Cities of the Plain - post II

I have been at a conference all day today about Internet publishing so apologies for the lateness of this posting plus there are regrets about only hitting the usual 60 pages - there seems to be some curse about that.

Bullet points from pages 670 - 730

* The party is in full swing and there is a scene between the Prince and Swann with the later reported to have been thrown out because of his Dreyfus sympathies and even Swann's friends start to distance themselves from him

* Knowing what he does about M. de Charlus, Marcel watches him in action as he starts to line up some pretty boys as potential conquests for the future

* Saint-Loup turns up and seems to have changed - following the end of his great passion for Rachel - and along with spurning love now also dislikes literature and instead seems to be concentrating on the pleasure offered by brothels

* Swann, who is seriously ill, reappears and Marcel is determined to know what passed between him and the Prince but there is a passage of description that indicates just how changed the face of the ill man has become and how ill he really is

* Marcel is told by Swann that he will confide with only him about what passed between the prince and himself but we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it was...