But it was also by the force of inertia; there was in his
soul that want of adaptability which can be seen in the bodies of certain
people who, when the moment comes to avoid a collision, to snatch their
clothes out of reach of a flame, or to perform any other such necessary
movement, take their time (as the saying is), begin by remaining for a
moment in their original position, as though seeking to find in it a
starting-point, a source of strength and motion. And probably, if the
coachman had interrupted him with, "I have found the lady," he would have
answered, "Oh, yes, of course; that's what I told you to do. I had quite
forgotten," and would have continued to discuss his supply of firewood, so
as to hide from his servant the emotion that he had felt, and to give
himself time to break away from the thraldom of his anxieties and abandon
himself to pleasure.
The coachman came back, however, with the report that he could not find
her anywhere, and added the advice, as an old and privileged servant, "I
think, sir, that all we can do now is to go home."
But the air of indifference which Swann could so lightly assume when Remi
uttered his final, unalterable response, fell from him like a cast-off
cloak when he saw Remi attempt to make him abandon hope and retire from
the quest.
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