“And so I, that same day, on entering the house, threw myself into mamma’s arms, exclaiming, ‘Yes, I am willing to marry M. de Courtalin!’ Ah, how many times between that day and the 16th of May I threw myself into mamma’s arms!  I did nothing else.  Mamma got used to it, and never saw me appear without mechanically opening her arms.  ’Yes, I am willing,’ and sometimes, ‘No, I am not.’  But the ‘No, I am nots’ became fewer and fewer.  M. de Courtalin, besides, was perfect; a model of tact, of gentleness, and of resignation.  He waited, always in his black frock-coat, always buttoned, with an inexhaustible patience.  Mamma was, in short, pledged to Mme. de Courtalin, and I felt the circle tighten round me.  The papers announced, in a covert but transparent way, that there was question of an alliance between two families of the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and they made it pretty clear that it concerned two important families.  I already received vague congratulations, and I dared respond only by vague denials.  The morning of the famous 17th of May mamma had said to me, ’Come, my child, don’t make a martyr of that poor boy.  Since it is to be “yes,” for it will be “yes,” you know yourself, say “yes” at once.’  I had obtained only a miserable respite of twenty-four hours; and things were thus when, still on the 17th of May, mamma and I arrived, a little late (after eleven), at Mme. de Vernieux’s, who was giving a ball, a very large ball.  I went in, and I had at once the feeling that I must be looking extremely well that evening.  They formed into a little hedge along my way, and I heard a little ‘oh!’ of surprise, and a big ‘ah!’ of admiration which went straight to my heart.  I had had already in society certain successes, but never any as marked as that one.  M. de Courtalin came towards me.  He wished to engage me for all the waltzes, for all the quadrilles, for the entire evening, for the night, for life.  I answered him:  ’Later, presently, we will see.  I feel a little tired.’  The fact was I hadn’t the heart to dance.  Mamma and I took our seats.  A waltz began.  Mamma scolded softly:  ‘Dance with him, my child, I beg.’  I didn’t listen to her.  I was abstractedly looking around the room when suddenly I saw in a corner two eyes fixed, fastened, pinioned on me—­two eyes that I well knew, but that I had some difficulty in recognizing, for they were tremendously enlarged by a sort of stupor.”

“Say by overwhelming admiration.”

“As you please But it is here, Aunt Louise, that my interrogation will begin.  Why and how were you there?  Where had you dined, Gontran?”

“At the club.”

“And what did you intend to do after dinner?  Come to Mme. de Vernieux’s?”

“No; Robert d’Aigremont and I had meant to go to the Bouffes-Parisiens.”

“You did not go?  Why?”

“We had telephoned from the club to have a box; all were sold—­”

“So you said to Robert—­”