Section 88 A Curious Instrument. I.1
A gentleman2, just returned3 from a journey to (S. 72, N. 4) London, was surrounded by4 his children, eager5, after the first salutation was over, to hear the news, and still more eager to see the contents6 of a small portmanteau, which7 were, one by one, carefully unfolded and displayed to view. After8 having distributed amongst the children a few small presents, the9 father took his seat again, saying, that10 he must confess he11 had brought from town12, for his own use, something far more curious and valuable than any13 of the little gifts (S. 16, N. 10) they had received. It was, he said14, too good to15 present to any of them; but he would, if16 they pleased, first give them a brief description of it (S. 4, N. 5, B), and17 then perhaps they might be allowed to inspect it.
Notes
1 merkwürdig.
2 The noun ‘gentleman’ may be used in its unaltered form in German.
3 heim´kehren; for the constr. see S. 7, N. 3, B.
4 von; to surround, umrin´gen.
5 Say ‘who after the first salutations were eager (begierig)’.
6 der Inhalt, which has no plural.
7 Since the antecedent of the pron. which (i.e. Inhalt) has no plural in German, the constr. of the passage ‘which — to view’ must be altered. Let us say ‘from which (aus welcher, to agree with Reisetasche in the fem. sing.) then (supply the adverb auch in this place) every piece was carefully unpacked (aus´packen) and shown round (umher´zeigen)’.
8 Construe accord. to S. 55, N. 1; to distribute, vertei´len; amongst, unter, with the acc. The direct object must be placed before the words ‘amongst the children’.
9 Say ‘he sat down again and said’.
10 that he must confess, er wolle es nur gestehen.
11 This passage is best introduced by the conj. daß. Read carefully App. §§ 28 and 30.
12 aus der Stadt, which place before the p. p. (mitgebracht).
13 irgend eins.
14 Say ‘he continued’.
15 See S. 19, N. 7, and supply here the pron. es; to any = to one.
16 Say ‘if they wished it’.
17 und dann dürften sie es sich vielleicht ansehen.