" It was true that on one occasion Forcheville had asked
to be driven home at the same time, but when, on reaching Odette's gate,
he had begged to be allowed to come in too, she had replied, with a finger
pointed at Swann: "Ah! That depends on this gentleman. You must ask him.
Very well, you may come in, just for a minute, if you insist, but you
mustn't stay long, for, I warn you, he likes to sit and talk quietly with
me, and he's not at all pleased if I have visitors when he's here. Oh, if
you only knew the creature as I know him; isn't that so, my love, there's
no one that really knows you, is there, except me?"
And Swann was, perhaps, even more touched by the spectacle of her
addressing him thus, in front of Forcheville, not only in these tender
words of predilection, but also with certain criticisms, such as: "I feel
sure you haven't written yet to your friends, about dining with them on
Sunday. You needn't go if you don't want to, but you might at least be
polite," or "Now, have you left your essay on Vermeer here, so that you
can do a little more to it to-morrow? What a lazy-bones! I'm going to make
you work, I can tell you," which proved that Odette kept herself in touch
with his social engagements and his literary work, that they had indeed a
life in common.
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