The ice once broken, every evening, when he had taken her home, he must
follow her into the house; and often she would come out again in her
dressing-gown, and escort him to his carriage, and would kiss him before
the eyes of his coachman, saying: "What on earth does it matter what
people see?" And on evenings when he did not go to the Verdurins' (which
happened occasionally, now that he had opportunities of meeting Odette
elsewhere), when--more and more rarely--he went into society, she would
beg him to come to her on his way home, however late he might be. The
season was spring, the nights clear and frosty. He would come away from an
evening party, jump into his victoria, spread a rug over his knees, tell
the friends who were leaving at the same time, and who insisted on his
going home with them, that he could not, that he was not going in their
direction; then the coachman would start off at a fast trot without
further orders, knowing quite well where he had to go. His friends would
be left marvelling, and, as a matter of fact, Swann was no longer the same
man. No one ever received a letter from him now demanding an introduction
to a woman.
Pages:
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455