Madam de Cleves made only a confused answer, as if she had not
understood what the Chevalier's words meant: at another time she would
have been offended if he had mentioned the passion he had for her; but
at this moment she felt nothing but the affliction to know that he had
observed the passion she had for the Duke de Nemours. The Chevalier de
Guise was so well convinced of it, and so pierced with grief, that from
that moment he took a resolution never to think of being loved by Madam
de Cleves; but that he might the better be able to quit a passion which
he had thought so difficult and so glorious, it was necessary to make
choice of some other undertaking worthy of employing him; he had his
view on Rhodes: the taking of which he had formerly had some idea of;
and when death snatched him away, in the flower of his youth, and at a
time when he had acquired the reputation of one of the greatest Princes
of his age, the only regret he had to part with life was, that he had
not been able to execute so noble a resolution, the success whereof he
thought infallible from the great care he had taken about it.
Madam de Cleves, when she came out of the lists, went to the Queen's
apartment, with her thoughts wholly taken up with what had passed. The
Duke de Nemours came there soon after, richly dressed, and like one
wholly unsensible of the accident that had befallen him; he appeared
even more gay than usual, and the joy he was in for what he had
discovered, gave him an air that very much increased his natural
agreeableness.
The whole Court was surprised when he came in; and
there was nobody but asked him how he did, except Madam de Cleves, who
stayed near the chimney pretending not to see him. The King coming out
of his closet, and seeing him among others called him to talk to him
about his late accident. The Duke passed by Madam de Cleves, and said
softly to her, "Madam, I have received this day some marks of your
pity, but they were not such as I am most worthy of." Madam de Cleves
suspected that he had taken notice of the concern she had been in for
him, and what he now said convinced her she was not mistaken; it gave
her a great deal of concern to find she was so little mistress of
herself as not to have been able to conceal her inclinations from the
Chevalier de Guise; nor was she the less concerned to see that the Duke
de Nemours was acquainted with them; yet this last grief was not so
entire, but there was a certain mixture of pleasure in it.