Page 414 - swanns-way

press Odette with his love for herself, or merely with his
influence, with the extent of the use that she might make
of him. Probably if anyone had said to him, at the begin-
ning, ‘It’s your position that attracts her,’ or at this stage,
‘It’s your money that she’s really in love with,’ he would not
have believed the suggestion, nor would he have been great-
ly distressed by the thought that people supposed her to be
attached to him, that people felt them, to be united by any
ties so binding as those of snobbishness or wealth. But even
if he had accepted the possibility, it might not have caused
him any suffering to discover that Odette’s love for him was
based on a foundation more lasting than mere affection, or
any attractive qualities which she might have found in him;
on a sound, commercial interest; an interest which would
postpone for ever the fatal day on which she might be tempt-
ed to bring their relations to an end. For the moment, while
he lavished presents upon her, and performed all manner of
services, he could rely on advantages not contained in his
person, or in his intellect, could forego the endless, killing
effort to make himself attractive. And this delight in being
a lover, in living by love alone, of the reality of which he was
inclined to be doubtful, the price which, in the long run,
he must pay for it, as a dilettante in immaterial sensations,
enhanced its value in his eyes—as one sees people who are
doubtful whether the sight of the sea and the sound of its
waves are really enjoyable, become convinced that they are,
as also of the rare quality and absolute detachment of their
own taste, when they have agreed to pay several pounds a
day for a room in an hotel, from which that sight and that

414 Swann’s Way