THE DREYFUS CASE 2.37the speakers was aware that Marcel had already written, by any
standards but his own, a 'marvellous novel'. Flament objected that
Les Plaisirs et les Jours was, all the same, a charming book. "It's
charming, all right," she retorted, between her teeth; "but that's
not enough. Baldassare Silvande, indeed!!"
Proust left with Flament. "I'll take you home," he promised,
and chose, with mingled charity and procrastination, the most
aged cabman and most decrepit horse in the Avenue Hoche; but
instead of climbing in he said: "Follow us, please, while we walk
on." The dark circles round his eyes grew larger; his white face
wore an expression of appalling fatigue as he cross-examined
Flament on the events of the evening and, by comparing his
answers with those of M. France, constructed a stereoscopic
picture of all that had happened before his arrival. The cabman
fell asleep; he pressed a fistful of money into his hand ("don't you
think the poor man looks just like that deaf M. de Saint-Hilaire,
who always stands next to the door for fear anyone might speak
to him?") and chose another. Flament rejected the offer of a drive
through the Bois de Boulogne; they walked past the Pare
Monceau, and Proust began to choke as the scent ofleaves floated
by: 'I don'twant you to be tired out to-morrow-1 know you get
up in the morning like other people-" he remarked, "but I'm sure
you must be hungry." After supping at Weber's in the Rue Royale
they talked for an hour or two more at Flament's door, while the
cabman snored on his high perch; and as Flament climbed the
stairs, tottering with weariness, he saw Proust plunge at last into
the darkness of the cab, as if to shelter from the dawn, while above
the chimney-tops showed the accusing finger of a first pink cloud.
The next 'grand dinner at 9 Boulevard Malesherbes', as Proust
and his mother were accustomed to call those harassing and
expensive functions, was designed to give publicity to three poets,
and incidentally to reflect notice upon Proust himself. The guests
of honour on that 25 April were Montesquiou, Anatole France
and Comtesse Anna de Noailles, who occupied the head of the
table opposite Proust himself; and the others included Dr and
Mme Proust, Mme Arman, Mme Lemaire, Comte Mathieu de
Noailles and Leon Bailby, the editor of La Presse, in which a
glowing account of the dinner was to appear on the 27th. Smaller
fry, including Albert Flament, came after dinner to hear the
young and lovely actress Cora Laparcerie reciting verses by M.