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A young, idealistic newcomer arrives in a bustling metropolis and falls under the influence of a world-weary companion who cautions him against naïve enthusiasm. Their exchanges and the surrounding social scenes—from opera audiences to fashionable gatherings—reveal a gallery of urban types and sharpen contrasts between public display and private conscience. Through satirical observation, episodic encounters, and moral reflection, the narrative traces the newcomer’s confrontations with ambition, romance, and ethical compromise, examining how metropolitan pretension and practical cynicism shape individual choices and temper youthful convictions.
Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed.
Simple typographical errors were corrected; unpaired quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left unpaired.
Table of Contents added by Transcriber.