Manon Lescaut
for a person of such consideration, I was desirous, by my politeness at
least, of making some reparation for this little outrage. But
recovering his self-possession with the ease of a man accustomed to the
world, he put an end to my feelings of pity by his reply, which was, in
my opinion, rude enough.
"'Young lady! young lady!' said he to her, with a sardonic smile, 'my
eyes in truth are opened, and I perceive that you are much less of a
novice than I had pictured to myself.'
"He immediately retired without looking at her again, muttering to
himself that the French women were quite as bad as those of Italy. I
felt little desire, on this occasion, to change his opinion of the fair
sex.
"Manon let go my hand, threw herself into an armchair, and made the
room resound with her shouts of laughter. I candidly confess that I
was touched most sensibly by this unexpected proof of her affection,
and by the sacrifice of her own interest which I had just witnessed,
and which she could only have been induced to make by her excessive
love for me. Still, however, I could not help thinking she had gone
rather too far. I reproached her with what I called her indiscretion.
She told me that my rival, after having besieged her for several days
in the Bois de Boulogne, and having made her comprehend his object by
signs and grimaces, had actually made an open declaration of love;
informing her at the same time of his name and all his titles, by means
of a letter, which he had sent through the hands of the coachman who
drove her and her companions; that he had promised her, on the other
side of the Alps, a brilliant fortune and eternal adoration; that she
returned to Chaillot, with the intention of relating to me the whole
adventure, but that, fancying it might be made a source of amusement to
us, she could not help gratifying her whim; that she accordingly
invited the Italian prince, by a flattering note, to pay her a visit;
and that it had afforded her equal delight to make me an accomplice,
without giving me the least suspicion of her plan. I said not a word
of the information I had received through another channel; and the
intoxication of triumphant love made me applaud all she had done."
IX
'Twas ever thus;--from childhood's hour
I've seen my fondest hopes decay;--
I never loved a tree or flower,
But it was sure to fade away;
I never nursed a dear Gazelle,
To glad me with its dark-blue eye,
But, when it came to know me well,
And love me, it was sure to die.
MOORE.
"During my life I have remarked that fate has invariably chosen for the
time of its severest visitations, those moments when my fortune seemed
established on the firmest basis. In the friendship of M. de T----,
and the tender affections of Manon, I imagined myself so thoroughly
happy, that I could not harbour the slightest apprehension of any new
misfortune: there was one, nevertheless, at this very period impending,
which reduced me to the state in which you beheld me at Passy, and
which eventually brought in its train miseries of so deplorable a
nature, that you will have difficulty in believing the simple recital
that follows.
"One evening, when M. de T---- remained to sup with us, we heard the
sound of a carriage stopping at the door of the inn. Curiosity tempted
us to see who it was that arrived at this hour. They told us it was
young G---- M----, the son of our most vindictive enemy, of that
debauched old sinner who had incarcerated me in St. Lazare, and Manon
in the Hospital. His name made the blood mount to my cheeks. 'It is
Providence that has led him here,' said I to M. de T----, that I may
punish him for the cowardly baseness of his father. He shall not
escape without our measuring swords at least.' M. de T----, who knew
him, and was even one of his most intimate friends, tried to moderate
my feelings of anger towards him. He assured me that he was a most
amiable young man, and so little capable of countenancing his father's
conduct, that I could not be many minutes in his society without
feeling esteem and affection for him. After saying many more things in
his praise, he begged my permission to invite him to come and sit in
our apartment, as well as to share the remainder of our supper. As to
the objection of Manon being exposed by this proceeding to any danger,
he pledged his honour and good faith, that when once the young man
became acquainted with us, we should find in him a most zealous
defender. After such an assurance, I could offer no further opposition.
"M. de T---- did not introduce him without delaying a few moments
outside, to let him know who we were. He certainly came in with an air
that prepossessed us in his favour: he shook hands with me; we sat
down; he admired Manon; he appeared pleased with me, and with
everything that belonged to us; and he ate with an appetite that did
abundant honour to our hospitality.
"When the table was cleared, our conversation became more serious. He
hung down his head while he spoke of his father's conduct towards us.
He made, on his own part, the most submissive excuses. 'I say the less
upon the subject,' said he, 'because I do not wish to recall a
circumstance that fills me with grief and shame.' If he were sincere
in the beginning, he became much more so in the end, for the
conversation had not lasted half an hour, when I perceived that Manon's
charms had made a visible impression upon him. His looks and his
manner became by degrees more tender. He, however, allowed no
expression to escape him; but, without even the aid of jealousy, I had
had experience enough in love affairs to discern what was passing.
"He remained with us till a late hour in the night, and before he took
his leave, congratulated himself on having made our acquaintance, and
begged permission to call and renew the offer of his services. He went
off next morning with M. de T----, who accepted the offer of a seat in
his carriage.
"I felt, as I before said, not the slightest symptom of jealousy: I had
a more foolish confidence than ever in Manon's vows. This dear
creature had so absolute a dominion over my whole soul and affections,
that I could give place to no other sentiment towards her than that of
admiration and love. Far from considering it a crime that she should
have pleased young G---- M----, I was gratified by the effect of her
charms, and experienced only a feeling of pride in being loved by a
girl whom the whole world found so enchanting. I did not even deem it
worth while to mention my suspicions to her. We were for some days
occupied in arranging her new wardrobe, and in considering whether we
might venture to the theatre without the risk of being recognised. M.
de T---- came again to see us before the end of the week, and we
consulted him upon this point. He saw clearly that the way to please
Manon was to say yes: we resolved to go all together that same evening.
"We were not able, however, to carry this intention into effect; for,
having taken me aside, 'I have been in the greatest embarrassment,'
said he to me, 'since I saw you, and that is the cause of my visiting
you today. G---- M---- is in love with your mistress: he told me so in
confidence; I am his intimate friend, and disposed to do him any
service in my power; but I am not less devoted to you; his designs
appeared to me unjustifiable, and I expressed my disapprobation of
them; I should not have divulged his secret, if he had only intended to
use fair and ordinary means for gaining Manon's affections; but he is
aware of her capricious disposition; he has learned, God knows how,
that her ruling passion is for affluence and pleasure; and, as he is
already in possession of a considerable fortune, he declared his
intention of tempting her at once with a present of great value, and
the offer of an annuity of six thousand francs; if I had in all other
points considered you both in an equal light, I should have had perhaps
to do more violence to my feelings in betraying him: but a sense of
justice as well as of friendship was on your side, and the more so from
having been myself the imprudent, though unconscious, cause of his
passion in introducing him here. I feel it my duty therefore to avert
any evil consequences from the mischief I have inadvertently caused.
"I thanked M. de T---- for rendering me so important a service, and
confessed to him, in a like spirit of confidence, that Manon's
disposition was precisely what G---- M---- had imagined; that is to
say, that she was incapable of enduring even the thought of poverty.
'However,' said I to him, 'when it is a mere question of more or less,
I do not believe that she would give me up for any other person; I can
afford to let her want for nothing, and I have from day to day reason
to hope that my fortune will improve; I only dread one thing,'
continued I, 'which is, that G---- M---- may take unfair advantage of
the knowledge he has of our place of residence, and bring us into
trouble by disclosing it.'
"M. de T---- assured me that I might be perfectly easy upon that head;
that G---- M---- might be capable of a silly passion, but not of an act
of baseness; that if he ever could be villain enough for such a thing,
he, de T----, would be the first to punish him, and by that means make
reparation for the mischief he had occasioned. 'I feel grateful for
what you say,' said I, 'but the mischief will have been all done, and
the remedy even seems doubtful; the wisest plan therefore will be to
quit Chaillot, and go to reside elsewhere.' 'Very true,' said M. de
T----, 'but you will not be able to do it quickly enough, for G----
M---- is to be here at noon; he told me so yesterday, and it was that
intelligence that made me come so early this morning to inform you of
his intentions. You may expect him every moment.'"
"The urgency of the occasion made me view this matter in a more serious
light. As it seemed to me impossible to escape the visit of G----
M----, and perhaps equally so to prevent him from making his
declaration to Manon, I resolved to tell her beforehand of the designs
of my new rival. I fancied that when she knew I was aware of the
offers that would be made to her, and made probably in my presence, she
would be the more likely to reject them. I told M. de T---- of my
intention, and he observed that he thought it a matter of extreme
delicacy. 'I admit it,' said I, 'but no man ever had more reason for
confiding in a mistress, than I have for relying on the affection of
mine. The only thing that could possibly for a moment blind her, is
the splendour of his offers; no doubt she loves her ease, but she loves
me also; and in my present circumstances, I cannot believe that she
would abandon me for the son of the man who had incarcerated her in the
Magdalen.' In fine, I persisted in my intentions, and taking Manon
aside, I candidly told her what I had learned.
"She thanked me for the good opinion I entertained of her, and promised
to receive G---- M----'s offers in a way that should prevent a
repetition of them. 'No,' said I, 'you must not irritate him by
incivility: he has it in his power to injure us. But you know well
enough, you little rogue,' continued I, smiling, 'how to rid yourself
of a disagreeable or useless lover!' After a moment's pause she said:
'I have just thought of an admirable plan, and I certainly have a
fertile invention. G---- M---- is the son of our bitterest enemy: we
must avenge ourselves on the father, not through the son's person, but
through his purse. My plan is to listen to his proposals, accept his
presents, and then laugh at him.'
"'The project is not a bad one,' said I to her; 'but you forget, my
dear child, that it is precisely the same course that conducted us