Naturally, once he saw that Brichot was popular in this house, it was a
way of hitting back at us, of spoiling our party. I know his sort, the
dear, good friend of the family, who pulls you all to pieces on the
stairs as he's going away."

"Didn't I say so?" retorted her husband. "He's simply a failure; a poor
little wretch who goes through life mad with jealousy of anything that's
at all big."

Had the truth been known, there was not one of the 'faithful' who was
not infinitely more malicious than Swann; but the others would all take
the precaution of tempering their malice with obvious pleasantries, with
little sparks of emotion and cordiality; while the least indication of
reserve on Swann's part, undraped in any such conventional formula
as "Of course, I don't want to say anything--" to which he would have
scorned to descend, appeared to them a deliberate act of treachery.
There are certain original and distinguished authors in whom the least
'freedom of speech' is thought revolting because they have not begun
by flattering the public taste, and serving up to it the commonplace
expressions to which it is used; it was by the same process that Swann
infuriated M. Verdurin. In his case as in theirs it was the novelty
of his language which led his audience to suspect the blackness of his
designs.

Swann was still unconscious of the disgrace that threatened him at the
Verdurins', and continued to regard all their absurdities in the most
rosy light, through the admiring eyes of love.

As a rule he made no appointments with Odette except for the evenings;
he was afraid of her growing tired of him if he visited her during the
day as well; at the same time he was reluctant to forfeit, even for
an hour, the place that he held in her thoughts, and so was constantly
looking out for an opportunity of claiming her attention, in any way
that would not be displeasing to her. If, in a florist's or a jeweller's
window, a plant or an ornament caught his eye, he would at once think
of sending them to Odette, imagining that the pleasure which the casual
sight of them had given him would instinctively be felt, also, by her,
and would increase her affection for himself; and he would order them to
be taken at once to the Rue La perouse, so as to accelerate the moment
in which, as she received an offering from him, he might feel himself,
in a sense, transported into her presence. He was particularly anxious,
always, that she should rec