PREFACE

As in thé case of Vol. I. of this séries, this work was not selected until the kind consent of the author for its reproduction in this country had been received. As befbre, and always, the object has been to présent material of such a character that rapid reading will be encouraged, and the student made familiar, as early as possible, with the written and spoken French of the présent day. It cannot be too distinctly impressed npon the mind of the student of French that this familiarity is best acquired, and at the same time a valuable training in the mother-tongue secured, by reading widely, rapidly, and accurately, and in the earlier stages translating the whole into good, terse, idiomatic English. Thè notes, which may be thought by some unnecessarily fiill, hâve been prepared largely with this object of careful and accurate translation in view. Such grammatical points as seemed to need to be especially impressed upon the minds of the students hâve been, in some cases, directly explained, while in others références hâve been given to those parts of the Editor's *' Reading French Grammar" in which the needed explanations are found. In many cases both thèse courses are pursued, and, the book being intended for instruction in the language, no attempt is made to avoid the répétition of similar or identical références in différent parts of the work, as instruction in a language is largely a matter of fréquent répétition.

While high literary ment is felt to be indispensable in the volumes selected for this séries, and will always be made a sine quâ non, it is deemed equally important that ail that is hère presented should be of a nature calculated to exert only a healthful moral influence. The noble character of the heroine, who, after a very early marriage, is shameftilly treated