Page:The Story of Manon Lescaut and the Chevalier Des Grieux.djvu/47

46 seized by three men, whom I recognized as servants of my father's. They offered me no violence : but, two of them having" gitisped me by the arms, the thii'd se^uched my pockets, from which he took a small knife — the only wt»apon I had about me. They beggtHl me t>o pardon tliem for the necessit* they were under of treating me so disi'espectfully, and told me frankly that they were acting by my father's ordei*s, and that my eldest brother was waiting for me in a coach below. Mv astronishment and agitation were so gieat that I suffered myself to be led away without attempting to re- sist or to I'eply. My brother was awaiting me, as they had said. They put me into the coach beside him, and the coachman, who had received his oixlei's, drove us rapidly toward St. Denis. My brother embraced me affection- ately, but did not speiik to me ; so that I had all the leis- ui*e I required to ponder over my misfortune. It seemed to me, at first, so w^nipped in obscurity that I could not see my way even to a plausible conjecture to ac- count for it. I had been cruelly betrayed — but by wiiom ? Tiberge was the fli'st person who occurred to my mind. swer for this, if my suspicions prove correct ! '' How(»ver,
 * Traitor!" I exclaimed to myself, *'your life shall an-