Page 156 - swanns-way

which was meant to indicate her full participation in the
pleasure which, she had no doubt, her tidings would give
my aunt, articulating each syllable so as to shew that, in
spite of her having to translate them into indirect speech,
she was repeating, as a good servant should, the very words
which the new visitor had condescended to use, said: ‘His
reverence the Curé would be delighted, enchanted, if Mme.
Octave is not resting just now, and could see him. His rever-
ence does not wish to disturb Mme. Octave. His reverence
is downstairs; I told him to go into the parlour.’
Had the truth been known, the Curé’s visits gave my
aunt no such ecstatic pleasure as Françoise supposed, and
the air of jubilation with which she felt bound to illuminate
her face whenever she had to announce his arrival, did not
altogether correspond to what was felt by her invalid. The
Curé (an excellent man, with whom I am sorry now that I
did not converse more often, for, even if he cared nothing
for the arts, he knew a great many etymologies), being in
the habit of shewing distinguished visitors over his church
(he had even planned to compile a history of the Parish of
Com-bray), used to weary her with his endless explana-
tions, which, incidentally, never varied in the least degree.
But when his visit synchronized exactly with Eulalie’s it
became frankly distasteful to my aunt. She would have pre-
ferred to make the most of Eulalie, and not to have had the
whole of her circle about her at one time. But she dared not
send the Curé away, and had to content herself with making
a sign to Eulalie not to leave when he did, so that she might
have her to herself for a little after he had gone.

156 Swann’s Way