"Listen, and I'll explain," she began to Mme. de Gallardon. "To-morrow
evening I must go to a friend of mine, who has been pestering me to fix a
day for ages. If she takes us to the theatre afterwards, then I can't
possibly come to you, much as I should love to; but if we just stay in the
house, I know there won't be anyone else there, so I can slip away."
"Tell me, have you seen your friend M. Swann?"
"No! my precious Charles! I never knew he was here. Where is he? I must
catch his eye."
"It's a funny thing that he should come to old Saint-Euverte's," Mme. de
Gallardon went on. "Oh, I know he's very clever," meaning by that 'very
cunning,' "but that makes no difference; fancy a Jew here, and she the
sister and sister-in-law of two Archbishops."
"I am ashamed to confess that I am not in the least shocked," said the
Princesse des Laumes.
"I know he's a converted Jew, and all that, and his parents and
grandparents before him. But they do say that the converted ones are worse
about their religion than the practising ones, that it's all just a
pretence; is that true, d'you think?"
"I can throw no light at all on the matter.
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