Friday, 7 March 1879

Collignon, back at her parents’ home, came to see us; I kept her the whole day and talked the whole time — one must make up for things somehow. Only there was my aunt, who also wanted to talk, and who makes mistakes at every moment, saying le for la and then putting in s’s where there should be none, and then showing herself ill-tempered when speaking of the Howards, one of whom is getting married... That irritated me a little.
Paul says he could barely recognise Cassagnac, he has aged so much — and Rosalie says she likes him better now. And why? “Because he no longer has that insolent gaze, that look from on high which gave him such a hateful air.”
I should be curious to see this ruin; it would finish curing me of him.