Page:The Story of Manon Lescaut and of the Chevalier des Grieux.pdf/223

Rh able to control myself had I seen him. Marcel, however, put an end to my suspense by bringing me a note which had been given him at the door for me. It was from M. de T. He wrote that he was taking advantage of the absence of G M, who had gone home to get some money for him, to tell me of an amusing idea that had occurred to him. It appeared to him, he went on to say, that I could not be more agreeably revenged on my rival than by regaling myself with the supper intended for him, and by sleeping that very night in the bed which he anticipated sharing with my mistress. There would be no difficulty in accomplishing this, proceeded M. de T, if I could secure the services of three or four men daring enough to seize G M in the street, and trusty enough to keep him a close prisoner until the following day. He promised, for his own part, to detain him for another hour at least, on various pretexts which he was ready to meet him with on his return.

I showed this note to Manon, and explained the ruse by which I had succeeded in gaining access to her room. She was loud in her praises of the ingenuity of my plan, as well as of M. de T's, and we enjoyed a few moments' hearty laughter over them both. But, on my alluding to the latter as merely an excellent jest, she surprised me by declaring that she was delighted with the idea, and urging me quite seriously to carry it into effect. In vain did I ask her where she supposed that I was thus on a sudden to find men who could be relied upon to seize G M and keep him in safe custody. She said that we must try, at any rate, as M. de T vouched for our having still an hour at our disposal; while, to all my other objections, her only response was that I was playing the tyrant, and had no regard for her wishes. The project had caught her fancy so completely