Page 314 - swanns-way

Saniette himself a warmth of gratitude, which, however, the
Verdurins never disclosed to Swann, since Saniette rath-
er annoyed them, and they did not feel bound to provide
him with friends. On the other hand the Verdurins were
extremely touched by Swann’s next request, for he felt that
he must ask to be introduced to the pianist’s aunt. She wore
a black dress, as was her invariable custom, for she believed
that a woman always looked well in black, and that nothing
could be more distinguished; but her face was exceedingly
red, as it always was for some time after a meal. She bowed to
Swann with deference, but drew herself up again with great
dignity. As she was entirely uneducated, and was afraid of
making mistakes in grammar and pronunciation, she used
purposely to speak in an indistinct and garbling manner,
thinking that if she should make a slip it would be so buried
in the surrounding confusion that no one could be certain
whether she had actually made it or not; with the result that
her talk was a sort of continuous, blurred expectoration, out
of which would emerge, at rare intervals, those sounds and
syllables of which she felt positive. Swann supposed himself
entitled to poke a little mild fun at her in conversation with
M. Verdurin, who, however, was not at all amused.
‘She is such an excellent woman!’ he rejoined. ‘I grant
you that she is not exactly brilliant; but I assure you that she
can talk most charmingly when you are alone with her.’
‘I am sure she can,’ Swann hastened to conciliate him. ‘All
I meant was that she hardly struck me as ‘distinguished,’’ he
went on, isolating the epithet in the inverted commas of his
tone, ‘and, after all, that is something of a compliment.’

314 Swann’s Way