SCÈNE PREMIÈRE
1: chemin de fer de Lyon: the short name for the great railroad company of which the full name is Chemin de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée.
2: salles d'attente: fifty years ago (this play was written in 1860) the passengers were never admitted to the platforms except through the waiting rooms, at the entrance to which tickets had to be shown.—Au fond: at the back of the stage; what is, in technical stage parlance, called «center.» Thus these directions would be exactly as follows: Center: waiting-room gate; Right of Center: ticket-office window; Left of Center: seats; Right (i.e. right side of stage): woman in charge of a candy stall; Left (of stage): book stall.
3: marchande: feminine. The French companies very often give the right to sell flowers, or candy, or books, to the wives or widows oftheir employees.
4: commissionnaires: properly those employees who may carry parcels, etc., outside the station, to which the nearest approach in America is the so-called «parcels porter» of certain companies. The man who handles the baggage in the station only, our «baggage porter,» is the facteur.
5: bien: often ironical, but here merely emphasizing c'est, and to be translated only by a voice stress on «is.»
6: Des carrossiers, etc.: as an employee, however subordinate, in some company or other (which is not specified in the play), Majorin sneers at «trade»; the «office,» bureau, looks down on the «store,» magasin, a frame of mind still frequently to be met with in France. Traveling, which was far more expensive half a century ago, was considered the privilege of the wealthy aristocracy. Hence the point: A tradesman aping the nobility! A mere carriage maker enjoying a lordly income! A carriage maker keeping a carriage!—a humorous climax. Observe the meanness of Majorin: he professes to be a friend of Perrichon's, borrows money from him at the most inconvenient time, and yet behind his back sneers at him from the fancied vantage ground of «not being in trade» himself.
7: de garde: during the Second Empire (the reign of Napoleon III, 1852-1870) a National Guard was instituted, to which every citizen must belong. These National Guardsmen were called upon at certain times for drill or duty in the city. As these calls were imperative, all other obligations had to give way to them. Hence an unscrupulous fellow who wanted a day off would often allege such a call.
8: faire l'important: be so superior! literally, «play the important man,» a frequent use of faire.
9: ça fait pitié: sickening sight! lit., «that moves one to disgust,» a shade of meaning sometimes taken by pitié which should be noted.
10: toujours: observe the three meanings of this word: 1. always; 2. still; and 3. anyhow. Tr., Still no Perrichon!—On dirait, etc.: He might be doing it on purpose! This use of the conditional of dire to express «one would say,» «it seems as though,» is very frequent andshouldbe clearly understood.
11: l'employé: i.e. the official who stands outside the ticket window, to see that passengers get the right tickets and change, etc. This manis referred to again at the end of Sc. 6.
12: Il sort par la gauche: get into the way of translating by the corresponding technical English: Exit left.