Marcel Proust: A Biography

n8 MARCEL PROUST
Lemaitre, who henceforth confined himself to the nationalist
salon of his mistress the Comtesse de Loynes, and of F orain, who
soon afterwards started his anti-Semitic magazine Psst.
Mme Straus's salon, under Reinach's influence, became the
G.H.Q. of Dreyfusism: it was here that her son Jacques Bizet,
her nephews the Halevys and Proust had organised the first
Aurore petition. Her noble guests, for the most part, remained
loyal and continued to attend her Saturdays. But some awkward-
ness was inevitable, and the Affair marked the beginning of the
decline of her salon; for like Zola, Picquart and Proust, Mme
Straus was capable of sacrifice in the cause of truth. Princesse
Mathilde, who was genuinely fond of the Straus's, made an
attempt to convert them in December 1897. "General de Bois-
deffre has assured me," she announced, "that the War Office has
letters to Dreyfus in the Kaiser's own handwriting!" On 5
February 1898 at Mme Aubernon's-it was the very luncheon at
which d' Annunzio exclaimed: "Read my books, madam, and let
me get on with my food"-Mme Straus asked the diplomat
Maurice Paleologue whether these dreadful letters existed. "If one
exists, dear lady," he replied with irony, "I'm quite prepared to
believe there are several"; and he went on to explain that emperors
rarely or never wrote personally to spies.^1 The Haussonvilles,
who despite their haughty bow were convinced of the importance
of being fair-minded, were shaken by her arguments, and in April
they too cross-examined Paleologue. He told them he had the
gravest doubts about Dreyfus's guilt, and suspected the document
quoted by Boisdeffre at the Zola trial (the faux Henry) of being a
forgery. "Why, if you're right ••. ," they said, turning pale; but
it was noticed that the perfidious M. d'Haussonvilie began there-
after to pronounce Mme Straus's name as 'Schtraus'.
For Mme Aubernon the Affair was merely an enthralling
subject for discussion, like love or adultery, at her Wednesdays.
She delighted to hear her pet Dreyfusists, Dr Pozzi, Brochard (the
originals of Cottard and Brichot), Hervieu and Porto-Riche at
grips with anti-Dreyfusist visitors such as Rene Bazin or
Brunetiere; and when asked, "What are you doing about your
1 These letters were frequently appealed to as evidence by the anti~
Dreyfusists, but never actually produced. In view of the activities of Major
(by that time Colonel) Henry, and the undoubted good faith of Boisdeffre,
they may well have existed as forgeries.