7: Quoi donc: Wrote what?
8: un dévergondage grammatical: a piece of grammatical impertinence.
9: Combien tient-on… voiture: _How many is there room for in your carriage? Tient-on = sont tenus, «can be held, seated.»
10: Ah: this is the Oh! of indignation = «Fie!»
11: la corde: is here the rope marking the «infield» or «inside track» of a race-course, and therefore = «the better position.» I knew Ishould get the inside track again!
ACTE TROISIÈME
SCÈNE PREMIÈRE
1: appartement: i.e. door leading to the rest of the flat.
2: Grenoble: a beautiful city in southeastern France, about sixty miles southeast of Lyons, and consequently not much out of the way on the return trip from Chamouny.
3: mettra le pot au feu: will boil a piece of beef. Boiled beef is a standard middle-class dish in France. It is very economical, since the boiled meat (bouilli) is eaten and the water it has been boiled in(bouillon) makes soup.