In Ada we read that "Marina’s
friend, the theatrical big shot, Gran D. du Mont (the ‘D’ also stood for
Duke, his mother’s maiden name, des hobereaux irlandais, quoi), traveling
discreetly on the next Mediterranean Express..."
Dear Jansy,
"Gran D. du Mont" is a puzzle. "Grand Duke" is an
owl mentioned in VN's story The Visit to the Museum: "There was, on top of the case, a pair of owls, Eagle Owl and
Long-eared, with their French names reading "Grand Duke" and "Middle Duke" if
translated." Note that the stuffed Parluggian Owl is mentioned in the
same chapter of Ada (1.24). As to "du Mont", it reminds me of
Montague, Romeo's family name in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There
are also many Dukes in Shakespeare. A Russian remembers at once Duk, a
character in Andzhelo (1833), Pushkin's version (in rhymed
Alexandrines) of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
Alexey Sklyarenko