"Well, your mother was so skilfully persuasive that the day after, at
the races, I gave that cold greeting."

"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