usy out of his love, he began again to generate tenderness, pity
for Odette. She had become once more the old Odette, charming and kind.
He was full of remorse for having treated her harshly. He wished her to
come to him, and, before she came, he wished to have already procured
for her some pleasure, so as to watch her gratitude taking shape in her
face and moulding her smile.

So, too, Odette, certain of seeing him come to her in a few days,
as tender and submissive as before, and plead with her for a
reconciliation, became inured, was no longer afraid of displeasing him,
or even of making him angry, and refused him, whenever it suited her,
the favours by which he set most store.

Perhaps she did not realise how sincere he had been with her during
their quarrel, when he had told her that he would not send her any
money, but would do what he could to hurt her. Perhaps she did not
realise, either, how sincere he still was, if not with her, at any rate
with himself, on other occasions when, for the sake of their future
relations, to shew Odette that he was capable of doing without her, that
a rupture was still possible between them, he decided to wait some time
before going to see her again.

Sometimes several days had elapsed, during which she had caused him no
fresh anxiety; and as, from the next few visits which he would pay her,
he knew that he was likely to derive not any great pleasure, but, more
probably, some annoyance which would put an end to the state of calm in
which he found himself, he wrote to her that he was very busy, and
would not be able to see her on any of the days that he had suggested.
Meanwhile, a letter from her, crossing his, asked him to postpone one of
those very meetings. He asked himself, why; his suspicions, his grief,
again took hold of him. He could no longer abide, in the new state of
agitation into which he found himself plunged, by the arrangements which
he had made in his preceding state of comparative calm; he would run
to find her, and would insist upon seeing her on each of the following
days. And even if she had not written first, if she merely acknowledged
his letter, it was enough to make him unable to rest without seeing
her. For, upsetting all Swann's calculations, Odette's acceptance had
entirely changed his attitude. Like everyone who possesses something
precious, so as to know what would happen if he ceased for a moment to
possess it, he had detached the precious object fr