Verdurin.
"You can't expect him to catch the tone of the house the first time he
comes; like Cottard, who has been one of our little 'clan' now for years.
The first time doesn't count; it's just for looking round and finding out
things. Odette, he understands all right, he's to join us to-morrow at the
Chatelet. Perhaps you might call for him and bring him." "No, he doesn't
want that."
"Oh, very well; just as you like. Provided he doesn't fail us at the last
moment."
Greatly to Mme. Verdurin's surprise, he never failed them. He would go to
meet them, no matter where, at restaurants outside Paris (not that they
went there much at first, for the season had not yet begun), and more
frequently at the play, in which Mme. Verdurin delighted. One evening,
when they were dining at home, he heard her complain that she had not one
of those permits which would save her the trouble of waiting at doors and
standing in crowds, and say how useful it would be to them at
first-nights, and gala performances at the Opera, and what a nuisance it
had been, not having one, on the day of Gambetta's funeral. Swann never
spoke of his distinguished friends, but only of such as might be regarded
as detrimental, whom, therefore, he thought it snobbish, and in not very
good taste to conceal; while he frequented the Faubourg Saint-Germain he
had come to include, in the latter class, all his friends in the official
world of the Third Republic, and so broke in, without thinking: "I'll see
to that, all right.
Pages:
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416