1 "That you have," interposed his wife, who thought that war should cease, and her husband should be made a general instantly. 66 3 Yes, I shall make my way as well as another," Osborne went on; "but you, my dear girl,2 how can I bear your being deprived of the comforts and station in society. which my wife had a right to expect? My dearest girl in barracks, the wife of a soldier in a marching regiment; subject to all sorts of annoyance and privation! It makes me miserable."5 Emmy, quite at ease, as this was her husband's only cause of disquiet, took his hand, and with a radiant face and smile began to 10 warble that stanza from the favourite song of "Wapping Old Stairs," in which the heroine, after rebuking her Tom for inattention, 12 promises "his trowsers to mend and his grog too to make," 13 if he will be 14 constant and kind, and not forsake her. " Besides," she said, after a pause,15 during which she looked as pretty and happy as any young woman need,16 "Isn't 17 two thousand pounds an immense deal of money, George?" George laughed at her naïveté; and finally they went down to dinner, Amelia clinging on George's arm, still 1 Oh! cela est sûr; or, familiarly, Oh pour cela (or, abbreviated, ça) oui. 2 ma chérie. 3 See page 21, note 1, page 37, note 14, and page 80, note 1. 4 de tes aises, de ce rang que ma femme était appelée à tenir dans le monde. 5 Penser que tu seras soumise à toutes les fatigues et les souffrances de la vie du soldat ah! cette idée m'accable et me tue 1-Our say ing. et les souffrances, is an exception to the rule mentioned page 49, note 8. Yet, this can hardly be called a deviation from the rule, for, toutes intervening, the case is not within the rule: if toutes was not there, we should say, aux fatigues et aux souffrances. 6 at ease,' ioneuse. see page 35, note ". quite; 7 d'être l'unique objet de la sollicitude de son mari. 8 Use the plural; and see page 11, note 1 9 'with a,' &c. ; translate, 'the face radiant and smiling.' 10 When 'to begin' is taken in the sense of 'to set about,' the French for it is se mettre (followed by d), and not commencer. 11 See page 9, note 6. 12 après avoir reproché à son bien-aimé ses froideurs répétées. 13 Invert into prose order. 14 Translate, 'if he is.' 15 See page 67, note 6; here, however, we may say pause, this word being French in this parti cular case and sense. 16 elle semblait reprendre tout cet éclat de bonheur et de beauté qui sied si bien à une femme. 17 Use the plural. warbling the tune of "Wapping Old Stairs," and more pleased and light of mind than she had been for some days past. Thus the repast, which at length came off,2 instead of being dismal, was an exceedingly brisk and —(THACKERAY, Vanity Fair.) merry one 3 RURAL LIFE IN ENGLAND. THE stranger who would form a correct opinion of the English character, must not confine his observations to the metropolis. He must go forth into the country;5 he must sojourn in villages and hamlets; he must visit castles, villas, farm-houses, cottages; he must wander through parks and gardens; along hedges and green lanes; he must loiter about country churches; attend wakes and fairs, and other rural festivals; and cope with the people in all their conditions, and all their habits and humours.8 In some countries the large cities absorb the wealth and fashion of the nation : 9 they are the only fixed abodes of elegant and intelligent society, and the country is inhabited almost entirely by boorish peasantry. In England, on the contrary, the metropolis is a mere gathering 10 place, or general rendez-vous, of the polite classes, 11 where they devote a small portion of the year to a hurry of gaiety and dissipation,12 and having indulged this 13 carnival, return again to the apparently more congenial14 habits of rural 1 elle avait l'esprit bien plus allègre et bien plus satisfait que tous les jours précédents. 2 lorsqu'ils se furent enfin mis à table. 3 Leave out 'an' and 'one.' See page 69, note 13. 5 See page 142, note 7. 6 fêtes villageoises. 9 donnent le ton à la nation et en absorbent toute l'opulence. See page 18, note 6. 10 See page 69, note 14. 11 classes élevées. 12 à la folie et au tourbillon des plaisirs. 13 après s'être réjouies (page 18, note 8) pendant cette espèce de. 14 'congenial;' translate this, at the end of the sentence, by, qui semblent mieux leur convenir (a few adverbs, such as bien, mieux, &c., elegantly precede the verb in the infinitive, contrary to the rule mentioned p. 19, note 3). life. The various 1 orders of society are therefore diffused over the whole surface of the kingdom, and the most retired neighbourhoods 2 afford specimens of the different ranks. 3 7 6 The English, in fact, are strongly gifted with the rural feeling. They possess a quick sensibility to the beauties" of nature, and a keen relish for the pleasures and enjoyments of the country. This passion seems inherent in them. Even the inhabitants of cities, born and brought up among brick walls and bustling streets, enter with facility into rural habits, and evince a turns for rural occupation. The merchant has his snug retreat in the vicinity of the metropolis, where he often displays as much pride and zeal in the cultivation of his flower-garden, and the maturing of his fruits,10 as he does in the conduct of his business and the success of 11 his commercial enterprises. Even those less fortunate individuals, who are doomed to pass their lives 12 in the midst of din and traffic, contrive to have something that shall remind them of the green aspect 13 of nature. In the most dark and dingy quarters of the city, the drawing-room window resembles frequently a bank of flowers ; 14 every spot capable 15 of vegetation has its grass-plot and flower-bed; 16 and every square its mimic 17 park, laid out with picturesque taste 18 and gleam ing with refreshing verdure. Those who see the Englishman only in town, are apt to form an unfavourable 19 opinion of his social character. He 4 is either absorbed in business, or distracted by the thousand engagements that dissipate1 time, thought. and feeling, in this huge metropolis: he has, therefore, too commonly a look of hurry and abstraction.2 Wherever he happens to be,3 he is on the point of going somewhere else; at the moment he is talking on one subject, his mind is wandering to another; and while paying a friendly visit, he is calculating how he shall economise time so as to pay the other visits allotted to the morning.7 An immense metropolis like London is calculated to make men selfish and uninteresting. In their casual and transient meetings, they can but deal briefly in common-places. They present but the cold superficies of 10 character-its rich and genial qualities have no time to be warmed into a glow.11 It is in the country that the Englishman gives scope to his natural feelings. He breaks loose gladly from the cold formalities and negative 12 civilities of town; throws off his habits of shy reserve, and becomes joyous and freehearted. 13 He manages to collect around him all the conveniences and elegancies of polite life, and to banish its restraint. His country-seat abounds with every requisite, either for studious retirement, tasteful gratification,14 or rural exercise. Books, paintings, music, horses, dogs, and sporting implements of all kinds, are at hand. He puts no constraint either upon his guests or himself,15 but in the true spirit of hospitality provides the means of enjoyment,2 and leaves every one to partake according to his inclination.3-(Washington IRVING, Sketch Book.) MOONLIGHT SCENERY.4 THE wind had arisen, and swept before it 5 the clouds which had formerly obscured the sky. The moon was high, and at the full, and all the lesser satellites of heaven shone forth in cloudless effulgence.6 The scene which their light presented was in the highest degree unexpected and striking. In the latter part of his journey our traveller approached the sea-shore, without being aware how nearly.8 He now perceived that the ruins of Ellangowan castle were situated upon a promontory, or projection of rock, which formed one side of a small and placid bay on the sea-shore. 10 The modern mansion was placed lower, though closely adjoining, and the ground behind it descended to the sea by a small swelling green bank,11 divided into levels by natural terraces 12 on which grew some old trees, and terminating 13 upon the white sand. The other side of the bay, opposite to the old castle, was a sloping and varied 14 promontory, covered chiefly with copsewood, which on that favoured hôtes (or, ni les autres) par les céré- voyait resplendir dans tout leur monies. éciat sur la voûte azurée les feux du firmament-poetic style). ▲ selon. 2 il (page 23, note 6) pourvoit aux plaisirs de tous. 3 à chacun la liberté d'en jouir (or, d'y prendre part) suivant ses propres inclinations (without propres, own,' the sense might be considered somewhat ambiguous). 4 Un effet de clair de lune. 5 Leave these two words out. La lune était dans son plein, et pas une étoile ne pouvait échapper à l'oeil de l'observateur (or, et l'on 7 ainsi éclairée de toutes ces lumières. 8 jusqu'à quelle distance. 9 ou rocher avancé. |