[3] —que sin duda tenía poco desarrollado el órgano de caridad, whose organ of charity was doubtless not well developed. ¿Estará...? can he be? This is the future of probability or conjecture. desgraciado del perro, unlucky is the dog. Note this idiomatic use of de. sálvese el que pueda, let him save himself who can. —le iba estrechando, were pressing in upon him. Ir, with the present participle, is often used instead of estar, in order to express progressive action.
[4] —hacían exclamar a todo el mundo, made everybody exclaim. a disposición: many adverbial phrases are thus used without the definite article. había visto morir a un hijo al año de terminar..., he had seen a son die a year after completing.... a los seis meses de dar a luz..., six months after giving birth....
[5] —el abuelo y el nieto are the subject of pasaban.
[6] —tienes la cara encendida como..., your face is as red as.... Será, it is probably: future of probability or conjecture.
[7] —fué a esconderse. In English one would say: went and hid. no había visto pasar al perro, had not seen the dog pass. Note the difference between the English and the Spanish word orders. This is usual.
[8] —me, te: datives of possession. fueron saliendo: See Footnote C.
[9] —no me lo ha de decir is about equivalent to no me lo dirá. tomarme, to take (for myself): me is dative of concern or interest. a este perro se le llamará = llamarán a este perro. fortuna y no poca ha sido la suya = ha sido fortuna, y su fortuna no ha sido poca.
[10] —sin que su amo se avergonzara, without his master feeling ashamed. lo más hermoso de Fortuna, the handsomest thing about Fortuna. me: dative of concern or interest. Omit in translating. —Fray Luís de León (1528?-1591), a great Spanish mystic and poet.
[11] lo: an expletive pronoun, often used for clearness when the corresponding noun object precedes the verb. el perderle, to lose it. The article, which here modifies the infinitive, is not to be translated.
[12] A los ocho días, in a week's time. Note that ocho días, in certain expressions, means a week (the days at both ends of the week are counted).