LA PETITE PILLE ET LES ALLUMETTES

Page i. — i. Comme il faisait froid! Haw cold it was! Note idiomatic order. — 2. la tête, her head. Note this use of French def. art. for Eng. possessive pronoun. — 3. lui. Note indirect object for Eng. direct.

— 4. c'étaient, they were. The verb agrees with the logical subject pantoufles; in English, with the grammatical subject they. — 5. Note agreement with object que. — 6. en se pressant, in hurrying. Reflexive for Eng. intransitive. — 7. de, with. — 8. à la main, in her hand. Comp. note 2.

— 9. The verb is understood. The complete expression would be, elle n'avait pas. — 10. Elle avait bien faim. She was very hungry. Note idiomatic use of avoir with a noun, for Eng. be with an adjective. — 11. seulement, even. — 12. la veille du jour de l'an, New Year's eve. — 13. Voilà à quoi elle songeait. That is what she was thinking of. Note this use of à. — 14. de plus en plus, more and more ; literally, from more to more. — 15. chez elle, home. — 16. du reste, besides; literally, for, as to, the rest. — 17. est-ce que, literally is it that? Often introduces emphatic questions. Omit in English. Compare also note 1. — 18. eussent, subjunctive after quoique. Translate by indicative. — 19. qu'une . . . bien. what, or how much, good one little viatch would do them. For the order comp note 1. — 20. en always stands with the verb; frequently to be omitted in English. — 21. s'éteignit, went out. Compare note 6. — 22. ne . . . que, not . . . but ; translate, only. — 23. En. See note 20. Voilà (vois là), takes the place of the verb. — 24. lui, upon her. — 25. ne . . . que. Comp. note 22. — 26. meurt, is dying. — 27. se, indirect reflexive ; to herself. — 28. c'est que. Compare est-ce que, note 17. — 29. Il se fit, there arose ; lit., there was made. Reflexive for passive. Comp. also note 6. — 30. Jamais. Note emphatic position, like English, never had the grandmother, etc. — 31. il n'y avait plus, there was no more, or longer. — 32. Inversion of subject and predicate often occurs when an adverb precedes. — 33. toutes, quite. Adverb, but inflected before feminine adjectives beginning with consonant. — 34. la. Compare note 2. — 35. ignora, was ignorant of. — 36. vues. Compare note 5, and notice generally the agreement of past participles, as examples occur. 165