This edition is intended for beginners in high-schools as well as
colleges. Since every instructor has his own views and methods in the
matter of making the reading yield grammatical instruction, no remarks
on grammar, or references to grammars, have been attempted. In order
to accustom the student to the use of a dictionary, to obviate the
necessity of his looking in two places for information, and to save
space, the linguistic matter which usually comprises the bulk of notes
has been included in the vocabulary, and the remaining material of the
notes has been placed at the bottom of the page.
The inclusion of "Le Coup de pistolet, traduit de Pouchkine" as one
of the "Quatre Contes de Prosper Mérimée" needs no apology, since
Mérimée's version of the story is so individualized, that it has from
all points of view the value of an original production.
Thanks are due Mr. Stephen H. Bush, of the Department of French in the
University of Iowa, for aid in the reading of the proof-sheets.
F.C.L.v.S.