Proust et Einstein

..."The NRF finally published Camile Vettard's article "Proust et Einstein" on August 1. Although Proust told Gallimard that Vettard "flatters me too much," the novelist was delighted by the comparison. Vettard had found, among other similarities, that Proust and  Einstein "have the sense, the intuition, the comprehension of the great natural laws."    {Marcel Proust: A Life by William C. Carter, p 789}

p III 39:  Grand Escalier at the Paris Opera

p 40 | Charles I, Emperor of Austria
       | This may be the Prince of Saxony he means; the dates work, but we're not sure what year it is in the text. "I don't know the number. My cousin told me I had only to ask for her box."
p 41 | Henri d'Orleans, duc d'Aumale|, looking like a medallion of Henri IV -->
p 45 | halcyon's (kingfisher) nest

p 52  | Whoa! Where did this recording of La Berma come from? (Hint: keep your eyes closed.)