Le Petit Chose Part 29

je dus faire le trajet, 'I must have covered the ground.'

Page 83.

10. le coup de l'etrier, 'the stirrup-cup.' A gla.s.s of liquor given in the Highlands to a guest on leaving, when his feet are already in the stirrups. It is sometimes called the 'parting cup,'

or in the north of the Highlands 'the cup at the door.'

12. et me voila courant, 'and I started to run.'

a perdre haleine: see note, p. 99 l. 12.

15. pourvu que: see note, p. 15 l. 30.

17. conduisit: remember that to 'take' a person somewhere is _conduire_ or _mener_, not _prendre_.

19. louche, 'of doubtful reputation.'

Page 84.

8. a faire pleurer: see note, p. 70 l. 11.

11. la ripaille devait chauffer, 'the revelry must have reached its climax.'

12. toutes grandes, 'quite wide.' When is the adverb _tout_ variable?

19. riaient a se tordre, 'were splitting with laughter'; see note, p. 70 l. 11.

25. fort a propos: see note, p. 55 l. 31.

Page 85.

14. devaient etre, 'must have been.'

15. auditoire, 'audience'; the French _audience_='official reception,'

e.g. _le roi lui a donne audience_.

18. des zouaves: the Zouaves are a body of French infantry serving in Algeria. They are famous for their fearless courage.

19. la partie perdue, 'the game was up.'

25. ayons l'il, Roger, et en avant la grands scene! 'come, Roger, bestir yourself; now is the time for the grand scene.'

Page 86.

3. se roulait: same meaning as _riait a se tordre_.

7. avait fait expres d'envoyer..., 'had purposely sent...'

18. me mit hors de moi, 'enraged me.'

24. je n'y tins plus: see note, p. 57 l. 5.

29. je ne sais quel: see note, p. 47 l. 24.

Page 87.

6. ou trouver de l'argent? comment m'en aller? see note, p. 69 l. 31.

Page 88.

8. par exemple, 'however'; cf, note, p. 3 l. 22.

21. j'en aurais encore long a te dire, 'there is a good deal more I could say to you.'

24. ou bien, 'or else.'

26. ignorer: _not_ 'to ignore,' which in French is _meconnaitre_ or _faire semblant de ne pas connaitre_.

Page 89.

5. vous couperez de mes cheveux: cf.- _j'ai de vos livres_, 'I have some of your books.'

22. attendant qu'ils soient...: note the subjunctive and the use of _que_ instead of _jusqu'a ce que_ after _attendre_.

Page 90.

3. il se glisse a pet.i.ts pas dans l'ombre des murs, 'he steals along slowly under cover of the walls.'

6. peristyle: a range of pillars surrounding a courtyard or an edifice.

14. un peu de lune descend et vient donner en plein sur..., 'a moonbeam comes down and s.h.i.+nes full upon...'

16. ne fait qu'y penser depuis des heures, 'has done nothing but think about it for hours past'; note- _il ne fit que le toucher_, 'he only touched it.'

_il ne fait que manger_, 'he does nothing but eat.'

_il ne fait que de sortir_, 'he has just gone out.'

_il n'a que faire de sortir_, 'he has no occasion to go out.'

Page 91.

1. en voila une idee, de faire du trapeze, 'that's a queer idea, to practise on the trapeze'; _en_ is redundant, cf. note, p. 3 l. 31.

8. suicide, 'would-be suicide.'

Page 92.

2. c'est comme cela! 'that's your little game, is it?'

12. en finir, 'to put an end to himself.'