[97.1] pasando "las de Caín," having "a deuce of a time," lit. "passing through the [experiences] of Cain," i.e. living like Cain after the murder of his brother, in similar gloom and isolation.

[97.2] pugilato, struggle.

[98.1] en torno suyo, around him.

[99.1] no suponen nada, matter nothing.

[99.2] trozos, parts, places.

[99.3] a paso de lobo, stealthily. Cf. Fr. à pas de loup.

[100.1] si a los jóvenes les diese por, if the young people should take it into their heads to, if it should occur to them to.

[100.2] al poco rato de estar allí, when he had been there a little while.

[100.3] copudos, umbrageous, with spreading top.

[100.4] dando la espalda, turning their backs.

[100.5] de algunos días a esta parte, for some days past. Note the habit of thought in this and similar expressions (e.g. de poco acá, "recently"), which starts from a point in the past and comes down to the present.

[101.1] que no te salía la voz del cuerpo, since you sang.

[101.2] redoble, patter, lit. "repetition."

[102.1] Y antes tampoco, Nor before either.

[102.2] daba lástima verlo, he was a pitiful sight.

[103.1] Me da el corazón, My heart tells me.

[103.2] La de la Luz, short for La de Santa María de la Luz.

[104.1] sesgo, trend.

[104.2] por lo bajo, in an undertone.

[104.3] el gran tacaño, the great scoundrel. This phrase is the popular title of the famous picaresque novel of Quevedo: "Historia de la vida del buscón llamado Don Pablos, Ejemplo de vagamundos y Espejo de tacaños."

[104.4] echársela de rumboso, to play the generous.

[104.5] echar todo el vaso al cuerpo, to drink the whole glass.

[104.6] en un decir Jesús, in an instant, "before you could say Jack Robinson."

[104.7] y anda que... del todo, and upon my word Ramona didn't behave at all badly either.

[104.8] le echó mano, laid hands on him.

[105.1] asustara. Cf. page 65, note 2.

[106.1] nos estamos poniendo como una sopa, we are getting sopping wet.

[106.2] un noble, cuanto singular proyecto, a project as noble as (it was) unique. Cuanto thus used includes its antecedent correlative tanto.

[107.1] dar una vuelta, take a walk.

[107.2] se echó a la calle, started into the street.

[107.3] Vamos a ver... ¿verdad? Let us see, José, you must be somewhat hard up for money, aren't you?

[108.1] Phs... así así, Oh, tolerably, "so so."

[108.2] No sólo de pan vive el hombre, a paraphrase of the famous Biblical passage. In the Spanish Bible it is, in Deut. 8, 3: El hombre no vivirá de sólo pan; in Matt. 4, 4: No con sólo el pan vivirá el hombre, and in Luke 4, 4: No con pan sólo vivirá el hombre.

[108.3] Con Elisa... nada ya, I haven't anything to do with Elisa now.

[108.4] estás en amores con Elisa, you and Elisa are sweethearts.

[108.5] mucha mayor. Note that mucho and poco, when modifying a singular comparative, agree like adjectives if a feminine noun follow.

[109.1] la reconquista, the reconquest (of Spain from the Moors).

[109.2] corregidor, chief magistrate, town governor. An officer of the Crown, originally holding an authority concurrent with that of the regidores or councillors, but who gradually usurped the whole municipal government.

[109.3] su ilustrísima, his lordship.

[109.4] a allá, over there, thither.

[110.1] Cuando a un Meira... ceja y ceja, When a Metra takes something into his head, lit. "between eyebrow and eyebrow."

[110.2] deja lo demás de mi cuenta, leave the rest to me.

[110.3] el mes que viene, the coming month.

[111.1] dar un saleo, take a boat-ride. Salearse por el mar is parallel to pasearse por la tierra.

[111.2] pásate por mi casa, call at my house.

[111.3] gestionar, negotiate.

[111.4] todo se volvía... de su casa, he did nothing but speculate as he made his way home, lit. "all (the affair) turned into brooding."

[111.5] en tanto que no, until.

[112.1] las Consistoriales, the town-hall. Supply casas.

[114.1] miraba de hito en hito, looked fixedly at.

[114.2] Como... se callase. Cf. page 20, note 3.

[114.3] se creyó en el caso de, thought himself in a position to.

[115.1] cuarteles, quarterings.

[115.2] punto de honor, honor point.

[115.3] azur y banda de plata... arminios de sable, azure, a bend argent, with dragons' heads or; a bordure argent, with eight ermines sable.

[115.4] gules y una puente... cruces llanas de azur, gules, a bridge argent with three arches, through which runs a mighty river; and a tower or ascendant from the midst of the bridge; a bordure argent and eight plain crosses azure.

[115.5] la primera de plata... al pie del tronco, the first argent, a lion rampant sable; the second or, a tree issuant from a mound and in foliage, with a bird placed upon the top and a dog baying at the foot of the trunk.

[116.1] de plata... en sautor, argent, five ravens sable in saltire.

[116.2] de oro y un castillo... en la punta, or, a castle gules in base, surmounted by a warrior armed with a halberd, naissant from the turret, accompanied by five roundlets vert and argent, placed two on each side and one at the point.

[116.3] la orden de Santiago. One of the three great military orders of Spain: Calatrava, Santiago and Alcántara.

[116.4] jurado, jurat. The jurats were a body who watched, in the interests of the inhabitants, the proceedings of the regidores, raising protests against unpopular measures.

[116.5] procurador en las Cortes de Toro, deputy to the parliament of Toro. Two important parliaments sat at this city, summoned by Henry II, of Trastamara, in 1369 and 1371.

[116.6] Consejo de Italia. An administrative council for the Spanish possessions in Italy, established by Charles V in 1555.

[116.7] oidor de la real Audiencia, judge of the royal court of appeal.

[116.8] regidor, ruler.

[117.1] La luna rielaba su pálida luz, The pale light of the moon gleamed, lit. "The moon made its pale light to sparkle." Rielar is usually intransitive.

[117.2] Vamos allá, Let us to work.

[118.1] haciéndole falta, when you need it, i.e. the money (cuartos).

[118.2] descompuesto, violent.

[119.1] subió todavía algunos palmos, rose several degrees higher, lit. several spans more. Cf. Fr. encore quelques...

[119.2] Renacimiento, Renaissance.

[119.3] a fuer de verídicos, on our word as a truthful author.

[120.1] desperdicios, largess.

[120.2] por si, if, in case.

[120.3] que... sacase un rédito, for him to set up a nice little shop and get an income from it.

[120.4] nada, nothing of the sort.

[120.5] cuatro días, a few, a couple of days. Cuatro is used as an indefinite numeral.

[120.6] al paso, going along, passing by.

[120.7] cartuchito, little paper [roll].

[120.8] los buenos tiempos de la casa de Austria, the 16th and 17th centuries, during which the Spanish branch of the house of Austria occupied the throne.

[121.1] subían de punto, increased.

[121.2] por dos o tres veces, twice or thrice over.

[121.3] discreteos, conceits, clever speeches.

[121.4] fe de bautismo, certificate of baptism.

[121.5] a la mayor brevedad, very shortly.

[122.1] camarín, shrine.

[122.2] pusiese, made offering of.

[122.3] sin probar bocado, without tasting a mouthful.

[123.1] ¡Calle! Strange!

[123.2] echó a andar en pos de ella, began to follow her.

[123.3] uña y carne de, hand and glove with, lit. "nail and flesh."

[123.4] esa cara de mosquita muerta, that innocent-looking face of yours. Mosquita muerta, "demure person," "hypocrite."

[123.5] Yo te arreglaré, buena pieza, I'll settle you, my fine girl.

[123.6] a pie juntillas, firmly, tenaciously, lit. "with feet together." Also a pie juntillo.

[124.1] desabrimiento, estrangement.

[125.1] ves = ve, go. This colloquial form of the imperative is parallel to the French forms in-s of the first conj., found before en and y, e.g. donnes-en, vas-y. The form vas is even found under the same condition as here, viz. before the preposition à, e.g. vas à la veillée, Mérimée, Colomba, C. XII. Indicative influence is the usual explanation.

[125.2] para bruja, to be a witch, "for a witch," cf. page 78, note 3.

[125.3] ¡cómo saca los pies de las alforjas! how bold she's getting! lit. "getting her feet out of the saddle-bags."

[125.4] pichona, sweetheart, dove.

[126.1] a cuestas, on her shoulders.

[126.2] ¡Qué he de ser buena! Good, am I? lit. "How can I be good?"

[126.3] ¡Si soy una bestia! Oh, but I am a brute! This is the expletive use of si (often rendered "why"), to be explained by an ellipse, perhaps of qué or a verb of asking.

[127.1] dieron en el pueblo, reached the town, "struck the town."

[128.1] cuando, if.

[128.2] ponerlo en vías de obra, begin its realization, cf. page 40, note 3.

[128.3] que el castillo viniese en socorro del estado llano, that the nobility should come to the aid of the commons.

[128.4] ni menos, much less.

[129.1] y así por el estilo, and so on, lit. "and thus in the (same) style."

[129.2] Quedamos en eso, Agreed, lit. "We abide by that."

[129.3] a desobedecer... contigo. This right of sequestration of a minor for the purpose of contracting marriage when the parents refuse their consent without just cause is a feature of Spanish law. The institution is sufficiently explained by the episode which follows.

[129.4] empeño, trouble, effort.

[130.1] la guerra de América. The reference is to the conquests of Cortés, Pizarro, etc.

[130.2] se descarriase, should lose himself in digressions, lit. "go astray."

[131.1] solicitud, petition.

[132.1] en achaque de letras, in the matter of learning.

[132.2] no puedo menos de, I cannot help, lit. "can (do) no less than."

[132.3] al cabo, after all. Cf. above, where the usual meaning, "at last," fits better.

[132.4] fuera de sí, beside himself.

[133.1] al tanto de, familiar with. Cf. page 8, note 5.

[133.2] lo que procede, the manner of proceeding.

[133.3] se ratifica en, confirms.

[134.1] entre luz y luz, at twilight. Also entre dos luces.

[134.2] Quedamos... en que. Cf. page 129, note 2.

[135.1] bastón, staff.

[135.2] estuvo para huir, was on the point of escaping.

[136.1] a primera hora, early.

[136.2] baqueta, sole-leather. Also vaqueta.

[136.3] por, in, out of.

[136.4] cosa que lo valga, something of the sort, lit. something to equal it.

[136.5] dado... la vuelta al pueblo, gone the round of the town.

[137.1] llorar con, weep over. Cf. page 34, note 2.

[137.2] estaba constipado, had a cold.

[137.3] un príncipe de malísimas pulgas, a most ill-tempered prince. Pulgas, "fleas"; hence de malas pulgas, "easily stung," "roused (to anger)."

[137.4] en qué paraba, how it turned out, lit. "in what it stopped."

[137.5] ¡cuánto pasó! how much she went through!

[137.6] desde luego, forthwith.

[137.7] tienes azogue, you are very restless, lit. "you have quicksilver (in you)."

[138.1] con bien, well, with advantage.