I'm not sure what the whole sentence means though I understand every word individually except 出てゐる.
Should マツチ be マッチ for match, the one that lights the cigarette?
That novel was published almost 100 years ago, so 歴史的仮名遣い historical kana orthography was used in the original text.
出てゐる and マツチ are equivalent to 出ている and マッチ, in modern kana usage, respectively.
The pronunciations are "i" and "e". The distinguish between "ゐ and い" or "ゑ and え" in pronunciation was lost approximately 700 years ago. The pronunciations changed several times, but those kana were finally pronounced as "i" and "e" in the middle of 18th century.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.