Chapters 3 and 4 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 3: 'A Mahout to Guide Her'

Charles traveled extensively in his twenties. There were notes and letters referencing his travels to many cities. Charles' brothers had made their own worlds. Jules was a successful businessman in Vienna and Ignace was a playboy who had many affairs. Charles has been accepted by Parisian society and was admired for his charm and the slight accent he could not lose. He was a visitor in the salon of Madame Strauss who hosted gatherings of the elite including artists, poets and playwrights. The novelist and collector Edmond de Goncourt, a contemporary of Charles, envied his friendship with Princess Mathilde, the niece of Bonaparte. The Princess found Charles to be 'a mahout to guide her through her life." Charles found his niche in the snobbish city—places where being Jewish was either accepted...