serait par aventure : see note on p

47. 18. ne le cèdent à aucune autre : for this idiomatic use of

the pronoun le cf. l'échapper belle, ' to have a narrow escape ' ;

l'emporter, ' to prevail, ' etc.

, , 24. cela me fait mal : bear in mind that ' it ' must always be

rendered by cela (or ce before être), when used as subject and

referring to a clause.

,, 25, inconvenant 'unseemly'; incommode, 'inconvénient.' ,, 26. au grand regret de Laure : in such expressions as this,

' to the surprise,' ' to the joy,' etc., the French always use

an adjective, generally grand.

Notes

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48. 3. plus de vingt ans : when should ' than ' be rendered by

que before a numéral? See note on p. 2, 1. 21. 6. mais aussi, ' but on the other hand,' ' but then,' 24. j'étais loin de me douter qu'il eût: contrary io douter, se douter takes the indicative after que. Why is the subjunctive used here ?

M 25. mais, j'y pense, ' but, now that I think of it.*

49. 7. de cheveux blond cendré : two adjectives used together

to dénote one colour remain invariable, the first of them being treated substantively.

9. accusaient, 'betrayed,' 'revealed.* 14. les ténèbres : mention other nouns only used in the plural.

, , 23. vous lui ferez mes compliments : cf. faire attention, ' to pay attention ' ; faire une visite, ' to pay a visit. '

, , 30. fit tous ses efforts : notice the use of the possessive in French and not, as a rule, in English.

,, 31. si on l'eût prise au mot : here, on the contrary, the possessive is used in English and not in French.

50. 3. finir par céder : bear in mind this neat way of rendering

the English * at length. ' 8. après qu'ils eurent disparu : why the past anterior ? 21. il souriait is, of course, impersonal. , , 22. foudre is sometimes mascuhne in lofty style and in poetry ;

always when denoting Jupiter's thunderbolt, and in the two expressions : un foudre d' éloquence, ' a great orator ' ; un foudre de guerre, 'a mighty warrior. ' Foudi'e, 'wine-butt,' from Germ. Fuder, is masculine.

51. 2. avait l'âme délicate : when is the definite article used in

French instead of the indefinite ?

, , 20. Laure l'entendait autrement, ' that wâs not what Laura wanted. '

,, 25. peut-être vous en voudrait-il : cf. note on p. 3, 1. 30.