Page 405 - swanns-way

the journal which she used to send regularly to her daugh-
ter, it was Mme. de La Trémouaille, kept well-informed
through all her grand connections, who supplied the for-
eign politics.’
‘Oh dear, no. I’m quite sure they aren’t the same family,’
said Mme. Verdurin desperately.
Saniette who, ever since he had surrendered his un-
touched plate to the butler, had been plunged once more in
silent meditation, emerged finally to tell them, with a ner-
vous laugh, a story of how he had once dined with the Duc
de La Trémoïlle, the point of which was that the Duke did
not know that George Sand was the pseudonym of a wom-
an. Swann, who really liked Saniette, felt bound to supply
him with a few facts illustrative of the Duke’s culture, which
would prove that such ignorance on his part was literally
impossible; but suddenly he stopped short; he had realised,
as he was speaking, that Saniette needed no proof, but knew
already that the story was untrue for the simple reason that
he had at that moment invented it. The worthy man suf-
fered acutely from the Verdurins’ always finding him so
dull; and as he was conscious of having been more than or-
dinarily morose this evening, he had made up his mind that
he would succeed in being amusing, at least once, before the
end of dinner. He surrendered so quickly, looked so wretch-
ed at the sight of his castle in ruins, and replied in so craven
a tone to Swann, appealing to him not to persist in a refu-
tation which was already superfluous, ‘All right; all right;
anyhow, even if I have made a mistake that’s not a crime,
I hope,’ that Swann longed to be able to console him by in-

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