cite a case in point, Rastignac, who comes as near being the hero of the /Comedie/ as any other single character, makes his first appearance in /Father Goriot/, as a student of law; then appearing and disappearing fitfully in a score of principal novels, he is finally made a minister and peer of France. Without the aid of the /Repertory/ it would be difficult for any save a reader of the entire /Comedie/ to trace out his career. But here it is arranged in temporal sequence, thus giving us a concrete view of the man and his relation to this society.
In reading any separate story, when reference is made in passing to a character, the reader will find it helpful and interesting to turn to the /Repertory/ and find what manner of man it is that is under advisement. A little systematic reading of this nature will speedily render the reader a "confirmed Balzacian."
A slight confusion may arise in the use of the /Repertory/ on account of the subdivision of titles. This is the fault neither of Messieurs Cerfberr and Christophe nor of the translator, but of Balzac himself, who was continually changing titles, dividing and subdividing stories,