Le Petit Chose Part 21

Page 23.

3. justement je recois, 'it just happens that I have received.'

4. maitre d'etude, 'usher.'

10. c'est bien, 'very well.'

19. qu'on s'occupe de sa malle, 'let some one see to his trunk being packed.'

23. fait au . ., 'accustomed to . .'

28. Eyesette: names of persons or families are _invariable_ in the plural, e.g. _les Corneille et les Racine_, except certain well-known historical names, chiefly of dynasties, e.g. _les Cesars, les Tudors, les Bourbons_.

But when used as common nouns to denote 'persons like' or 'works by' those named, they are variable. In the latter case, however, they only take the mark of the plural, according to some grammarians, when speaking of different editions, not of several copies of the same edition.

Page 24.

17. Academie: see note, p. 16 l. 15.

20. n'ayant rien qui sent.i.t le pedant, 'having nothing about him which savoured of the pedant.' Cf. note, p. 17 l. 20.

Why is _sent.i.t_ subjunctive?

23. brave: note _un brave homme_, 'a good, honest man'; _un homme brave_, 'a brave, courageous man.'

25. ah! mon Dieu! 'why!' Cf. note, p. 8 l. 14.

27. mauviette, 'delicate'; _une mauviette_, lit. 'a lark.'

Page 25.

6. mais enfin, 'however.'

9. baraque: slang for 'school.'

10. college communal, 'communal' or 'munic.i.p.al school.'

Distinguish carefully between a lycee and a college.

The former is kept up entirely by the State; the latter partly by the State, partly by the town. Both provide 'secondary' education.

11. Sarlande: a fict.i.tious name. Alais was the place where Daudet really went.

en pleine montagne: see note, p. 7 l. 3. Alais is near the Cevennes mountains.

16. la lettre terminee: this construction of a noun or p.r.o.noun with a participle, standing independently of any other word in the sentence, and representing a subordinate clause, is very common in French. It is the exact equivalent of the ablative absolute in Latin.

20. quatre a quatre, 'four steps at a time,' lit. 'four by four.'

Cf. peu a peu (p. 40 l. 25); goutte a goutte (p. 83 l. 1).

21. seculaire, 'ancient,' lit. 'centuries old.' 'Secular' in French is seculier.

28. cabaret: a small public-house where food and drink only are supplied, not lodging, as in an auberge (p. 36 l. 9).

Page 26.

1. au compagnon du tour de France, 'the Oddfellows' Arms.'

A _compagnon_ was a workman affiliated to a 'Trade Union'

(_compagnonnage_). As an emblem of their a.s.sociation the _compagnons_ carried long canes with ribbons tied to them.

Note that in French, as in German, the dative is used in the signs of inns, shops, etc.; e.g. _a la Toison d'or, au Cerf-Volant, a la ville de Ma.r.s.eille; zum goldenen Lowen_.

2. voici mon affaire, 'this is just what I want.'

13. un vieux coureur de tavernes, 'an habitue of public-houses.'

19. misericorde! 'gracious me!'

22. eh! mon Dieu, oui, 'yes indeed.'

23. anciennement, 'formerly.' Cf. note, p. 28 l. 31.

Page 27.

12. justice divine! see note, p. 8 l. 14.

17. mouillettes: long narrow pieces of bread to dip into wine or boiled eggs.

19. Un vieux Chateau-Neuf-des-Papes: a famous wine, so called from the name of a vineyard near Avignon.

25. va trinquer, 'is going to have a friendly gla.s.s with us.'

_Trinquer_, 'to touch gla.s.ses,' a continental fashion when drinking some one's health. Cf. German _trinken_, and English to 'clink' gla.s.ses.

29. a quoi encore? 'and what next?'

Page 28.

9. enfin, 'still,' 'however.'

21. que voulez-vous? see notes, p. 5 l. 12 and p. 20 l. 18.

31. ancien, 'former.' Cf. _quelques anciens_ (p. 63 l. 14), 'a few old boys (of the school).' So _un nouveau_ (p. 30 l. 21), 'a new boy.'

Page 29.

1. a toutes jambes, 'as fast as he could.'

7. bout: trans. 'vestige.' Note-

_un bout d'homme_, 'a little bit of a man.'

_un bout de conversation_, 'a short chat.'

_un bout de papier_, 'a sc.r.a.p of paper.'

_un bout de lettre_, 'a line.'