Page 182 - swanns-way

alone, afterwards, to rest, the whole family went upstairs to
bid her good night, and Mamma ventured to condole with
her on the unlucky coincidence that always brought both
visitors to her door at the same time.
‘I hear that things went wrong again to-day, Léonie,’ she
said kindly, ‘you have had all your friends here at once.’
And my great-aunt interrupted with: ‘Too many good
things...’ for, since her daughter’s illness, she felt herself in
duty bound to revive her as far as possible by always draw-
ing her attention to the brighter side of things. But my father
had begun to speak.
‘I should like to take advantage,’ he said, ‘of the whole
family’s being here together, to tell you a story, so as not to
have to begin all over again to each of you separately. I am
afraid we are in M. Legrandin’s bad books; he would hardly
say ‘How d’ye do’ to me this morning.’
I did not wait to hear the end of my father’s story, for I
had been with him myself after mass when we had passed
M. Legrandin; instead, I went downstairs to the kitchen to
ask for the bill of fare for our dinner, which was of fresh in-
terest to me daily, like the news in a paper, and excited me
as might the programme of a coming festivity.
As M. Legrandin had passed close by us on our way from
church, walking by the side of a lady, the owner of a country
house in the neighbourhood, whom we knew only by sight,
my father had saluted him in a manner at once friendly and
reserved, without stopping in his walk; M. Legrandin had
barely acknowledged the courtesy, and then with an air of
surprise, as though he had not recognised us, and with that

182 Swann’s Way