There was, however, an occasional development. One day, we had
gone with Gilberte to the stall of our own special vendor, who was always
particularly nice to us, since it was to her that M. Swann used to send
for his gingerbread, of which, for reasons of health (he suffered from a
racial eczema, and from the constipation of the prophets), he consumed a
great quantity,--Gilberte pointed out to me with a laugh two little boys
who were like the little artist and the little naturalist in the
children's storybooks. For one of them would not have a red stick of rock
because he preferred the purple, while the other, with tears in his eyes,
refused a plum which his nurse was buying for him, because, as he finally
explained in passionate tones: "I want the other plum; it's got a worm in
it!" I purchased two ha'penny marbles. With admiring eyes I saw, luminous
and imprisoned in a bowl by themselves, the agate marbles which seemed
precious to me because they were as fair and smiling as little girls, and
because they cost five-pence each. Gilberte, who was given a great deal
more pocket money than I ever had, asked me which I thought the prettiest.
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