a Lake Geneva, the largest alpine lake in Europe, has an area of 224 square miles; located in southwestern Switzerland and southeastern France, it is a popular tourist destination.
b The Grand-Hôtel de Vevey and Palace Hotel, a fashionable watering-place on Lake Geneva.
c The Hotel des Trois Couronnes was a hotel on the Quai Perdonnet in Vevey.
d Mountain of 10,686 feet in the Swiss Alps, near the French border.
e Medieval fortress built in the thirteenth century on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva and made famous by George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824), in his poem “The Prisoner of Chillon” (1816).
f Functionary who has been assigned to serve on the staff of a diplomatic mission.
g Loose-fitting breeches, gathered in at the knee, worn by boys, sportsmen, and others who required free use of their legs.
i Long staff, with an iron point, used by mountain climbers.
j Verbally attacking or reprimanding.
k Mountain pass in southern Switzerland between the Pennine and Lepontine Alps.
l Visiting cards bearing a person’s written or printed name, or name and address, were used chiefly in making social calls.
m City in east-central New York State; site of an economic boom catalyzed by the opening of the Erie Canal in the 1820s and the railroad manufacturing boom that began in the 1830s.
n Railway passenger cars.
o Unsuitable behavior (French).
p Servant, employed by a traveler or traveling party, responsible for making arrangements connected with the journey.
q Term that described various digestive maladies involving weakness, loss of appetite, depression, and indigestion.
s Rolls, ringlets (French).
u Proper in behavior or etiquette (French).
v At a hotel or inn, communal dining offered to guests as part of the cost of the stay (French).
w Dungeons with a trapdoor in the ceiling that serves as the only means of entrance or exit.
y Vial containing smelling-salts, used as a restorative in cases of faintness or headache.
aa Street near the Spanish Steps in central Rome.
ab Carthaginian general who fought against Rome in the third century B.C.
ac Public park where nineteenth-century Romans traditionally promenaded toward sunset.
ae Hack writer for a newspaper or journal who was paid a penny a line or a similarly low rate; the term is contemptuously used to refer to writers with an overblown style.
ag She is making a spectacle of herself (French).
ah According to the classical poets of Greece and Rome, the Golden Age was the first and best time in the world, when mankind lived in an ideal state of prosperity and happiness, free from trouble or crime.
ai Gentleman lawyer (Italian).
aj Who gives into her whims, who indulges herself (French).
ak Evening prayers or devotions.
al The Via del Corso, the main street in central Rome and an important thoroughfare since classical times, when it was the Via Flaminia, the road to the Adriatic. ‡Of the better social circles (French).
am Site on the Palatine Hill where the Emperor Augustus was born and established his imperial residence.
an Four-sided plateau in Rome, south of the Forum, that rises 168 feet above sea level.
ao Hill of palaces and churches that includes the public park of the Villa Celimon tana and six churches that date from the fourth to the ninth centuries.
ap Large building, generally oblong or oval, whose rising tiers of seats encircle a space for public spectacles, horse or chariot races, and similar events.
aq Pernicious malaria, fever (Italian).
ar Four square miles of the center of ancient Rome were encircled by the Aurelian Wall, erected about A.D. 270.
as The novel takes place in the 1840s and 1850s.
at Park of 21 acres, named for the battery of cannon that once lined the shore, at the southern tip of Manhattan; home to an amusement park beginning in 1823, it served as the main point of arrival for immigrants coming by ship between 1855 and 1892.
au Upper New York Bay, a sheltered, deep harbor located at the mouth of the Hudson River southeast of Manhattan; historically, one of the world’s busiest ports.
av Rapidly growing deciduous tree, also known as the “tenement palm”; has winglike leaves and a strong, offensive odor.
aw Stick or cane or paddle used to strike children on the hands as punishment.
ax Probably a version of the childhood game “Follow My Leader,” in which participants must follow and perform a chosen principal’s daring or comic deeds.
ay Lively, quick-time dance of Bohemian origin.
az Square dance, of French derivation, made up of five sections and usually performed by four couples.
ba Practitioner of a now-discredited science in which character and disposition were thought to be legible in a body’s lineaments and facial features.
bb The French expression s‘en remettre au ciel l’initiative means, roughly, “to leave the enterprise to Heaven.”
bc Four-wheeled public vehicle that usually travels along a fixed route and carries a number of passengers; modern usage has shortened this term to “bus.”
bd Obsession; from idée fixe (French).
be Pointed and often double-edged surgical instrument used for making small incisions.
bf Brutal or tyrannical person.
bg Circular temple in Rome dedicated to the gods, built by Emperor Hadrian between A.D. 118 and 125; its design influenced numerous architects from the Renaissance onward.
bh In Roman religion, the six Vestal Virgins watched over the fire of Vesta, the goddess of the state hearth.
bi At a hotel or inn, communal dining offered to guests as part of the cost of the stay (French).
bj Small pocketbook or workbag, carried by women on the arm or in the hand.
bk Bride’s collection of clothing, jewelry, house linens, and the like, assembled in anticipation of her marriage.
bl Dangerous, mosquito-borne infectious disease found in hot climates and characterized by vomiting, high fever, liver degeneration, and jaundice (hence its name).
bm Thing or action intended to conceal one’s real design; pretence or pretext.
bn That is, he is lying low; literally, “he’s playing dead” (French).
bo Tour guide who explains the antiquities or curiosities of a place; termed such for the great Roman orator Cicero, who was known for his knowledge and eloquence.
bp The Bloomingdale Insane Asylum, built in 1821 on land in northern Manhattan now occupied by Columbia University.
bq Probably pneumonia, an inflammation caused by bacteria; a leading cause of death before the discovery of antibiotics.
br Fan made from one of several smaller species of palms, such as the dwarf fan-palm or the cabbage palmetto.
bs Marriage of convenience; from mariage de raison (French).