“No, no,” he said, “don’t leave them on the floor, they’ll be trodden on.”

A glance from the Baron de Guermantes, tilting the plane of his pupils, shot suddenly from them a wave of pure and piercing azure which froze the well-meaning historian.

“What is that person’s name?” I was asked by the Baron, who had just been introduced to me by Mme. de Villeparisis.

“ M. Pierre,” I whispered.

“Pierre what?”

“Pierre: it’s his name, he’s a historian, a most distinguished man.”

“Really? You don’t say so.”