[343.] En el segundo patio; in Spain, large houses in the country are likely to have two patios, the first of which serves as the center of life for the owner's family, while the second, in the rear, and surrounded by the kitchen and servants' quarters, is the living room for the menials. In this case, the mansion has been converted into an apartment house, but the same distinction is preserved.
[357.] ¡Por cierto que pasé un susto...! I was surely startled! The que after cierto or por cierto is often not to be translated.
[358.] me da por verlo todo; See Vocabulary under [dar]. When todo is the object of a verb, it is usually, but not always, accompanied by the object pronoun lo.
[366.] Si; [see note to lines 334-335.]
[404-405.] no sé si reírme; supply debo after si.
[492.] el año de la Revolución de Septiembre; i.e., 1868. The Revolution began on September 19, under the leadership of Generals Prim and Serrano, and Vice-Admiral Topete. It drove Queen Isabel II from the throne, and initiated a six-year period of violent change and innovation, which ended only with the accession of Isabel's son Alfonso XII, in December, 1874.
[520.] La verdad... no quisiéramos..., The truth is—we would rather not!
[647.] se piense; subjunctive in a time clause when the main verb is future.
[662.] te encuentro bien, you are looking well.
[672.] Indicando... It is worth observing that the stage directions are always to be taken as referring to the following speech, not the preceding.