It's summarizing when a passage is shortening by only focusing in the main points.
Answer:
We paid a fleeting visit to Paris.
Explanation:
there. fleeting also means really fast.
Because for christmas he bought her combs and now she cant use them until it grows back
The context (1899, New Orleans and Louisiana) is shown in some details. The use of some particular words like eager, composture, impaired is a sign of it. Also the fact that the money had to be transported phisically. It's also clear in the way Kate Chopin describes the like of women for the money. This is somewhat a macho point of view that has to do with the time and political context she lived in.
