MANON LESCAUT(曼能拉斯考特)

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MANON LESCAUT

Why did he love her? Curious fool, be still! Is human love the fruit

of human will?

BYRON.

Just about six months before my departure for Spain, I first met the

Chevalier des Grieux. Though I rarely quitted my retreat, still the

interest I felt in my child's welfare induced me occasionally to undertake

short journeys, which, however, I took good care to abridge as much as

possible.

I was one day returning from Rouen, where I had been, at her request,

to attend a cause then pending before the Parliament of Normandy,

respecting an inheritance to which I had claims derived from my maternal

grandfather. Having taken the road by Evreux, where I slept the first

night, I on the following day, about dinner-time, reached Passy, a distance

of five or six leagues. I was amazed, on entering this quiet town, to see

all the inhabitants in commotion. They were pouring from their houses

in crowds, towards the gate of a small inn, immediately before which two

covered vans were drawn up. Their horses still in harness, and reeking

from fatigue and heat, showed that the cortege had only just arrived. I

stopped for a moment to learn the cause of the tumult, but could gain little

information from the curious mob as they rushed by, heedless of my

enquiries, and hastening impatiently towards the inn in the utmost

confusion. At length an archer of the civic guard, wearing his bandolier,

and carrying a carbine on his shoulder, appeared at the gate; so, beckoning

him towards me, I begged to know the cause of the uproar. "Nothing,

sir," said he, "but a dozen of the frail sisterhood, that I and my comrades

are conducting to Havre-de-Grace, whence we are to ship them for

America. There are one or two of them pretty enough; and it is that,

apparently, which attracts the curiosity of these good people."

I should have passed on, satisfied with this explanation, if my attention

had not been arrested by the cries of an old woman, who was coming out

of the inn with her hands clasped, and exclaiming:

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"A downright barbarity!--A scene to excite horror and compassion!"

"What may this mean?" I enquired. "Oh! sir; go into the house yourself,"

said the woman, and see if it is not a sight to rend your heart!" Curiosity

made me dismount; and leaving my horse to the care of the ostler, I made

my way with some difficulty through the crowd, and did indeed behold a

scene sufficiently touching.

Among the twelve girls, who were chained together by the waist in

two rows, there was one, whose whole air and figure seemed so ill-suited

to her present condition, that under other circumstances I should not have

hesitated to pronounce her a person of high birth. Her excessive grief,

and even the wretchedness of her attire, detracted so little from her

surpassing beauty, that at first sight of her I was inspired with a mingled

feeling of respect and pity.

She tried, as well as the chain would permit her, to turn herself away,

and hide her face from the rude gaze of the spectators. There was

something so unaffected in the effort she made to escape observation, that

it could but have sprung from natural and innate modesty alone.

As the six men who escorted the unhappy train were together in the

room, I took the chief one aside and asked for information respecting this

beautiful girl. All that he could supply was of the most vague kind.

"We brought her," he said, "from the Hospital, by order of the lieutenant-

general of police. There is no reason to suppose that she was shut up

there for good conduct.

I have questioned her often upon the road; but she persists in refusing

even to answer me. Yet, although I received no orders to make any

distinction between her and the others, I cannot help treating her

differently, for she seems to me somewhat superior to her companions.

Yonder is a young man," continued the archer, "who can tell you, better

than I can, the cause of her misfortunes. He has followed her from Paris,

and has scarcely dried his tears for a single moment. He must be either

her brother or her lover."

I turned towards the corner of the room, where this young man was

seated. He seemed buried in a profound reverie. Never did I behold a

more affecting picture of grief. He was plainly dressed; but one may

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discover at the first glance a man of birth and education. As I

approached him he rose, and there was so refined and noble an expression

in his eyes, in his whole countenance, in his every movement, that I felt an

involuntary impulse to render him any service in my power. "I am

unwilling to intrude upon your sorrows," said I, taking a seat beside him,

"but you will, perhaps, gratify the desire I feel to learn something about

that beautiful girl, who seems little formed by nature for the miserable

condition in which she is placed."

He answered me candidly, that he could not communicate her history

without making himself known, and that he had urgent reasons for

preserving his own incognito. "I may, however, tell you this much, for it

is no longer a secret to these wretches," he continued, pointing to the

guards,--"that I adore her with a passion so ardent and absorbing as to

render me the most unhappy of human beings. I tried every means at

Paris to effect her liberty. Petitions, artifice, force--all failed. Go

where she may, I have resolved to follow her--to the extremity of the

world. I shall embark with her and cross to America.

But think of the brutal inhumanity of these cowardly ruffians," he

added, speaking of the guards; "they will not allow me to approach her! I

had planned an open attack upon them some leagues from Paris; having

secured, as I thought, the aid of four men, who for a considerable sum

hired me their services. The traitors, however, left me to execute my

scheme single-handed, and decamped with my money. The impossibility

of success made me of course abandon the attempt, I then implored of the

guards permission to follow in their train, promising them a recompense.

The love of money procured their consent; but as they required payment

every time I was allowed to speak to her, my purse was speedily emptied;

and now that I am utterly penniless, they are barbarous enough to repulse

me brutally, whenever I make the slightest attempt to approach her. It is

but a moment since, that venturing to do so, in spite of their threats, one of

the fellows raised the butt-end of his musket. I am now driven by their

exactions to dispose of the miserable horse that has brought me hither, and

am preparing to continue the journey on foot."

Although he seemed to recite this story tranquilly enough, I observed

MANON LESCAUT

the tears start to his eyes as he concluded. This adventure struck me as

being not less singular than it was affecting. "I do not press you," said I

to him, to make me the confidant of your secrets; but if I can be of use to

you in any way, I gladly tender you my services." "Alas!" replied he, "I

see not the slightest ray of hope. I must reconcile myself to my destiny

in all its rigour. I shall go to America: there, at least, I may be free to live

with her I love. I have written to a friend, who will send me money to

Havre-de-Grace. My only difficulty is to get so far, and to supply that

poor creature," added he, as he cast a look of sorrow at his mistress, "with

some few comforts upon the way." "Well!" said I to him, "I shall relieve

you from that difficulty. Here is some money, of which I entreat your

acceptance: I am only sorry that I can be of no greater service to you."

I gave him four louis-d'ors without being perceived by the guards; for I

thought that if they knew he had this money, they might have raised the

price of their concessions. It occurred to me, even, to come to an

understanding with them, in order to secure for the young man the

privilege of conversing with his mistress, during the rest of the journey to

Havre, without hindrance. I beckoned the chief to approach, and made

the proposition to him. It seemed to abash the ruffian, in spite of his

habitual effrontery. "It is not, sir," said he, in an embarrassed tone, "that

we refuse to let him speak to the girl, but he wishes to be always near her,

which puts us to inconvenience; and it is just that we should be paid for

the trouble he occasions." "Let us see!" said I to him, "what would

suffice to prevent you from feeling the inconvenience?" He had the

audacity to demand two louis. I gave them to him on the spot. "But

have a care," said I to him, "that we have no foul play: for I shall give the

young man my address, in order that he may write to me on his arrival;

and be assured that I am not without the power to punish you." It cost

me altogether six louis-d'ors.

The graceful manner and heartfelt gratitude with which the young

unknown thanked me, confirmed my notion that he was of good birth and

merited my kindness. I addressed a few words to his mistress before I

left the room. She replied to me with a modesty so gentle and so

charming that I could not help making, as I went out, a thousand

MANON LESCAUT

reflections upon the incomprehensible character of women.

Returned to my retreat, I remained in ignorance of the result of this

adventure; and ere two years had passed, it was completely blotted from

my recollection, when chance brought me an opportunity of learning all

the circumstances from beginning to end.

I arrived at Calais, from London, with my pupil, the Marquis of ----.

We lodged, if I remember rightly, at the "Golden Lion," where, for some

reason, we were obliged to spend the following day and night. Walking

along the streets in the afternoon, I fancied I saw the same young man

whom I had formerly met at Passy. He was miserably dressed, and much

paler than when I first saw him. He carried on his arm an old

portmanteau, having only just arrived in the town. However, there was

an expression in his countenance too amiable not to be easily recognised,

and which immediately brought his features to my recollection.

"Observe that young man,"said I to the Marquis; "we must accost him."

His joy was beyond expression when, in his turn, he recognised me.

"Ah, sir!" he cried, kissing my hand, "I have then once again an

opportunity of testifying my eternal gratitude to you!" I enquired of him

whence he came. He replied, that he had just arrived, by sea, from Havre,

where he had lately landed from America. "You do not seem to be too

well off for money," said I to him; "go on to the `Golden Lion,' where I am

lodging; I will join you in a moment."

I returned, in fact, full of impatience to learn the details of his

misfortunes, and the circumstances of his voyage to America. I gave him

a thousand welcomes, and ordered that they should supply him with

everything he wanted. He did not wait to be solicited for the history of

his life. "Sir," said he to me, "your conduct is so generous, that I should

consider it base ingratitude to maintain any reserve towards you. You

shall learn not only my misfortunes and sufferings, but my faults and most

culpable weaknesses. I am sure that, even while you blame me, you will

not refuse me your sympathy."

I should here inform the reader that I wrote down the story almost

immediately after hearing it; and he may, therefore, be assured of the

correctness and fidelity of the narrative. I use the word fidelity with

MANON LESCAUT

reference to the substance of reflections and sentiments, which the young

man conveyed in the most graceful language. Here, then, is his story,

which in its progress I shall not encumber with a single observation that

was not his own.

MANON LESCAUT

I loved Ophelia! forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their

quantity of love, Make up my sum.

SHAKESPERE.

"I was seventeen years old, and was finishing my studies at Amiens,

whither my parents, who belonged to one of the first families in Picardy,

had sent me. I led a life so studious and well regulated, that my masters

pointed to me as a model of conduct for the other scholars. Not that I

made any extraordinary efforts to acquire this reputation, but my

disposition was naturally tractable and tranquil; my inclinations led me to

apply to study; and even the natural dislike I felt for vice was placed to my

credit as positive proof of virtue. The successful progress of my studies,

my birth, and some external advantages of person, made me a general

favourite with the inhabitants of the town.

"I completed my public exercises with such general approbation, that

the bishop of the diocese, who was present, proposed to me to enter the

church, where I could not fail, he said, to acquire more distinction than in

the Order of Malta, for which my parents had destined me. I was already

decorated with the Cross, and called the Chevalier des Grieux. The

vacation having arrived, I was preparing to return to my father, who had

promised to send me soon to the Academy.

"My only regret on quitting Amiens arose from parting with a friend,

some years older than myself, to whom I had always been tenderly

attached. We had been brought up together; but from the straitened

circumstances of his family, he was intended to take orders, and was to

remain after me at Amiens to complete the requisite studies for his sacred

calling. He had a thousand good qualities. You will recognise in him

the very best during the course of my history, and above all, a zeal and

fervour of friendship which surpass the most illustrious examples of

antiquity. If I had at that time followed his advice, I should have always

continued a discreet and happy man. If I had even taken counsel from

his reproaches, when on the brink of that gulf into which my passions

afterwards plunged me, I should have been spared the melancholy wreck

MANON LESCAUT

of both fortune and reputation. But he was doomed to see his friendly

admonitions disregarded; nay, even at times repaid by contempt from an

ungrateful wretch, who often dared to treat his fraternal conduct as

offensive and officious.

"I had fixed the day for my departure from Amiens. Alas! that I had

not fixed it one day sooner! I should then have carried to my father's

house my innocence untarnished.

"The very evening before my expected departure, as I was walking

with my friend, whose name was Tiberge, we saw the Arras diligence

arrive, and sauntered after it to the inn, at which these coaches stop. We

had no other motive than curiosity. Some worn men alighted, and

immediately retired into the inn. One remained behind: she was very

young, and stood by herself in the court, while a man of advanced age,

who appeared to have charge of her, was busy in getting her luggage from

the vehicle. She struck me as being so extremely beautiful, that I, who

had never before thought of the difference between the sexes, or looked on

woman with the slightest attention--I, whose conduct had been hitherto the

theme of universal admiration, felt myself, on the instant, deprived of my

reason and self-control. I had been always excessively timid, and easily

disconcerted; but now, instead of meeting with any impediment from this

weakness, I advanced without the slightest reserve towards her, who had

thus become, in a moment, the mistress of my heart.

"Although younger than myself, she received my civilities without

embarrassment. I asked the cause of her journey to Amiens, and whether

she had any acquaintances in the town. She ingenuously told me that she

had been sent there by her parents, to commence her novitiate for taking

the veil. Love had so quickened my perception, even in the short

moment it had been enthroned, that I saw in this announcement a death-

blow to my hopes. I spoke to her in a way that made her at once

understand what was passing in my mind; for she had more experience

than myself. It was against her consent that she was consigned to a

convent, doubtless to repress that inclination for pleasure which had

already become too manifest, and which caused, in the sequel, all her

misfortunes and mine. I combated the cruel intention of her parents with

MANON LESCAUT

all the arguments that my new-born passion and schoolboy eloquence

could suggest. She affected neither austerity nor reserve. She told me,

after a moment's silence, that she foresaw too clearly, what her unhappy

fate must be; but that it was, apparently, the will of Heaven, since there

were no means left her to avert it. The sweetness of her look, the air of

sorrow with which she pronounced these words, or rather perhaps the

controlling destiny which led me on to ruin, allowed me not an instant to

weigh my answer. I assured her that if she would place reliance on my

honour, and on the tender interest with which she had already inspired me,

I would sacrifice my life to deliver her from the tyranny of her parents,

and to render her happy. I have since been a thousand times astonished

in reflecting upon it, to think how I could have expressed myself with so

much boldness and facility; but love could never have become a divinity,

if he had not often worked miracles.

"I made many other pressing and tender speeches; and my unknown

fair one was perfectly aware that mine was not the age for deceit. She

confessed to me that if I could see but a reasonable hope of being able to

effect her enfranchisement, she should deem herself indebted for my

kindness in more than life itself could pay. I repeated that I was ready to

attempt anything in her behalf; but, not having sufficient experience at

once to imagine any reasonable plan of serving her, I did not go beyond

this general assurance, from which indeed little good could arise either to

her or to myself. Her old guardian having by this time joined us, my

hopes would have been blighted, but that she had tact enough to make

amends for my stupidity. I was surprised, on his approaching us, to hear

her call me her cousin, and say, without being in the slightest degree

disconcerted, that as she had been so fortunate as to fall in with me at

Amiens, she would not go into the convent until the next morning, in order

to have the pleasure of meeting me at supper. Innocent as I was, I at once

comprehended the meaning of this ruse; and proposed that she should

lodge for the night at the house of an innkeeper, who, after being many

years my father's coachman, had lately established himself at Amiens, and

who was sincerely attached to me.

"I conducted her there myself, at which the old Argus appeared to

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MANONLESCAUT1MANONLESCAUTMANONLESCAUT2IWhydidheloveher?Curiousfool,bestill!Ishumanlovethefruitofhumanwill?BYRON.JustaboutsixmonthsbeforemydepartureforSpain,IfirstmettheChevalierdesGrieux.ThoughIrarelyquittedmyretreat,stilltheinterestIfeltinmychild'swelfareinducedmeoccasionallytoundertakeshortjourney...

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