5: prévenances… petits soins: the former anticipate a person's needs or desires, the latter are «attentions» in general.
6: Dijon: a station a little more than halfway between Paris and Lyons, some four or five hours' journey from the latter.
7: la mécanique: the spring. It does not appear whether Armand held down a shade that would fly up, or held up a shade that would come down.—a dû: note the use of the indicative of devoir to express necessary sequence: it «must have.»
8: vous vous… nourrir: You got your board out of them.
9: Chamouny: the nearest village to Mont Blanc, about 3500 feet above the sea level.—le Perrichon: the use of the article is humorous: old man Perrichon.—de s'écrier: the narrative infinitive of the Latin, giving greater vividness to the story.
10: gentilhomme: «nobleman,» not «gentleman.» 'Twas nobly done!
11: Merci: in answer to any offer, is very generally No, thank you.
12: Châlon (sur-Saône): about halfway between Dijon and Lyons.
13: le: i.e. sérieux.
14: vont tout seuls: a play on the expression aller tout seul, used oftoys, etc., that are worked by machinery, and need no drawing with a string, and also of undertakings that are easy and require little or no effort. Daniel's tug-boats need no pushing by him.