Page:The Story of Manon Lescaut and the Chevalier Des Grieux.djvu/43

42 deserted me, and, feeling utterly unable to enter our apart- ment until I had recovered myself, I dett^nnintnl to leave the house a^ani under the pretext of having some further business to attend to. I accordingly ordeied the ^irl to inform her mistress that I should return m a few minutes, but not to mention that she had told me anything about Monsieur de B. I was so completely overcome that, as I made my way down-stairs, I could not restrain my tears, though as yet I scarcely knew from what feeling they aiose. 1 went hito the nearest cafey and there, seatiii*^*- niys(»lf at a table and burying my face in my hands, 1 tried to innavel the chaos of emotions which were sur^in^ in my lieail. 1 dared not recall what I had just heard, bul sought to cheat myself into believin<»- it all a dreauj. More than once I was on the point of ^oin^ back to our lod^iii^s and acting as though I knew nothiii*r of the oecurrence. It seemed to me so impossible that Manon could have btvn un- faithful to me, that I feared to wi-oii^»- her even by a sus- picion. I adored her — that was certiiin ; 1 had g"iven her no greater proofs of my love than I had received of hers ; why, then, should I accuse her of being less sincei-e and constant than myself? What reason could she have hiwi