Verdurin said to her
husband: "Did you notice the way Swann laughed, such an idiotic laugh,
when we spoke about Mme. La Tremoille?"
She had remarked, more than once, how Swann and Forcheville suppressed the
particle 'de' before that lady's name. Never doubting that it was done on
purpose, to shew that they were not afraid of a title, she had made up her
mind to imitate their arrogance, but had not quite grasped what
grammatical form it ought to take. Moreover, the natural corruptness of
her speech overcoming her implacable republicanism, she still said
instinctively "the de La Tremoilles," or, rather (by an abbreviation
sanctified by the usage of music-hall singers and the writers of the
'captions' beneath caricatures, who elide the 'de'), "the d'La
Tremoilles," but she corrected herself at once to "Madame La
Tremoille.--The _Duchess_, as Swann calls her," she added ironically, with
a smile which proved that she was merely quoting, and would not, herself,
accept the least responsibility for a classification so puerile and
absurd.
"I don't mind saying that I thought him extremely stupid."
M. Verdurin took it up.
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