Chapter 14

[134] =dejarse cuidar... por=, _let_ [_some one_] _take care of him_: =se= is the object of =cuidar=, then =por= following mixes the construction. Cf. English _I have heard say by somebody_, a mixed construction for _I have heard said by somebody_, and _I have heard somebody say_.

[135] =so pena=, _under penalty_: =so pretexto=, and =so capa=, _under pretext_; =so=, often pronounced =jo=, gave way to =bajo=, which is the common word for _under_. =So= [Lat. _sub_] remains in a few legal or set phrases.

[136] =precauciones nasales=, _nasal precautions_: facetious, like the expressions of a baseball reporter with us; it is a style of playfulness common with Alarcón.

[137] =alguno= after its word = =ninguno=.

[138] =interrumpió=: a marked trait of Jorge.

[139] =señores=: includes =señoras=; cf. =los reyes católicos de España=, _the Catholic king and queen of Spain_, i.e. Ferdinand and Isabel.

[140] =la contraria [razón]=: Alarcón uses =el contrario, lo contrario=, in the same sense.

[141] =himno de Riego=: not so much that he indorsed Riego, as to be mean and pique the marquis. Alarcón would not have a hero too radical. He tells us Jorge had never been a revolutionist (=lo que nunca ha hecho ha sido pronunciarse=). He tells us of himself that he was anti-royalist only a little while: his democratic impulses (=pujos democráticos=) were sudden and fleeting (=repentinos y fugaces=). See _Diario_ I, p. 11.

[142] =a quien nadie mandaba echar su cuarto a espadas=, _whom nobody told to bet his money on spades_, i.e. _he had no business to get into the fray_: the figure is of betting on cards.

[143] =podía haber escarmentado=, _he might have known better_.

[144] =perito agrónomo=, _land expert_, _surveyor_: =agrónomo= is an adjective.

[145] =Señoras y señores=: addressed to the same ones he called =señores= before.

[146] =partiendo de la base=, _starting from the basis_ = _taking for granted_.

[147] =resabios=, _tricks_: note the sense _flavor_, _taste_, _bad taste_, of the stem =saber=, _to taste_, _smack_, _flavor_, here and in =sinsabores=, =desabrimiento=, =desabor=. Cf. English _disgusting_ [_gust_, 'taste'].

[148] =ahorrar descontentos y sinsabores=, _to spare the lady annoyances and offenses_.

[149] =proveer= = =resolver=, _deciding_.

[150] =gran=: apocopated, instead of =grande= as usual whether before masculine or feminine noun.

[151] =Bilbao=: one would think first of the famous Chilean patriot, Francisco Bilbao, after mention of Riego; but as there was no man Maella corresponding, the two names must refer to the towns. Bilbao was besieged several times, and as late as 1874, in the Carlist wars. The =Bilbaínos= are sturdy and brave, love liberty, and easily join against the government. The battle of Maella was won by General Cabrera in 1830.

[152] =en esto=, _meantime_: like =en tanto=, =en cuanto=.

[153] =a fuer de = al tenor de=, _as a_.

[154] =en sendas butacas=, _in their respective chairs_.

[155] =generalato=: note =-ato= and =-ado=, different forms of the same ending.

[156] =condado=: note =-ato= and =-ado=, different forms of the same ending.

[157] =a poco=, _in a little while_, _as soon as_: cf. =al ver=, _when he saw_.

[158] =hurgó= [from =furca=, _fork_; cf. _stir_, _prod_]: preterit of =hurgar=, confused with =urgió=, _urged_, from =urgir=.

[159] =derecho... a tener que comer=, _the right to have something to eat_, i.e. _right to live, have a pension_.

[160] =que le asistía=, _that was present to her_ or _that she had_: cf. =para sospechar que le asistían razones para no decirlo=, _to suspect that he had reasons for not telling_. _Escándalo_, p. 44.

[161] =pasta de ángeles=, _the nature of angels_: cf. =Soy de la madera de Diógenes=, _I am of the wood (material) of Diogenes_. _Escándalo_, p. 33.

[162] =poco asustadizas=, _not scary_: cf. _bold, bad man_.

[163] =crisma=, _the_ [_anointed_ or _sprinkled_] _head_: familiar even from such a dignified man; =el bautismo= is used in the same sense. _Otelo_ II, 2.

[164] =quítame allá esas pajas=, _take away those straws_: a common phrase for _bagatelle, a mere nothing_. Don Quixote says, Parte I, cap. XXIX: =en dácame esas pajas=, _in a 'give me those straws' = in no time, in the twinkling of an eye_.

[165] =como no sea=, _as it be not_ = _if not, unless_.

[166] =deseare=: must be for =deseara= or =desease=. All editions have =deseare=. It is the only instance in Alarcón along with a form in =-ría=.

[167] =Ya se ve=, _It is seen_ = _That is plain, the reason is plain._

[168] =Apuntole el bozo=, _His beard started_, i.e. _At puberty_ [_he was in wars in America_].

[169] =ha hecho ha sido=: note even in verbs the tendency to repeat forms after a relative.

[170] =están a la orden de usted=, _are at your service_, _at your disposal_: an extreme, but very common, formula of politeness; similarly, a Spaniard, in telling a friend where he lives, will not say: =Ahí está mi casa=, but =Ahí tiene usted su casa=, _There is your house_.

[171] =de saberlo= = =si lo supiese=, _if he knew it_: the condition can be supplied in several ways: =si lo supiera=, =a saberlo=, =sabiéndolo=, =si lo sabía=, or even =si sabe=. The conclusion (here =dimitiría=) has fewer forms: =dimitiera=, =dimitía=, =dimite=, and rarely =dimitiese=. This form in =-se= is not considered good style.

[172] =milloncejos=: note the diminutive. English would cover the idea by some adjective: _my snug nine million_, _my cool nine million_, _my little old nine million_.

[173] =el general=: =al= in the 10th edition is an error.

[174] =dilatadas=, _deferred_: cf. =... con aplausos y vivas, de donde resultó que aquella votación fuese muy dilatada=, _with applause and shouts, whence it came that the voting was much delayed_. Villaseñor, _Guillermo_, p. 337.

[175] =tenga=: verbs of all kinds, even =decir=,at times omit =que=; but the =que= is oftenest omitted with such verbs as =suplicar=, _beg_, _pray_, _implore_.

[176] =hasta cierto punto=, _to a certain extent_: here more normal than at 5, 9.

[177] =mismísimo=: three different sounds of =i= in this word, according to Professor Olmsted.

[178] =demos por terminada=, _let us consider it ended_: so =delo por dicho=, _you needn't tell me_, _never mind_, or _I don't care to hear it_.

[179] =¡Permítame usted besarle la mano!--¡Y permite... que yo te abrace...!= verbs like =permitir=, =dejar=, =impedir=, admit either the infinitive or a =que-=clause, without difference in meaning.

[180] =salgan=: =salir=, =seguir= [=continuar=, =quedar=, =venir=, =andar=] follow =ir= and take =-ndo= forms after them, like =estar=.

[181] =consentido en=: =consentir= takes =en=, =con=, =a=, and sometimes =sobre=, with different senses.

[182] =que tengas=: omitted in 10th edition.

[183] =Mejor que mejor=, _Better and better_: so =peor que peor=, =dale que dale=, etc., where the much used =que= is only an emphatic =y=, _and_; cf. =éranse que se eran=, 5, 1.

[184] =permitiese=: =-se= and =-ra= forms are still used in wishes [like exclamations]; cf. =Así nos diera Dios grandes políticos=, _Oh, that God would give us great politicians!_ _Diario_ II, 272. =¡Diérame Dios el numen de Tasso!= _Oh, that God would give me Tasso's inspiration!_ _Diario_ I, 320. =¡O Absalom! ¡Quién diera que hubiera yo muerto en= =lugar de ti!= _Oh, that I had died for thee!_ Bible. In Job 3: 1-9 are many examples in Valera's text: these are changed to present subjunctive in the Mexican edition of 1910. =-se= forms not so often: =¡Fuese ya mañana y estuviésemos en la batalla!= _Amadís_, in Bello-Cuervo, § 701. =¡Quien me diese que me creyeseis!= _Oh that you would believe me!_ _Ibid._ Cf. also the familiar =¡Acabaras!= to a child, _Hush up!_

[185] =Angustias=: he omits =señorita= this time.

[186] =la primera vez de su vida=, _the first time in his life_; so in Alarcón often: _first tears_, _first smile_, _last time in his life_, and others.

[187] =carne de perro=: a compliment about like _strong as a horse_. The doctor falls into the captain's style.

[188] =matasanos=, _killer of well men_: humorous here, but a common type: cf. =curaperros=, =quitasol=, =parasol=, =sacamuelas= (_dentist_), =perdona-vidas= (_bully_), =picaporte=. All like our _pick-pocket_, _turnkey_, _cureall_, _forget-me-not_.

[189] =Cuando salga=, _When I get out_: there is hardly a word that occurs oftener with the present subjunctive than =cuando=.

[190] =todo un hombre=, _a whole man_: cf. =toda una obra maestra=, _a real masterpiece_; =todo un capitán=, _a real captain_.

[191] =¡Cuidado si tiene hígados para remendar cuerpos rotos!= _It's a caution what a nerve you have for mending broken bodies_: =cuidado= has become a disguised oath (for emphasis) with its =k= sound; cf. =¡Cuidado si está el chico que da gloria verlo!= _I'll declare the little fellow is a fine sight._ _Niño de la Bola_, p. 174. Cf. also =¡Cuidado que aquel dichoso año hizo calor!= _That blessed year was plenty hot enough!_ _Viva el Papa_, p. 43. It is a year that I have been grumbling about an overcoat, =y cuidado que me hace falta=, _and gracious how awfully I need it_. _Núñez._ =¡Cuidado que a mí me encantan Horacio y Virgilio y los Gracos y...!= _I do like H. and V..., though._ Valera, _Cartas Americanas_, p. 92.

[192] =había oído citar=, _had heard some one mention_.

[193] =al _cabecilla_=, _the leader_ (=cabeza=): grammar gender and sex go together when speaking of persons: so =el cura=, =el corneta=, =unos canallas=, _some scamps_.

[194] =Era de notar=, _It was noticeable_: cf. =es de ver=, _it is worth seeing_.

[195] =el pícaro de D. Jorge=, _that rogue Don Jorge_: so English, _that dog of a landlord_; but Spanish uses a substantivized adjective so, e.g. =la necia de mi tía=, _my silly aunt_. Common.

[196] =que ha=: after a relative the verb could be the first person =he=, as in older English (e.g. _who art in heaven_).

[197] =por hacer=, _because it was_.

[198] =Si fuera=, _If you were_ (_but you are not_) _..._, =habíamos=, _we should have to..._. Note here and in the following two speeches the condition (=si=-clause) and the conclusion (with the imperfect indicative or the conditional). Angustias: =Si yo fuese hombre, me reiría... seríamos.= El Capitán: =siendo usted hombre, yo no llegaría... le propondría....= So =si fuese= = =si fuera= = =si era= = =siendo= = =a ser= = =de ser= = =si es=, all forms the condition might take.

[199] =mocosilla=, _snotnose_: Jorge is not trying to be elegant; not an uncommon word. Spanish uses =a moco tendido=, =tragar saliva=, and many such phrases that we avoid. Moratín (père) uses the word =moco= freely. Victor Hugo calls the starry skies _God's spittle_.

[200] =puesta en sus puntos=, _very correct and proper_, as though cut to a pattern.

[201] =hago=: this is as near as Spanish comes to our _do_ as an auxiliary. =Agradecer= and =sonreír= are infinitives in apposition with the phrase =lo que yo hago=, _what I do: say thank you and smile_. Cf. =¿Qué hizo?--Lo mismo que su merced: reírse a todo trapo.= _What did he do?--The same as you: laugh with all his might._ Alarcón, _La Buenaventura_, p. 4.

[202] =cocodrilo=, _crocodile_: the eager student can find abundant examples in Spanish (and English, too) where =r= has changed its position in the word: =bergante= (_brigand_), =propósito= (_purpose_), =corbata= (_cravat_).

[203] =respuesta no la=: the pronoun is regularly given after a noun (object) standing before the verb; but cf. the rhetorical =¡Rubor me causa hablar...=, _It makes me blush to speak..._, 97, 25.

[204] =mismísimos diablos=: just a new kind of emphasis, not parlor language even in Spanish, where oaths are so common as to be largely colorless.

[205] =Conozco=, _I see_, _perceive_: an inchoative here.

[206] =en mitad= for =en medio=, and so, like =medio=, it has no article. We meet =mitad sordo=, =mitad artista=, _half deaf_, _half artist_.

[207] =Casino de mi alma=, _my darling Casino_: a parallel English (Irish) expression is _Peg o' my heart_.

[208] =de= on account of =días=: noun needs =de= before its descriptive infinitive; cf. =noches de no dormir=.

[209] =embozo=, _covers_ (_at the head_): cf. verb =embozarse=, _to wrap up neck and face_.

[210] =sobre otra= (=silla=), _on another_ (_chair_): not one leg over the other.

[211] =sillón-cama=: the adjective element last, as in =vagón-cama=, _bed-wagon_, _sleeping-car_.

[212] =enfermos como los sanos=, _the sick the same as the well_: the meaning and order for us is: _the well the same as the sick_.

[213] =confianza y benevolencia que ya le merecía=, _the confidence and goodwill which she_ (=la señora=) _had already won from him_: verbs that formerly governed various cases have been leveled down to the construction of =dar=, and take a dative and an accusative (or direct and indirect object); so =pagar=, =comprar=, =agradecer=, =oír= (=oírle las razones=, _hear his reasons_), =llamar= (=llamarle la atención=).

[214] =la=, _it_: the usual feminine for our indefinite _it_: _let it go_; _now you've done it_.

[215] =santa=: euphemism again; _the whole blessed night_.

[216] =impenitente=: the 10th edition has =impertinente=.

[217] =no... ya=, _no longer_.

[218] =doblemos= = =volvamos=, _let us turn_.

[219] =arrepentida=, _repentant_: =-ido= forms often have _-ing_ sense: =dormido=, _sleeping_; =colgado=, _hanging_; =sufrido=, _patient_; =callado=, _silent_. The changed meaning is often only apparent, as in =agradecido=, _grateful_; =complacido=, _pleasant_. Sometimes the sense is little different between the past and present participles, e.g. _hung on the wall_ or _hanging on the wall_.

[220] =que le he oído cantar=, _I have heard you sing_; =hacerme decir=, _make me say_; =se dejó fusilar=, _let himself get shot_; notice that in the first, =le= is the object of =oído=; in the second, =-me= is the object of =hacer=; but in the last, =se= is the object of =fusilar=.

[221] =caramba=: this is the commonest oath = _heavens_; it expresses surprise or anger in various degrees, and often is virtually colorless.

[222] =Peripecia=, _Sudden Change in the Situation_; =mudanza repentina de situación=, _Diccionario de la Academia_.

[223] =y que=, _and that_: this =que= is used here after =y= because the following dependent clause, instead of continuing the infinitive construction =sonar= (dependent on =oyó=), is going to introduce a new personal subject.

[224] =_a estas horas_=: plural in keeping with =a las dos=, etc. Common.

[225] =oyose al mismo=: =se= here is equivalent to "one" as subject: _one heard_, etc.

[226] =sentirse=: from _feel_ the meaning passes to _hear_.

[227] =Conoció=, _Saw_, _perceived_.

[228] =del cuello=: =al cuello= in several editions.

[229] =Me he puesto mala=: Spanish has no independent word for _become_, but uses =ponerse=, =hacerse=, =volverse=, =ser=, and others.

[230] =Ya se me va pasando=, _I am getting over it now_.

[231] =Llegado que hubo=, _When_ (_the doctor_) _had come_: =hubo= as auxiliary instead of =había=, always in this phrase; the sense of exact time is felt more when time is marked by an adverb; and so =hubo=, aside from this use with =que= after the past participle, is seldom found without an adverb =apenas=, =luego que=, =no bien=, or =cuando=.

[232] =angelical=: the double ending =-ic-al=, so common in English, is little used in Spanish.

[233] =despierte=: subject follows.

[234] =¡Dios querrá dejarme vivir hasta que amanezca...!= the future used like an imperative: _God grant that I may live till morning._

[235] =la chica=, _the little one_ = Angustias. Like =esta chiquilla=, 86, 14.

[236] =¡Estaría escrito!= _It surely was written_: referring to biblical _it is written_, =está escrito=. =Estaría de Dios=, same sense. In _La Pródiga_: =sic fata voluerunt=, _so the fates decreed_, p. 208; and =era fatalidad de mi estrella=, _it was in my stars_, p. 227. Cf. =Vendrán el día que esté escrito=, _They will come in due time_.

[237] =hasta la consumación de los siglos=, _till the end of time_.

[238] =de pedirme=, [_the pleasure_] _of having you ask me_: the whole sentence is poor rhetoric and syntax (the infinitives are confused); but the meaning is _What can I do for you then? For it is plain you would not be passing through so much distress to do me the honor of asking me, or having me ask my cousin, for the miserable filth called lucre--for you know how much we both esteem both of you._

[239] =tengo... a quien encomendársela=: cf. =tengo algo que hacer, tengo que ir=, and English _hath not where to lay his head_; =tener con quien pelear=.

[240] =sea=, =haya=, =sea=, =muera=: four differently construed subjunctives.

[241] =sea=, =haya=, =sea=, =muera=: four differently construed subjunctives.

[242] =sea=, =haya=, =sea=, =muera=: four differently construed subjunctives.

[243] =sea=, =haya=, =sea=, =muera=: four differently construed subjunctives.

[244] =para que me amen= = =para ser amado=: a good example of substitute for the passive. Cf. _Escándalo_, p. 176: =no quiero matarte ni que tú me mates a mí=, _I don't want to kill you nor to be killed by you_: and in _La Pródiga_, p. 75: =No; yo no he nacido para odiar ni ser odiado=, _I was not born to hate or to be hated_.

[245] =desde que soy=, _since I have been_: good example of Spanish present tense for our present perfect.

[246] =estos primeros besos=: but they are not the first. See back one page. Alarcón often uses a phrase like "for the first time in his life".

[247] =a quien=: direct object of three verbs and indirect object of =deber=. No wonder that even the grammarians cannot always agree on the cases.

[248] =ha muerto=: thus commonly when the body is still present; =murió= would not be natural.

[249] =¡En buena...!= _In a pretty fix!_ feminine form, adverbial = =buenamente=.

[250] =de rodillas=, _on the knees_: Spanish =de= occurs in adverbial expressions of time, place, and manner. English uses the corresponding _of_ in expressions of time (_of a morning_, _of a summer afternoon_, _all of a sudden_); and we do hear such use as _fell of a heap_; but _of old_, _of a truth_, _of a child_ (Mark 10:21), _of necessity_, etc., are growing quaint.

[251] =¡Llora= [=tú=] =...!= _Weep...!_ English loses here the force of the _thou_ form. In Jorge's last speech, he called her =Angustias= without the usual =señorita=, but used =entre= (=usted=). Afterwards he will go on again with formal =usted=.

[252] =acariciándole el pelo=, _caressing her hair_: the dative of interest, =le= instead of the possessive adjective.

[253] =no pudo menos de significarle aprecio, y gratitud, poniéndole una mano sobre el corazón=, _she could do no less than show him some appreciation and gratitude by placing her hand on his heart_. In one edition we read =poniéndose una mano=, etc. But this is a manifest error, since despite the frequency of the phrase =ponerse la mano sobre el corazón=, as a phrase of cogitation or of asseveration, those passages lack the essential element of this passage, which is the showing of appreciation and gratitude by a gentle caress: _placing her hand on his heart_.

[254] =De Potencia a Potencia=, _Might against Might_, or _The Final Struggle_. Cf. =moviéronse ambos campos decididos a perecer o triunfar, y diose la batalla de poder a poder=. _Nuevo Diccionario_, Casa Bouret, México, 1887, p. 969. Salvá translates the expression into Latin _summis utrimque viribus_.

[255] =desiguales muletas=, _a crutch and a cane_.

[256] =resoplido=, _a snort_: in keeping: Alarcón speaks of =resoplido que da su caballo= (_Diario_ I, 79) and =de la locomotora=, and =de un toro cuando fenece=, _of a dying bull_ (_ibid._, p. 10).

[257] =Pícaras=: Alarcón in the _Diario_ says: =¡pícaro Alah!= _roguish Allah!_

[258] =años mil=, _a thousand years_: this order is poetical, and usually occurs with some pleasant word (=virtudes mil=, =gracias mil=, =vergüenzas mil=).

[259] =estoy levantado=: =estoy= with an =-ado= form, felt as a present: _I am up_, _have been up_; as often with verbs of motion: =está llegado=, _has arrived_.

[260] =¡Reventada...!= a coarse word _burst_ for _die_, like French _crever_. We sometimes find this usage imitated in English, where an author knows French.

[261] =la de Dios es Cristo=: allusion to the fierce old religious disputes as to the character of the Trinity.

[262] =¿Se puede entrar?= _May one enter?_ _May I come in?_ This use of =se= is more and more felt as a nominative or subject: =se ha dicho=, _it has been said_, felt as _one has said_. Intransitive verbs started the fashion (or carried it on from the Latin type _secutus est_): =está amándose= being =se está amando=; and thus sound and use of intransitives with =se= became familiar through the very frequent verbs (intransitive) =estar= and =ir=, and spread till =se=, like =que=, has many shades of function.

[263] =con cinco mil= [=diablos=] =de a caballo=, _with 5000_ [_devils_] _on horseback_: Jorge is using up oaths. Later he orders Rosa =con cinco mil demonios=. Alarcón uses =con mil santos=,: and in _La Pródiga_, p. 243, when the horse comes back without Julia: =¡Jesús, Jesús, mil veces!= It is striking how frequently numbers are used in oaths. In Villaseñor's _Guillermo_ we have =200,000 demonios=. Frequently the oath has the addition "mounted on horseback". The numbers occur also in magic and charms and in church literature. Laval quotes:

Ave María, santa y sagrada, quince mil veces seáis alabada.

It is little different from English "No, a thousand times no".

[264] =Sentémonos= for =-mos-nos=, as always nowadays.

[265] =Batalla Campal=, _Pitched Battle_: this chapter is the longest in the book, and a good short story of itself.

[266] =empeñado usted en=, (_because_) _you insisted on_ (_sitting up to watch with her_): verbs compounded show a tendency to echo the prefix (unless the verb is used for some commoner verb of a different construction, e.g. =consentir en= or =convenir en= under the influence of =venir en=, =quedar en=): =dejar de hablar=, _to cease from speaking_; =contar con=, _count on_; =insistir en=; =acostumbrarse a=; =cumplir con=, _comply with_--=cumplir= formerly was used much more without =con= as equivalent to =hacer=; now it tends to become a special verb with =con= (=cumplir con sus deberes=, _comply with one's obligations_). Before =que= of the dependent clause the preposition is very exacting. Cf. for use of prepositions, English _depart from_, _agree to_, _dismiss from_, _admit to_, _enter in_, etc.

[267] =¡Hombre!= _Why man alive!_ As we say _Yes, sir_, for emphasis, so Spanish uses =señor= and =hombre=, at times, to a woman, a child, even to a dog.

[268] =me ha= = =ella me ha=: =he= in four other editions is an error.

[269] =cumplido bien=, _fulfilled well_: =cumplir= omits =con= usually when it means =hacer=. Cf. note 113, 8.

[270] =lo=, _that matter_ [of the gravestone].

[271] =¿Cómo que no?= = =¿Cómo puede usted decir que no?= _How can you say she did not?_

[272] =¡Estas chiquillas...!= _You little girls_: as though third person like =ustedes=.

[273] =echándola=: =echar= in one of its many uses: _acting as though_ [_very furious_].

[274] =el que= = =el hecho que=, _the fact that_: this =el= makes the whole clause into a substantive (subject or object), and seems like a neuter in its use.

[275] =Q. S. G. H.= = =Que santa gloria haya=, _May she rest in peace_; =haya= here keeps its old independent force: _may she have_.

[276] =Superioridad=: begins with small =s= in 10th edition.

[277] =Dicho esto=, _This said_: the usual order for the absolute construction.

[278] =satisfacerlos=: this verb preserves the old form of =hacer=.