[77] PLAISANT. See note 37. [78] ME FASSE MON PROCES, 'Destroys my hopes.' Compare note 70. [79] D'ABORD QUE. Used for the more modern _des que_ (Littre, 10 deg.). [80] MALGRE QUE J'EN AIE, 'In spite of myself.' _Malgre que_ in this sense is used only with the verb _avoir_ (Littre, 5 deg.). [81] A TORT AVEC TOI. The modern form is _envers toi_. [82] A PLUS DE TORT. The _de_ has since been dropped in locutions of this sort. [83] JE CROIS QU'IL M'AMUSE, 'I think that he strikes my fancy.' [84] JE ME RAPPELLE DE. In modern French the _de_ is omitted. [85] CONFIDEMMENT. _Confidentiellement_ the more common form. [86] NE PRENDRE PAS GARDE. The modern construction of the negative with an infinitive requires both parts of the negative to precede the verb. [87] EN FAVEUR DE = _Dans l'interet de_. [88] MON PORTE-MANTEAU. Refers not to the valise, but to the _crocheteur_ who carried it. The office of _porte-manteau_ was an honourable one at the French court. Twelve officers of the household bore the title and discharged the duties of the office, which consisted in taking care of the king's hat, gloves, stick, and sword, and in handing them to his majesty when called for. One of these officers always accompanied the king when hunting, with a valise containing raiment. See A. Cheruel, _Dictionnaire historique des institutions, moeurs et coutumes de la France_. [89] AUTANT VAUT, 'That's the same thing.' 'That's just as good.' [90] LA BELLE. The use of the article is here indicative of familiarity. Used in this way towards inferiors. [91] JE VAIS FAIRE DESCENDRE. On the part of a supposed servant, a somewhat free and easy expression. [92] UN BEAU-PERE DE LA VEILLE OU DU LENDEMAIN, 'A man who is as good as my father-in-law.' [93] AVANT QUE DE. _Avant de_ is more modern. [94] L'HOTEL. In the meaning attached to the word in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, that is, 'mansion,' 'residence.' Originally applied specifically to the king's residence, it soon was used of the mansions of the nobility in Paris or other towns. Later, the habit arose among the nobility of renting rooms and apartments within their mansions when the family was not in residence, and gradually the word assumed its present more extended meaning. But _hotel_ is still used to denote strictly a residence. [95] PLAISANT. One must understand here a double meaning, Silvia uses it evidently in the sense of 'amusing,' 'ridiculous' (see note 37), while Harlequin fails to catch the point, and, as his reply shows, takes it in its earlier sense of 'agreeable.' It is scarcely used to-day in this latter sense. [96] M'EN ETRE FIE A TOI. The _en_ here is difficult to construe. It refers to the whole of the preceding clauses. In modern construction it would be omitted. [97] DANS LES SUITES. 'After this,' 'henceforth.' For _dans la suite_. [98] DONNERAI DU MELANCOLIQUE. The more ordinary form is _donnerai dans le melancolique_. [99] PLAISANTE, 'Agreeable.' See note 95.