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.




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