Page:The Story of Manon Lescaut and of the Chevalier des Grieux.pdf/247

Rh of the kindly feeling which the Lieutenant-General of Police had manifested towards me.

"The only opposition you are likely to encounter," said I, "will be on the part of the G Ms; so that I think it would be advisable for you to go and see them, if you do not consider it too much trouble."

He promised to do so. I did not dare to ask him to plead for Manon as well. Not that I lacked the requisite boldness; but I was afraid of irritating him by making such a suggestion, and inspiring him with some design that might prove disastrous to her and myself.

To this day I am uncertain whether my worst misfortunes were not due to my having yielded to this fear, and having allowed it to prevent me from sounding my father's real feelings and endeavoring to enlist them in favor of my unhappy mistress. I might, perhaps, have succeeded in arousing his pity once more. I might have put him on his guard against the false impressions which he was about to receive, only too willingly, from old G M. Who can tell? My evil destiny might, perhaps, have carried the day in spite of all my efforts; but in that case, at all events, I should have had only the malice of fate