Page:The Story of Manon Lescaut and of the Chevalier des Grieux.pdf/145

Rh est than his natural feelings might have prompted, I dwelt upon the beauty of my mistress as unequalled, save, indeed, by the passion with which it inspired me.

He told me that, although he had never seen Manon, he had heard of her; if I alluded, at least, to the young woman who had been the mistress of old G M. I at once surmised that he knew of my share in that transaction, and, in order to gain his sympathy more completely, by taking him into my confidence, and so establishing a claim upon him, I gave him a detailed account of all that had happened to Manon and myself.

"You see, sir," continued I, "that the interests of my life and of my heart are now in your hands. Those of the one are no dearer to me than those of the other. I have confided in you without reserve, because I am no stranger to the generosity of your character, and because the fact of our being so nearly of the same age leads me to hope that there may also be some similarity in our tastes and inclinations."

He appeared to be very much touched by these marks of trust and candor. His reply was that of a man possessing all the polish of good society, together with a delicacy of feeling which society does not always give, and