The Human Comedy: Chronicles of 19th-Century France

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Rien n'est plus embarrassant

Paul Gavarni (French, 1804–1866) Rien n'est plus embarrassant que le premier tête-à-tête... (Nothing is more awkward than that first tête-à-tête...), 1843 Lithograph Gift of Eugene L. Garbaty, 1951.79.73

Marriages were generally arranged between the heads of two families who wanted to unite their fortunes. They were financial transactions more than unions of the heart. Courtship was often rep-resented as a dull and awkward exercise. In cases where the engaged couple actually cared for one another, courting etiquette prevented them from translating their words into deeds.

Rien n'est plus embarrassant que le premier tête à tête quand on a tout à se dire ... si ce n'est le dernier quand tout est dit.

Nothing is more awkward than that first tête-à-tête when you have everything to say to each other…unless it’s the last, when everything has already been said.