17. coup de grâce, ‘the finishing stroke.’ Learn the following:— p. 3 l. 23, _tout à coup_, ‘suddenly.’ p. 5 l. 19, _pour le coup_, ‘this time.’ p. 21 l. 19, _le coup de sonnette_, ‘the ring at the bell.’ p. 72 l. 20, _un coup de tête_, ‘a rash act.’ p. 75 l. 18, _à coup sûr_, ‘to be sure,’ ‘certainly.’ p. 96 l. 22, _un coup de théâtre_, ‘a clap-trap, transformation scene.’ p. 100 l. 12, _un coup d’épée_, ‘a sword-thrust.’ 18. à partir de, ‘from,’ ‘beginning from.’ ne battit plus que d’une aile, ‘was on its last legs,’ i.e. like a bird that is wounded and can fly with only one wing. 20. un métier bas, ‘one loom put aside.’ 21. table d’impression, ‘printing-block.’ 24. du second: sc. _étage_. 25. condamnée, ‘shut up.’ Pronounce _condané_. 27. agonisa, ‘was on the verge of ruin.’ Page 3. 13. assister à l’agonie: note _assister à qc._, ‘to be present at something’; _assister qn._, to help some one.’ The original meaning of _assister_=‘to stand by,’ ‘to be present’; then ‘to stand by a person,’ i.e. ‘to assist him.’ _Les assistants,_ ‘those present,’ or ‘the bystanders.’ 16. à ma guise, ‘to my heart’s content.’ 22. par exemple, ‘however.’ The meaning of this expression varies according to the context. It can mean ‘however,’ ‘indeed,’ ‘well now,’ ‘to be sure,’ ‘bless me,’ etc. 24-29. c’était dans l’habitude . . à tout ce qui l’entourait, ‘his was usually a fiery, violent, immoderate nature, given to shouting, breaking and storming. In reality, he was an excellent man; quick, however, with his hands, loud in his speech, and prompted by an imperious desire to make all those around him tremble.’ 31. à qui s’en prendre, ‘on whom to lay the blame.’ Note the expletive use of _en_ and cf.— _en vouloir à qn._, ‘to have a grudge against some one.’ _en venir aux mains_, ‘to come to blows.’ _il en est de même de . ._, ‘it is the same with . .’ Page 4. 1. mistral: a dry cutting NW. wind which blows across the south coast of France. It is especially prevalent in the Rhone valley. 6. n’étaient pas en odeur de sainteté, ‘were not looked upon with much favour.’ 19. à voix basse, ‘in a whisper’; but _à haute voix_, ‘in a loud voice.’ 23. mon grand frère l’abbé, ‘my big brother the clergyman,’ i.e. Henri Daudet, professor at the College of the Assumption at Nîmes. He died at the early age of twenty-four. The term _abbé_ originally meant the Superior of an abbey, then was extended to any ecclesiastic. 31. un singulier enfant que mon frère Jacques: i.e. _mon frère Jacques était un singulier enfant._ Note the _que_ of emphatic inversion. It is a very common type of construction. Cf. p. 73 l. 3, _la jolie ville que ce Paris!_ p. 100 l. 22, _un singulier type d’homme que cet oncle Baptiste!_ Page 5.