“Excuse me,” said Victoire, firmly; “I cannot stay with you, Manon; you have chosen one way of life and I another—­quite another.  I do not repent my choice—­may you never repent yours!—­Farewell!”

“Bless me! what airs! and with what dignity she looks!  Repent of my choice!—­a likely thing, truly.  Am not I at the top of the wheel?”

“And may not the wheel turn?” said Victoire.

“Perhaps it may,” said Manon; “but till it does I will enjoy myself.  Since you are of a different humour, return to Madame Feuillot, and figure upon cambric and muslin, and make out bills, and nurse old nuns all the days of your life.  You will never persuade me, however, that you would not change places with me if you could.  Stay till you are tried, Mademoiselle Victoire.  Who was ever in love with you or your virtues?—­Stay till you are tried.”

CHAPTER XV

   “But beauty, like the fair Hesperian tree,
   Laden with blooming gold, had need the guard
   Of dragon watch with unenchanted eye
   To save her blossoms, or defend her fruit.”—­MILTON.

The trial was nearer than either Manon or Victoire expected.  Manon had scarcely pronounced the last words when the ci-devant hairdresser burst into the room, accompanied by several of his political associates, who met to consult measures for the good of the nation.  Among these patriots was the Abbe Tracassier.

“Who is that pretty girl who is with you, Manon?” whispered he; “a friend of yours, I hope?”

Victoire left the room immediately, but not before the profligate abbe had seen enough to make him wish to see more.  The next day he went to Madame Feuillot’s under pretence of buying some embroidered handkerchiefs; he paid Victoire a profusion of extravagant compliments, which made no impression upon her innocent heart, and which appeared ridiculous to her plain good sense.  She did not know who he was, nor did Madame Feuillot; for though she had often heard of the abbe, yet she had never seen him.  Several succeeding days he returned, and addressed himself to Victoire, each time with increasing freedom.  Madame Feuillot, who had the greatest confidence in her, left her entirely to her own discretion.  Victoire begged her friend Annette to do the business of the shop, and stayed at work in the back parlour.  Tracassier was much disappointed by her absence; but as he thought no great ceremony necessary in his proceedings, he made his name known in a haughty manner to Madame de Feuillot, and desired that he might be admitted into the back parlour, as he had something of consequence to say to Mademoiselle Victoire in private.  Our readers will not require to have a detailed account of this tete-a-tete; it is sufficient to say that the disappointed and exasperated abbe left the house muttering imprecations.  The next morning a note came to Victoire apparently from Manon:  it was directed by her, but the inside was written by an unknown hand, and continued these words:—­