In Collected Short Fiction 1892-1912, the only one of Flavia's earlier artists who still frequented her home was Alcee Buisson who had continued to have a name among artists. "Ambition hath a knapsack at his back, wherein he puts alms to oblivion." In Troilus and Cressida, Ulysses says, "Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back/ Wherein he puts alms for oblivion,/ A great-sized monster of ingratitudes" III:3,ll.145-147.
In an 1895 Journal article, Cather writes: "Not only is it true that married nightingales seldom sing, but this nightingale [Helena von Doehnoff] will even retire from the stage. She will not return to it again. She may wish to, but there are other contraltos in the world, and as Mr. Shakespeare informs us, 'Time hath a wallet at his back wherein he puts alms for oblivion'" (Troilus and Cressida III.iii).