is used. If a clause had foUowed the phrase * it was something else,' il would hâve been used. Eve § 72 (i), (3).

26. c'étaient les maîtres. Where foUowed by a plural noun, c^est^ imitait &c., generally take plurals. Eve § 70.

27. le Jour de la Saint-Nicolas. Fête is understood after la, St Nicholas' day is December 6th. He is the patron saint of children, and bas been corrupted into * Santa Klaus.'

28. à leurs cheveux rasés. Hère the dative is used of the mark by which récognition is effected. Eve § 150.

Page 27.

I. enseigne, ' sign.' Enseigna^ generally féminine, is masculine in the sensé of * an ensign,' an officer. In the Middle Ages every trader had a sign to show his business — as a glove, a loaf, &c. This is still the case in Russia, where shop Windows are small and a large part of the population cannot read.

a. également, * as well.'

6. à la poulaine, ' peaked.' Foulaine is the beak-head of a ship, and hence the term was applied to the shoes with long turned-np points worn in the fifteenth century.

8. fourrés, *furred,* not 'stufFed* or *thrusL' menu-vair, * miniver/ fur of the grey squirrel.

9. des liabltB mi-partis, 'suits half of one colour and half of another.' Hère mi is indéclinable and is really an adverb; parti however as an adjective takes the plural

Quelques seigneurs des pins élégants, *some especially el^[ant nobles.' The partitive genitive of the adjective in the superlative is used instead of the adjective très or some such word. £ve § 125, Obs. 2.

15. sur les lioes, *in the open field,* literally, *in the lists,* and applied hère to a space enclosed as if for a toumament, and used for a fair.

17. manières rondes, 'ofT-hand ways.' Rond means 'plainspoken,' as also in Ënglish, * I shall be round with you.'

18. retors comme trois Manceauz et un Normand, ' as sharp as three men of Le Mans and one Norman put together.' The Normans enjoy a réputation for shrewdness in France, as Yorkshiremen do in England ; and their neighbours of Le Mans are not far behind them.

a6. ôtant son bonnet pour le remettre, * pulling ofT his cap and puttmg it on again.'

29. il n'y a pas de mal à cela, ' there 's no harm in that.' Hère the dative is that of the possessor. Eve § 148.

Page 28.

14. prudlLommes. Thèse prud'hommes were a sort of tribunal for trade cases, elected by the traders. Similar conseils des prud* hommes still exist in France.

)6. Venaient ensuite des renseignements. Note the inversion of

the usual order with this and some similar phrases, reste donc^ &c

Eve § 12 a (4).

27. de les fiaixe paraître avec avantage, ' of showing them off.' 31. le fin dn métier, ' the trick of the trade,' literally, 'the sharp-

ness of the trade.'