A MOINS QUE JE N'Y SOIS POUR RIEN, 'Unless I have no part in it.'

[132] A TOI A QUI IL EN AURA OBLIGATION. Later editions print _A toi qu'il
en aura obligation_, which is the better form. See page 61, notes 1 and 2.

[133] CONGEDIIEZ. The edition of 1740 prints the form _congediez_, which
would be impossible to-day.

[134] PLAISANTE. See _Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard_, note 37.

[135] CE N'EST NON PLUS A MOI A QUI VOUS REPONDEZ QU'A QUI NE VOUS PARLA
JAMAIS, 'Your answers are no more addressed to me than to some one who
never spoke to you.' A very complicated and unwieldy phrase. See _Le Jeu
de l'amour et du hasard_, note 175 and note 176.

[136] COMME VOTRE AVERSION M'ACCOMMODE, 'How cruelly your aversion treats
me.' _Accommoder_ (Littre, 4 deg.), antiquated.

[137] DIFFICILE. The text of 1740 gives _different_, which would make no
sense here. _Difficile_, moreover, is the general rendering.

[138] DE RESTE, 'Only too well.' Notice the difference in meaning between
this expression and _du reste_ or _au reste_ ('moreover').

[139] CE QUE JE PENSE. Some of the later editions give the more complete
expression, _ce que j'en pense_.

[140] AUX. The use of the preposition _a_ after _avoir regret_ is less
frequent to-day than that of _de_.

LES FAUSSES CONFIDENCES

[1] ARAMINTE. A young widow of independent character, in whose mind the
prejudice of rank and wealth is not so great as to be insurmountable. One
of Marivaux's favourite types.

[2] MONSIEUR REMY. The uncle of Dorante, a man of rough exterior and
crusty humour, frank to an extreme, overbearing with his nephew, but ready
to take his part, a regular _burbero benefico_ (with which character of
Goldoni's comedy, compare).

[3] PROCUREUR. See _le Legs_, note 126.

[4] MADAME ARGANTE. An imperious, selfish, vain, old woman, of the type
Marivaux generally chooses for the mothers in his comedies.

[5] ARLEQUIN. When this play passed to the stage of the Comedie-Francaise,
the name of _Arlequin_, familiar to the Italian comedy, was changed to
_Lubin_, and his dress modified to suit the new role. See _le Jeu de
l'amour et du hasard_, note 2.

[6] DUBOIS. A "real creation" among the valets of Marivaux. Like Lepine of
_le Legs_, he is quite above the station of the traditional valet, and may
well be called _Monsieur_ Dubois. The intrigue of the piece is entirely in
his hands, and is carried out with the shrewdness and dexterity of an able
man of affairs.