Manon Lescaut , livre ebook

Pub One Info - Abbé Prévost

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

96 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. Why did he love her? Curious fool, be still!

Informations

Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	27 septembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	4
EAN13	9782819927082
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

MANON LESCAUT
by
Abbé Prévost
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII
I
Why did he love her? Curious fool, be still!
Is human love the fruit of human will?
BYRON.
Just about six months before my departure for Spain,I first met the Chevalier des Grieux. Though I rarely quitted myretreat, still the interest I felt in my child's welfare induced meoccasionally to undertake short journeys, which, however, I tookgood care to abridge as much as possible.
I was one day returning from Rouen, where I hadbeen, at her request, to attend a cause then pending before theParliament of Normandy, respecting an inheritance to which I hadclaims derived from my maternal grandfather. Having taken the roadby Evreux, where I slept the first night, I on the following day,about dinner-time, reached Passy, a distance of five or sixleagues. I was amazed, on entering this quiet town, to see all theinhabitants in commotion. They were pouring from their houses incrowds, towards the gate of a small inn, immediately before whichtwo covered vans were drawn up. Their horses still in harness, andreeking from fatigue and heat, showed that the cortege had onlyjust arrived. I stopped for a moment to learn the cause of thetumult, but could gain little information from the curious mob asthey rushed by, heedless of my enquiries, and hastening impatientlytowards the inn in the utmost confusion. At length an archer of thecivic guard, wearing his bandolier, and carrying a carbine on hisshoulder, appeared at the gate; so, beckoning him towards me, Ibegged to know the cause of the uproar. “Nothing, sir, ” said he,“but a dozen of the frail sisterhood, that I and my comrades areconducting to Havre-de-Grace, whence we are to ship them forAmerica. There are one or two of them pretty enough; and it isthat, apparently, which attracts the curiosity of these goodpeople. ”
I should have passed on, satisfied with thisexplanation, if my attention had not been arrested by the cries ofan old woman, who was coming out of the inn with her hands clasped,and exclaiming:
“A downright barbarity! — A scene to excite horrorand compassion! ” “What may this mean? ” I enquired. “Oh! sir; gointo the house yourself, ” said the woman, “and see if it is not asight to rend your heart! ” Curiosity made me dismount; and leavingmy horse to the care of the ostler, I made my way with somedifficulty through the crowd, and did indeed behold a scenesufficiently touching.
Among the twelve girls, who were chained together bythe waist in two rows, there was one, whose whole air and figureseemed so ill-suited to her present condition, that under othercircumstances I should not have hesitated to pronounce her a personof high birth. Her excessive grief, and even the wretchedness ofher attire, detracted so little from her surpassing beauty, that atfirst sight of her I was inspired with a mingled feeling of respectand pity.
She tried, as well as the chain would permit her, toturn herself away, and hide her face from the rude gaze of thespectators. There was something so unaffected in the effort shemade to escape observation, that it could but have sprung fromnatural and innate modesty alone.
As the six men who escorted the unhappy train weretogether in the room, I took the chief one aside and asked forinformation respecting this beautiful girl. All that he couldsupply was of the most vague kind. “We brought her, ” he said,"from the Hospital, by order of the lieutenant-general of police.There is no reason to suppose that she was shut up there for goodconduct.
“I have questioned her often upon the road; but shepersists in refusing even to answer me. Yet, although I received noorders to make any distinction between her and the others, I cannothelp treating her differently, for she seems to me somewhatsuperior to her companions. Yonder is a young man, ” continued thearcher, “who can tell you, better than I can, the cause of hermisfortunes. He has followed her from Paris, and has scarcely driedhis tears for a single moment. He must be either her brother or herlover. ”
I turned towards the corner of the room, where thisyoung man was seated. He seemed buried in a profound reverie. Neverdid I behold a more affecting picture of grief. He was plainlydressed; but one may discover at the first glance a man of birthand education. As I approached him he rose, and there was sorefined and noble an expression in his eyes, in his wholecountenance, in his every movement, that I felt an involuntaryimpulse to render him any service in my power. “I am unwilling tointrude upon your sorrows, ” said I, taking a seat beside him, “butyou will, perhaps, gratify the desire I feel to learn somethingabout that beautiful girl, who seems little formed by nature forthe miserable condition in which she is placed. ”
He answered me candidly, that he could notcommunicate her history without making himself known, and that hehad urgent reasons for preserving his own incognito. “I may,however, tell you this much, for it is no longer a secret to thesewretches, ” he continued, pointing to the guards, — "that I adoreher with a passion so ardent and absorbing as to render me the mostunhappy of human beings. I tried every means at Paris to effect herliberty. Petitions, artifice, force— all failed. Go where she may,I have resolved to follow her— to the extremity of the world. Ishall embark with her and cross to America.
“But think of the brutal inhumanity of thesecowardly ruffians, ” he added, speaking of the guards; “they willnot allow me to approach her! I had planned an open attack uponthem some leagues from Paris; having secured, as I thought, the aidof four men, who for a considerable sum hired me their services.The traitors, however, left me to execute my scheme single-handed,and decamped with my money. The impossibility of success made me ofcourse abandon the attempt, I then implored of the guardspermission to follow in their train, promising them a recompense.The love of money procured their consent; but as they requiredpayment every time I was allowed to speak to her, my purse wasspeedily emptied; and now that I am utterly penniless, they arebarbarous enough to repulse me brutally, whenever I make theslightest attempt to approach her. It is but a moment since, thatventuring to do so, in spite of their threats, one of the fellowsraised the butt-end of his musket. I am now driven by theirexactions to dispose of the miserable horse that has brought mehither, and am preparing to continue the journey on foot. ”
Although he seemed to recite this story tranquillyenough, I observed the tears start to his eyes as he concluded.This adventure struck me as being not less singular than it wasaffecting. “I do not press you, ” said I to him, “to make me theconfidant of your secrets; but if I can be of use to you in anyway, I gladly tender you my services. ” “Alas! ” replied he, “I seenot the slightest ray of hope. I must reconcile myself to mydestiny in all its rigour. I shall go to America: there, at least,I may be free to live with her I love. I have written to a friend,who will send me money to Havre-de-Grace. My only difficulty is toget so far, and to supply that poor creature, ” added he, as hecast a look of sorrow at his mistress, “with some few comforts uponthe way. ” “Well! ” said I to him, “I shall relieve you from thatdifficulty. Here is some money, of which I entreat your acceptance:I am only sorry that I can be of no greater service to you. ”
I gave him four louis-d'ors without being perceivedby the guards; for I thought that if they knew he had this money,they might have raised the price of their concessions. It occurredto me, even, to come to an understanding with them, in order tosecure for the young man the privilege of conversing with hismistress, during the rest of the journey to Havre, withouthindrance. I beckoned the chief to approach, and made theproposition to him. It seemed to abash the ruffian, in spite of hishabitual effrontery. “It is not, sir, ” said he, in an embarrassedtone, “that we refuse to let him speak to the girl, but he wishesto be always near her, which puts us to inconvenience; and it isjust that we should be paid for the trouble he occasions. ” “Let ussee! ” said I to him, “what would suffice to prevent you fromfeeling the inconvenience? ” He had the audacity to demand twolouis. I gave them to him on the spot. “But have a care, ” said Ito him, “that we have no foul play: for I shall give the young manmy address, in order that he may write to me on his arrival; and beassured that I am not without the power to punish you. ” It cost mealtogether six louis-d'ors.
The graceful manner and heartfelt gratitude withwhich the young unknown thanked me, confirmed my notion that he wasof good birth and merited my kindness. I addressed a few words tohis mistress before I left the room. She replied to me with amodesty so gentle and so charming that I could not help making, asI went out, a thousand reflections upon the incomprehensiblecharacter of women.
Returned to my retreat, I remained in ignorance ofthe result of this adventure; and ere two years had passed, it wascompletely blotted from my recollection, when chance brought me anopportunity of learning all the circumstances from beginning toend.
I arrived at Calais, from London, with my pupil, theMarquis of — — . We lodged, if I remember rightly, at the “GoldenLion, ” where, for some reason, we were obliged to spend thefollowing day and night. Walking along the streets in theafternoon, I fancied I saw the same young man whom I had formerlymet at Passy. He was miserably dressed, and much paler than when Ifirst saw him. He carried on his arm an old portmanteau, havingonly just arrived in the town. However, there was an expression inhis countenance too amiable not to be easily recognised, and whichimmediately brought his features to my recollection. “Observe thatyoung man, ” said I to the Marquis; “we must accost him. ”
His joy was