In the final paragraph of the selection, franklin writes: to me, after all my eager pursuits, no solid pleasures now remain, but the reflection of a long life spent in meaning well, the sensible conversation of a few good lady ephemerae, and now and then a kind smile and a tune from the ever amiable brillante.

in this paragraph when he refers to "the conversation of good lady epehemerae," he means

he expects to listen to bugs the rest of his life even though their lives are shorter

he will carry on sensible discussions with only female insects

females are more sensible than males

the women he enjoys talking with have life spans as short as his own

Read the excerpt from the dark game: true spy stories from invisible ink to cia moles. yet, by the time robert e. lee surrendered to ulysses grant at appomattox, virginia, some four years later, about 620,000 soldiers had died on the battlefields, more than american battle deaths in all other wars from the revolution through the vietnam war. what is the author’s primary purpose for including this detail? to inform readers about the differences between three military conflicts to persuade readers of the seriousness of the american civil war to entertain readers with tales from behind the lines of battle to encourage readers to visit battlegrounds in appomattox, virginia