5. qui avait appelé le premier. Le premier is in apposition to qui.
7. all' viendront point. All' represents the vulgar pronunciation of elles with the tendency to omit completely the mute e; the omission of ne has already been noted.
27. sage-femme. Compare femme sage, and notice the importance of the correct position of the adjective.
[86.]--29. le sel symbolique. Used in the Catholic christening ceremony.
[87.]--10. m'sieu. A further example of the slurring over of syllables by the uneducated (qu' for que, m' for me, vot' for votre, Etc.).
12. dans les estomacs. That is, dans l'estomac, the plural may be by analogy with les entrailles.
17. grand'mères. Etymologically the apostrophe is an error. The adjective grand had no distinct feminine form in Latin (grandem) nor in Old French (grant), consequently no e has been omitted; the feminine form of Modern French (grande) is due to analogy with feminine adjectives where e represents a Latin a (bonne, from bona, etc.), the form grand' is merely a preservation of the Old French form; cf. grand'rue, main street, grand merci, I thank you kindly (where the apostrophe is not written), also such adverbs as prudemment, précipitamment, etc. (see also note to p. 12, l. 25).
TOINE
[90.]--2. Toine-ma-Fine. A further illustration of de Maupassant's choice of proper names. 24. bé, pé. Bé is for boire, pé for Père, illustrating the dialectic omission of r and the Norman pronunciation of oi (see note to p. 66, l. 19).
[91.]--7. arrondissement. See note to p. 176, l. 15. 32. qu'al'est. For parce qu'elle est (see note to p. 85, l. 7).