32. quasiment t'une lourdeur. t' here shows that a liaison has been made. The question of liaison is difficult for a foreigner, some book on pronunciation (such as Geddes, French Pronunciation, Oxford Press) should be consulted.
[98.]--1. on entendit entrer. Notice that the indefinite subject of the infinitive is omitted.
18. un lapin qui bat du tambour. An allusion to the drumming of rabbits.
23. il dut couver, il dut renoncer. The past definite of certain verbs expresses accomplishment, "he had to do it and he did it"; devait would not express the accomplishment of the action.
[100.]--31. qué. For quel.
[101.]--3. combien qu'i en a. For combien qu'il y en a, that is, combien y a-t-il?
5. cette famille nouvelle. When nouveau is placed after the noun, it means "recently appeared," not "other"; nouveau should also be distinguished from neuf, which means "unused" and follows its noun.
11. son enveloppe. The use of son before a feminine noun beginning with a vowel arose by analogy with bon: bon ami, bonne amie, therefore son ami, son amie.
LE PÈRE MILON
[103.]--4. la guerre de 1870. See note to p. 41, l. 1.