stationed in the dressing-room, who overheard* the order, and gave* the required article to the animal. The owner of this marvel of canine sagacity used to preface his directions to the dog with a poor fellow, he is getting* very old and deaf, " and that was the pretext for calling out the order in a very loud tone. 66 3. ENGLISHI COINS OR CURRENCY £. s. d. = In England alone of the more important states of Europe the currency is arranged without much reference to the decimal system. The English gold coins are the sovereign or pound (£ libra, livre) equal to 20 shillings, and the half-sovereign. The silver coins are the crown (5 shillings), the half-crown, the florin (2 shillings), the shilling (s.), and the six-penny, four-penny, and three-penny pieces. The bronze coinage consists of the penny (d denarius, denier), of which 12 make* a shilling, the half-penny, and the farthing (1/4 d.). The guinea, a sum of 21 s., though still used in reckoning, is no longer in circulation as a coin. = A PUN. Why is the prince of Wales like fifteen shillings? Because he wants a crown to be a sovereign. Call (to) out, crier Loud tone, ton élevé Reckon (to), compter 4. THE BABES IN THE WOOD My dear, do you know* How a long time ago, Two poor little children, Whose names I don't know", Were stolen away on a fine summer's day, And when it was night, So sad was their plight, And the moon gave* no light! They sobb'd and they sigh'd, and they bitterly cried, And the poor little things they lay* down and died. And when they were dead, The robins so red Brought strawberry leaves, And all the day long, They sang* them this song: "Poor babes in the wood! poor babes in the wood! "And don't you remember the babes in the wood?" A long time ago, il y Plight, état a longtemps Bitterly, amèrement Cry (to), pleurer Dear, cher, chéri Remember (to), se Robin, rouge-gorge Sad, triste Sigh (to), soupirer Sob (to), sangloter 5. ANECDOTE OF ROWLAND HILL Rowland Hill, when a young man, was walking through the Lake district, when he one day saw the postman deliver a letter to a woman(1) at a cottage door. The woman turned it over and examined it, and then returned it, saying* that she could not pay* the postage, which was a shilling. Hearing* that the letter was from her brother, R. Hill paid the postage, in spite of the manifest unwillingness of the woman. As soon as the postman was out of the house, she showed* R. Hill how his money had been wasted, the sheet was blank. There was an agreement between her brother and herself that, as long as all went well with him, he should send a blank sheet in this way once a quarter, and she had thus tidings of him without expense of postage. A merry companion is music in a journey. Agreement, accord aller bien chez In spite of, malgré Journey, voyage (1) Voir page 45, note. Lake district, pays fois par trimestre Quarter, trimestre Sheet, page, feuille Waste (to), dépenser 6. OUR HOME IS THE OCEAN Our home is the Ocean(1), Our grave is the deep; As on it we sleep*; The waves are our pillow, Our cradle the sea, The rougher(2) the billow, The happier we(3). Our home is the Ocean, A mariner's boast; With waves in wild motion We love it the most. And 'tis our endeavour, In battle and breeze, What is placed upon the table, often cut*, but never eaten* ? · A pack of cards. (1) Remarquez que: ocean rime avec emotion. (2) Dans rough, ough uff (cf. enough). (3) Le comparatif double précédé de the plus. = le français plus... 7. THE TWO OXFORD (1) STUDENTS Leopold. - John, go* to Mr. Marcus's room, and ask him to lend me Livingstone's(2)“ Travels in Africa”. John. Mr. Marcus, my master sends* me to beg you will lend* him Livingstone's "Travels". Marcus. Tell* Mr. Leopold that I make* it a rule never to lend* my books, but if he will take* the trouble to come to my room, he can read* Livingstone's "Travels" as long as he likes. Marcus. Three months after Thomas, go* and ask Mr. Leopold to lend* me his bellows to blow* my fire. You will never be able to light* it without them, I am quite sure. Thomas. Mr. Leopold, your friend, Mr. Marcus, has sent me to beg the loan of your bellows to blow* his fire. Leopold. I am very sorry, give* my compliments to Mr. Marcus, and tell* him I make* it a rule never to lend* my bellows; but if he will give* himself the trouble of coming* to my room, he is welcome to blow* my fire as long as he likes. (1) Oxford, ville d'Angleterre, célèbre par son Université. (2) Livingstone (1813-1873), célèbre voyageur anglais, qui a exploré une grande partie de l'Afrique. |