70 29 kousskouss: (couscous): meat cooked with flour, the national dish of the Arabs according to Daudet, "Paysages gastronomiques" in "Contes du lundi."
71 2 une place de jolie sous-préfecture: 'the square of a pretty little city,' 'the square of a pretty city about the size of a subprefecture'; cf. note to 17 14. For the construction cf. note to 1 5.
71 4 de petits soldats de plomb: 'little lead soldiers', cf. note to 1 5. The men drilling looked like lead soldiers when seen through the vitres dépolies par la buée, on account of their stiffness and the dimness of their outline in the early morning light.
71 7 ne sentait pas encore le lion: 'did not savor of lions yet', cf.cela sent le camphre 'that smells of camphor.'
71 8 Plus au sud: not negative; cf. note to 13 1.
71 13 grosse comme le poing: 'as big as your fist.'
71 14 haute de cinq doigts: cf. notes to 26 5 and 42 23. --serviette: a kind of 'portfolio' widely used in France by public officials, professors, and others, for carrying papers and books.
71 15 notaire: the position of the French notaire is more dignified than that of our 'notary', he performs some of the functions of the American lawyer.