25. tant bien que mal, 'as well as I could.'
2. les Condillac: the plural would be preferable. See note, p. 23 l. 28.
4. tu ne veux pas? . . à ton aise, 'you don't care about smoking?... well! just as you like.' Note--
_être à son aise_, 'to be in easy circumstances.' _ne pas se sentir à son aise_, 'to feel uncomfortable.'
6. surtout ne le gâte pas, 'but be very careful and don't spoil it.'
10. tu t'occupes donc de philosophie? 'so you are busy reading philosophy, are you?'
12. par hasard, 'I wonder.' A sarcastic colloquialism.
des histoires, mon cher, de pures histoires! 'fables, my dear boy, nothing but fables!'
14. je vous demande un peu! 'just think of it!'
16. pendant qu'ils y étaient, 'whilst they were at it.'
_il est venu fort à propos_, 'he came very opportunely.' _à propos de_, 'with regard to.' _de propos délibéré_, 'on purpose.'
1. le bon Dieu: do not translate _le bon_. Cf. the German _der_ liebe _Gott_.
2. sans quoi tu ne t'en tireras jamais, 'or else you will never get over your troubles.'
7. j'ai passé par là, 'I have been through it all.' Cf.-- _il faut bien que j'en passe par là_, 'I must put up with it.'
19. le plus souvent, 'more often than not.'
30. seulement, 'even,' 'so much as.' A quite common and classical use of this word.
5. il était temps; je n'y pouvais plus tenir, 'it was high time, I could stand it no longer.'
10. au fond, 'at the far end.' Cf. note, p. 7 l. 28.
20. en serre-file, 'bringing up the rear.'
21. le professeur de seconde, 'the second-form master. He would correspond to a fifth-form master in an English school. Cf. note, p. 21 l. 23.
30. la tête: note (1) the number, (2) the use of the definite article.
31. foulards ponceau, 'flame-coloured silk handkerchiefs.' Nouns serving as adjectives of colour are generally invariable.
6. ne les laissait pas chômer, 'did not allow them any rest': _chômer_='to be out of work,' _chômage_, 'want of work.' 'Unemployment' would be the best word were it English.
14. par ici! 'this way!' 'along here!' Cf. _par là! par où?_
23. à l'année prochaine! 'good-bye till next year!' Cf. _à demain! à ce soir! à bientôt! au revoir!_
8. riant à belles dents, 'laughing merrily'; lit. 'showing their pretty teeth as they laughed.'