Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [3245]

I work with Bigelow on the book. I write occasional articles for the Post. I dine out every night but, miraculously, I am losing rather than gaining weight and so I feel, at times, almost young again. Certainly the loss of excess flesh makes all the more intense, even rapturous, my cigarine interludes. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 3245

Note

This passage conveys the paradox of indulgence and health by capturing the narrator’s surprise at losing weight despite dining out every night, painting a vivid picture of his enjoyment of life with a touch of irony.