=Julia de Asensi= (?), a writer of stories that are generally
interesting, but are often morbidly sentimental or gruesome. _La casa
donde murió_ is decidedly gruesome, but it has the merit of portraying
the superstitious nature of a considerable part of the Spanish people.
There is a good American edition of some of Asensi's short stories,
edited by Prof. Edgar S. Ingraham, of the Ohio State University (Boston,
1908). The editor of _Spanish Tales for Beginners_ has pleasure in
acknowledging his indebtedness to Professor Ingraham.
=83.=--[83.1] =Camino=: see _camino de_, under _camino_, in Vocab.
[83.6] =los cuatro=, 'we four' (since the verb is in the first person).
[83.7] =La señora de López=, 'Mrs. López.' =López= is doubtless her
husband's name, hence the =de=. A Spanish woman usually retains her
maiden name after marriage, but adds her husband's name. Thus, if _la
señorita Martínez_ is married to _el señor López_, her official name
becomes _la señora Martínez de López_. Children born of the union may
use both names, if they wish: thus, _López y Martínez_.
[83.11] =por la que=: note that, after a preposition, Asensi prefers _el
que_ (_la que_, etc.) to _que_ alone.
[83.12] =Serían=, cond. of probability.
[83.14] =se veneraba á=: translate 'was worshiped.'
[83.15] =tenía particular devoción=: although 'Our Lady of Mercy' (or
'of Pardons') is merely one attribute of the Virgin Mary, it is to this
attribute that Mrs. López is particularly devoted.
[83.17] =que le siguiera=, 'to follow him.'
[83.21] =leyéndose=, 'where were to be read' (lit., 'reading
themselves,' 'being read').
=84.=--[84.2] =por verla por lo que=: translate 'to see it that.' Note =por lo
que= where _que_ alone would be expected. This expletive use of
preposition and relative is not uncommon.
[84.12] =Lo de siempre=: see under _siempre_, in Vocab.
[84.14] =Diez años hace que=: see under _hacer_, in Vocab.
[84.18] =hace diez años=, 'ten years ago.' Note the different meanings
of _hace_ in expressions of time. Compare: (1) _hace tres meses que está
aquí_, 'he has been here for three months'; _hace tres meses que se
fué_, or _se fué hace tres meses_, 'he went away three months ago.'
[84.22] =¿Acaso lo sé yo?= 'how do I know?' (lit., 'do I, perchance,
know it?'). _Acaso_ often indicates improbability, and is best omitted
in the translation.
[84.26] =el plazo=: in Spanish graveyards a space of ground may be taken
for a limited time (=plazo=) or in perpetuity, according to the amount
of money paid. If the time is limited, the grave is opened at the
expiration of the time, and the bones are removed to the "bone pile."
The same ground may then be occupied by another body. The poor who can
not pay are cast into a common grave, where the bodies remain until the
bones can be taken away. Often a score of bodies, sprinkled with
quicklime to hasten decay, are buried in the same common grave. Although
this custom is decidedly repellant, it must be borne in mind that in old
and densely populated countries the available ground-space is limited.
=85.=--[85.1] =No digo que no=, 'I do not say that you did not' (lit., 'I do
not say [that] no').
[18] =habrá extrañado=, fut. perf. of conjecture or probability: =lo que
acabas de ver y oir= is the subject of =habrá extrañado=.
[85.21] =que deseo conozcas=, 'which I desire you to know.' The _que_ is
omitted before =conozcas= to avoid repetition.
[85.25] =por la que=, 'for whom,' or 'for whose sake.'
=86.=--[86.11] =al saber=, 'upon hearing of.'
[86.19] =me había educado=, 'I had been brought up.'
[86.21] =al que=, 'whom,' is the direct object, and =ocupaciones= the
subject, of =retenían=.
=87.=--[87.1] =á la que no veía desde niño=, 'whom I had not seen since [I was]
a child.'
[87.2] =por más que=: see under _más_, in Vocab. This conjunction takes
the subjunctive.
[87.15] =para que no hubiera observado=, 'that I did not observe.'
[87.26] =sin que mi tía lo advirtiese=, 'without my aunt's noticing
it.'
[87.27] =acabamos por=, 'we ended by,' or we came finally to.'
[87.30] =acaecida hacía cuatro años=, 'which had occurred four years
before.'
=88.=--[88.1] _ello es_, 'the fact is.'
[88.2] =amenazándome con hacerme marchar=, 'threatening to make me go
away.'
[88.3] =después de escribírselo todo=, 'after writing all about it.'
[88.13] =mi tía= is subject of =no pudiendo oponerse=: note again that
the subject of a participle regularly follows the participle.
[88.21] =se iba apoderando==_iba apoderándose_. See note, page 70, l.
17.
[88.22] =era mi mismo mal el que la devoraba==_el [mal] que la devoraba
era mi mismo mal_.
[88.25] =tanto=, 'so often.'
=89.=--[89.7] =iba siendo peor=, 'kept getting worse,' or 'became worse and
worse.' See note, page 70, l. 17.
[89.11] =á=, 'in.'
[89.13] =te lo juro=: do not translate =te=. Note _te lo diré_, 'I shall
tell you,' etc.
[89.14] =serán de=: see _soy de_, under _ser_, in Vocab.
[89.15] =Eso lo=, 'that.' Note the expletive =lo=, which is used here
because =eso= precedes the verb.
[89.16] =de la mujer á quien ames=, 'of any woman that you may love.'
The subjunctive indicates that the antecedent of =que= is indefinite.
[89.19] =lo que yo=: see _lo que_, under _que_, in Vocab.
[89.28] =plazo= is the subject of =cumplirse=.
=90.=--[90.2] =la desgracia hizo que=, 'adversity brought it about that.'
[90.3] =enlace= is the subject of =verificarse=.
[90.9] =Temo que no=, 'I fear not.' Cf. _digo que no_, _creo que no_,
etc.
[90.10] =su recuerdo===el recuerdo de ella=.
[90.15] =sea=: a verb of _believing_, _saying_, etc., when negative or
interrogative, may become a verb of _doubting_ and require the
subjunctive.
[90.16] =es=: note the indicative here after =¿crees?= to indicate that
this, and not the other, is probably his belief.
[90.20] =me hice conducir=, 'I had myself taken' (lit., 'I made [some
one] take me').
=91.=--[91.8] =llegada ya la hora==_habiendo llegado ya la hora_.
[91.10] =sentándonos todos==_y nos sentamos_ (pret.) _todos_.
[91.18] =¿Á qué?= 'what... for.' Note that 'why?' or 'what ... for?' may
be expressed by _¿por qué?_, _¿para qué?_, or _¿á qué?_, according to
the meaning to be conveyed.
[91.20] =Á=, 'for' (see =¿Á qué?= above). The ringing of the church bell
at this time announces that some one is in 'the death struggle'
(=agonía=), that is to say, 'is dying.'
=92.=--[92.1] =hermoso=, =florido=: see these words in Vocab.
[92.4] =el calor que... hacía=: see _hace calor_, in Vocab.
[92.11] =Una... así=, 'such a.'
[92.20] =todos nos despedimos=, 'we all took leave of one another,' or
'bade one another good-night.'
[92.25] =Otro==_otro rato_.
[92.27] =en la= [_alcoba_] =de Fernando=.
[92.28] =oí abrir=, 'I heard [some one] open,' or 'I heard... opened.'
=93.=--[93.10] =No debiste nunca volver=, 'you should never have returned.'
[93.13] =querías= has here nearly the force of _quisieras_ ('should you
wish me to be married').
[93.15] =En buen hora= is also sometimes written _en buena hora_. In
colloquial language the final _a_ of _buena_, _mala_, _una_, etc., may
fall before a noun beginning with a vowel.
[93.17] =Una vez sola==_una sola vez_.
[93.18] =permite que me case con=, 'permits me to marry.'
[93.20] =como hace diez años=, 'as [it was] ten years ago.'
[93.21] =me marcho==_me marcharé_. The present tense makes the action
less remote and more positive.
[93.24] =sean=, 'be.' The independent subjunctive usually has the force
of an imperative.
[93.25] =por haberlo visto por la tarde=: the first por means 'on
account of,' or 'from'; the second, 'in.'
[93.31] =clara y distintamente=: see note, page 56, l. 20.
=94.=--[94.12] =Estamos los dos=, 'we are both of us.'
[94.27] =muriese=, subjunctive after a relative with indefinite
antecedent.
=95.=--[95.2] =me pareció=, 'I seemed' (lit., 'it seemed to me').
[95.5] =tenía que ser así=, 'it had to be.'
[95.6] =ya voy=, 'I am coming.'
[95.21] =cúmplase la voluntad de Dios=, 'God's will be done.'
[95.30] =alabado sea el Señor=, 'the Lord be praised.'