Шарлотта Бронте - Лучшие романы сестер Бронте / The best of the Brontë sisters

media-via – a compromise or a middle way ( Latin )

ni-jamais-ni-toujours – neither never nor always ( French )

d—d – cursed, devil’s

habit – here: clothes, dress

hunter – a horse trained specially for hunting

ennui – boredom ( French )

physic – to give medicine, to cure

‘ sweet regent of the sky’ – quotation from William Julius Mickle (1735–1788), a Scottish poet

‘black blue vault of heaven’ – from William Wordsworth’s poem “A Night Piece” (1798)

However we do praise ourselves… – William Shakespeare, “Twelfth Night,” Act II, Scene 2.

curtain lecture – a reproof or a scolding that a wife gives to her husband when they are alone

cared a stiver – used in negative, archaic meaning of no value as a stiver was a coin (one twentieth of a Netherlands’ guilder)

from “The Country Lass” (Folk and Traditional Song Lyrics).

the fowls of heaven and the lilies of the fields – from Gospel, Scripture: Matthew. Here Hattersley can’t keep from blasphemy

The light of the body is the eye. If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. – one more quotation from Gospel by Matthew.

white-livered – a coward, synonym to chicken-heart

ante-room – a small room that one passed to reach a larger one

par parenthèse – incidentally ( French )

Ye twain shall be one flesh –from the Bible (Mark 10:8), said during the wedding ceremony

tartar-emetic – tartaric acid used for medical care to produce nausea

half-seas-over – tipsy, getting drunk

air – here: a song

cant – hypocritical

to obtain a situation – to get a place

fiddle = fiddlesticks – rubbish

bairns – children ( Scottish )

a crony – a buddy, a friend

monomania – obsession with something (only one thing)

sterling worth – here: true value

brethren of the cloth – from archaic “brothers,” meaning members of the same society, here of the clergy

nominal daughter – meaning that she was Huntingdon’s daughter

i.e. – from id est ( Latin ) = that is

stalwart – strong and well-built

Here the coachman uses both archaic and dialect expressions. Yonder – that, there, to that place

gotten overed –got over, finished

’un – one

Ay – yes

should a been wed afore – should have been

long purse – she is rich

fell out – parted

hopportunity – opportunity

’at – that

I lay she’ll rue her bargain afore long – I’m sure she’ll feel remorse before long

perlite – pearly

longer – apparently from the “long face” = in a bad mood

nipping – venomous; screwing – greedy

grudging – discontent, resentment

Christmas-rose – hellebore, a small white-flowered plant