"Since you are desirous I should open myself to you," answered Madam de

Cleves, "I'll comply with your desire, and I'll do it with a sincerity

that is rarely to be met with in persons of my sex: I shall not tell

you that I have not observed your passion for me; perhaps you would not

believe me if I should tell you so; I confess therefore to you, not

only that I have observed it, but that I have observed it in such

lights as you yourself could wish it might appear to me in." "And if

you have seen my passion, Madam," said he, "is it possible for you not

to have been moved by it? And may I venture to ask, if it has made no

impression on your heart?" "You should have judged of that from my

conduct," replied she; "but I should be glad to know what you thought

of it."

"I ought to be in a happier condition," replied he, "to

venture to inform you; my fortune would contradict what I should say;

all I can tell you, Madam, is that I heartily wished you had not

acknowledged to Monsieur de Cleves what you concealed from me, and that

you had concealed from him what you made appear to me." "How came you

to discover," replied she blushing, "that I acknowledged anything to

Monsieur de Cleves?" "I learned it from yourself, Madam," replied he;

"but that you may the better pardon the boldness I showed in listening

to what you said, remember if I have made an ill use of what I heard,

if my hopes rose upon it, or if I was the more encouraged to speak to

you." Here he began to relate how he had overheard her conversation with

Monsieur de Cleves; but she interrupted him before he had finished;

"Say no more of it," said she, "I see how you came to be so well

informed; I suspected you knew the business but too well at the

Queen-Dauphin's, who learned this adventure from those you had

entrusted with it."

Upon this Monsieur de Nemours informed her in what manner the thing

came to pass; "No excuses," says she; "I have long forgiven you,

without being informed how it was brought about; but since you have

learned from my ownself what I designed to conceal from you all my

life, I will acknowledge to you that you have inspired me with

sentiments I was unacquainted with before I saw you, and of which I had

so slender an idea, that they gave me at first a surprise which still

added to the pain that constantly attends them: I am the less ashamed

to make you this confession, because I do it at a time when I may do it

without a crime, and because you have seen that my conduct has not been

governed by my affections."




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024