TY - BOOK AU - Merriman,Henry Seton TI - Dross AV - PR PY - 2007/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - France -- History -- Second Empire, 1852-1870 -- Fiction N1 - Release date is 2007-01-01; E-text prepared by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team; Original publication data not identified N2 - "Dross" by Henry Seton Merriman is a novel set during the late 19th century. The story opens amidst the celebrations in Paris marking the centenary of Napoleon Bonaparte's birth, creating a backdrop of political intrigue, societal change, and personal struggles. The protagonist, Dick Howard, a man with a checkered past and complicated family ties, finds himself drawn to the world of the Vicomte de Clericy and his daughter Lucille, setting the stage for themes of love, deception, and a search for identity. At the start of the novel, Dick Howard reflects on the spectacle of the commemorative event, mingling with various social classes and feeling out of place in the grandeur surrounding him. After an amusing yet revealing encounter with an old friend, John Turner, and a chance interaction with Monsieur and Mademoiselle de Clericy, he impulsively seeks employment as a secretary for the Vicomte. As Howard navigates his new life, he is introduced to the charming but naïve Lucille, who captivates him. The early chapters effectively establish the interplay between Dick's concealed motives, his growing feelings for Lucille, and the impending societal upheaval, suggesting a narrative rich in both personal and historical tension. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20243 ER -