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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Muse of the Department by Honore de Balzac: Lemaitre, Monrose, Bouffe, Rubini, Lablache, Nourrit, and Arnal; for
he knew a set of old fellows brought up in the seraglio, as they
phrased it, who did him this favor.
This beginning of a collection was all the more precious to Dinah
because she was the only person for ten leagues round who owned an
album. Within the last two years, however, several young ladies had
acquired such books, in which they made their friends and
acquaintances write more or less absurd quotations or sentiments. You
who spend your lives in collecting autographs, simple and happy souls,
like Dutch tulip fanciers, you will excuse Dinah when, in her fear of
not keeping her guests more than two days, she begged Bianchon to
The Muse of the Department |
