"
Swann having replied that he had not seen this portrait, Mme. Cottard was
afraid that she might have hurt his feelings by obliging him to confess
the omission.
"Oh, that's quite all right! At least you have the courage to be quite
frank about it. You don't consider yourself disgraced because you haven't
seen Machard's portrait. I do think that so nice of you. Well now, I have
seen it; opinion is divided, you know, there are some people who find it
rather laboured, like whipped cream, they say; but I think it's just
ideal. Of course, she's not a bit like the blue and yellow ladies that
our friend Biche paints. That's quite clear. But I must tell you,
perfectly frankly (you'll think me dreadfully old-fashioned, but I always
say just what I think), that I don't understand his work. I can quite see
the good points there are in his portrait of my husband; oh, dear me, yes;
and it's certainly less odd than most of what he does, but even then he
had to give the poor man a blue moustache! But Machard! Just listen to
this now, the husband of my friend, I am on my way to see at this very
moment (which has given me the very great pleasure of your company), has
promised her that, if he is elected to the Academy (he is one of the
Doctor's colleagues), he will get Machard to paint her portrait.
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