12. he filled his trunk with water,

13. and his driver led him back (a) the same way. 14. Having (9) arrived before the tailor's workshop,

15. the animal stopped and threw in his face 16. all the contents (b) of his (c) trunk.

6. WHAT LIGHTENS ALL BURDENS.

1. Two servants, Polly (Mary) and Maggy (Margaret),

2. were each (d) carrying a very heavy basket:
3. the latter was continually grumbling

4. and complaining of the weight of her burden;
5. the former laughed and joked about it,
6. as if it were (e) light.

7. "How can you laugh?" said Maggy. 8. "Your basket is as heavy as mine, 9. and you are not stronger than I am." 10. "It is because I have put in mine,” 11. answered Polly, "a little plant 12. which diminishes the weight of it." 13. "Pray, tell me, Polly, what that plant is?

(a) Led (mena), led back (ramena) (12).

(b) Contents est toujours pluriel, et contenu toujours singulier.

V. note (e), p. 66.

(e) V. note (c), p. 66.

(d) V. note (a), p. 70.

(e) Were est ici l'imparfait du subjonctif de to be (être), régi par la conjonction if (si).

12. il remplit sa trompe d'eau,

13. et son cornac le ramena par le même chemin. 14. Etant () arrivé devant l'atelier du tailleur,

15. l'animal s'arrêta et lui lança au visage 16. tout le contenu (a) de sa (b) trompe.

6. CE QUI ALLÉGE TOUS LES FARDEAUX. 1. Deux servantes, Marie et Marguerite,

2. portaient chacune un panier très-lourd:
3. celle-ci murmurait continuellement

4. et se plaignait de la pesanteur de son fardeau;
5. celle-là en riait et en plaisantait,

6. comme s'il était léger.

7. "Comment peux-tu (3) rire?" dit Marguerite;
8. "ton panier est aussi lourd que le mien,
9. et tu n'es pas plus forte que moi."

10. "C'est parce que j'ai mis dans le mien,”
11. répondit Marie, "une petite plante
12. qui en diminue le poids."

13. "De grâce, dis-moi, Marie, quelle est cette plante?

(a) Contenu is always singular; contents is always plural. See note (c), p. 67.

(See note (a), p. 67.

9

7

14. I should like to have some (1) to lighten my basket also."

15. Polly said to her: "The precious plant 16. which renders all burdens light is patience."

7. CONJUGAL DISPUTE.

1. As a man and his (a) wife

2. were at supper,

3. there arose a dispute between them.

4. The woman was obstinate,

5. and, far from (10) trying to appease her (a)

husband,

6. she did not cease to contradict him,

7. making use of harsh words.

8. At every injurious word,

9. the man helped himself to wine,

10. and drank cursing.

11. Their child, a witness to the dispute,

12. seeing his father drink so often, exclaimed:

13. "Mamma, stop abusing papa.

14. If you (3) continue,

15. we shall soon have no wine,

16. and we must (c) drink water."

17. This ingenuous reflection put an end to the dispute.

(a) Voir note (c), p. 66.

(c) Must (falloir) est un verbe défectueux, qui n'a ni modes, ni temps, ni personnes.

14. Je voudrais en avoir pour (1) alléger aussi mon panier."

15. Marie lui dit: "La plante précieuse

16. qui rend tous les fardeaux légers, c'est la patience."

7. DISPUTE CONJUGALE.

1. Comme un homme et sa (a) femme
2. étaient à souper,

3. il s'éleva une dispute entre eux.

4. La femme était obstinée,

5. et, loin de chercher à (10) apaiser son (a) mari,

6. elle ne cessait de le contredire,
7. en employant des mots piquants.
8. A chaque parole injurieuse,
9. l'homme se versait du vin

10. et buvait en jurant.

11. Leur enfant, témoin de la dispute,

12. voyant son père boire aussi souvent, s'écria: 13. “Maman, finis donc d'injurier papa.

14. Si tu (3) continues,

15. nous n'aurons bientôt plus de vin,

16. et il faudra (b) boire de l'eau."

17. Cette réflexion ingénue mit fin à la querelle.

(a) See note (a), p. 67.

(b) Faudra, an impersonal verb which means, it will be necessary.

8. THE RASH JUDGMENT.

1. A countryman, leaving off (a) his work, 2. on (6) a summer's day, to take some rest, 3. stretched out (c) in the shade of a large oak, 4. at the foot of which a large pumpkin was growing (d).

5. On noticing it, he began to reflect and said to himself:

ter:

6. "If I had been in the place of the Creator,
7. I think (1) I should have arranged things bet-

8. I should have made the pumpkin grow on the oak,

9. and the acorn on the delicate stem of the creeping plant."

10. Thus reflecting, he fell asleep (e).

11. But he had hardly closed his (f) eyes when

an acorn,

12. falling on the tip of his nose, awoke him. 13. "What a fool I was!" he exclaimed;

(a) Leaving (laissant), leaving off (quittant). (12).

(b) On (sur) s'emploie devant les noms de temps. Summer's day, forme du génitif, équivaut à day of summer (jour d'été).

(c) Stretched (étendit), stretched out (s'étendit par terre). (12) (d) Voir note (a), p. 70.

(e) Fell asleep (tomba endormi).

(f) En parlant des parties du corps on emploie en anglais le pronom possessif, bien qu'il fasse pléonasme. V. (4).