Contes Français   By: Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870)

EDITED WITH NOTES AND VOCABULARY BY DOUGLAS LABAREE BUFFUM, PH. D. Professor of Romance Languages in Princeton University.

PREFACE.

This edition of Contes Français follows the lines of my edition of French Short Stories , published in 1907. The stories have been chosen from representative authors of the nineteenth century with a view to: (1) literary worth, (2) varied style and subject matter, (3) large vocabulary, (4) interest for the student.

The vocabulary is large (between 6000 and 7000 words); it is hoped that it will be found to be complete, with the exception of merely personal names, having no English equivalent and of no signification beyond the story in which they occur. In a few instances words will be found in the text with special meanings; in these cases the vocabulary contains the usual signification as well as the special. Irregularities in pronunciation are indicated in the vocabulary.

A knowledge of the elementary principles of French grammar on the part of the student is presupposed. Consequently the notes contain few grammatical explanations. Repetition of rules that may be found in the ordinary grammars would be unnecessary, and the individual instructor will probably prefer to adapt this side of the work to the needs of each class, Or better still to the needs of each student. Mere translations have also been avoided in the notes; the complete vocabulary will enable the student to do this work himself. The body of the notes is devoted to the explanation of historical and literary references and to the explanation of difficult or exceptional grammatical constructions. A few general remarks have been made in connection with each author in order to point out his place in French literature; bibliographical material for more detailed information has been indicated and the principal works of each author have been mentioned, together with one or more editions of his works.

No alteration of any kind has been made in the French Text.

CONTENTS

PRÉFACE

MÉRIMÉE L'ENLÈVEMENT DE LA REDOUTE LE COUP DE PISTOLET

MAUPASSANT LA MAIN UNE VENDETTA L'AVENTURE DE WALTER SCHNAFFS TOMBOUCTOU EN MER LES PRISONNIERS LE BAPTÊME TOINE LE PÈRE MILON

DAUDET LE CURÉ DE CUCUGNAN LE SOUS PRÉFET AUX CHAMPS LE PAPE EST MORT UN RÉVEILLON DANS LE MARAIS LA VISION DU JUGE DE COLMAR

ERCKMANN CHATRIAN LA MONTRE DU DOYEN

COPPÉE LE LOUIS D'OR L'ENFANT PERDU

GAUTIER LA MILLE ET DEUXIÈME NUIT

BALZAC UN DRAME AU BORD DE LA MER.

MUSSET CROISILLES

NOTES.

VOCABULARY.

[Transcriber's note: Page numbers and line numbers have been retained to facilitate the location of the topics pointed to, in the "Nldquo;Notes" section.]

CONTES FRANÇAIS

Page 1

MÉRIMÉE

L'ENLÈVEMENT DE LA REDOUTE

Un militaire de mes amis, qui est mort de la fièvre en Grèce il y a quelques années, me conta un jour la première affaire à laquelle il avait assisté. Son récit me frappa tellement, que je l'écrivis de mémoire aussitôt que j'en [5]eus le loisir. Le voici:

Je rejoignis le régiment le 4 septembre au soir. Je trouvai le colonel au bivac. Il me reçut d'abord assez brusquement; mais, après avoir lu la lettre de recommandation du général B , il changea de manières, et [10]m'adressa quelques paroles obligeantes.