Monsieur de Cleves was in no doubt concerning the occasion of his

journey; and he resolved to inform himself as to his wife's conduct,

and to continue no longer in so cruel an uncertainty; he had a desire

to set out the same time as the Duke de Nemours did, and to hide

himself where he might discover the success of the journey; but fearing

his departure might appear extraordinary, and lest the Duke, being

advertised of it, might take other measures, he resolved to trust this

business to a gentleman of his, whose fidelity and wit he was assured

of; he related to him the embarrassment he was under, and what the

virtue of his wife had been till that time, and ordered him to follow

the Duke de Nemours, to watch him narrowly, to see if he did not go to

Colomiers, and if he did not enter the garden in the night.

The gentleman, who was very capable of this commission, acquitted

himself of it with all the exactness imaginable. He followed the Duke

to a village within half a league of Colomiers, where the Duke stopped

and the gentleman easily guessed his meaning was to stay there till

night. He did not think it convenient to wait there, but passed on,

and placed himself in that part of the forest where he thought the Duke

would pass: he took his measures very right; for it was no sooner night

but he heard somebody coming that way, and though it was dark, he

easily knew the Duke de Nemours; he saw him walk round the garden, as

with a design to listen if he could hear anybody, and to choose the

most convenient place to enter: the palisades were very high and

double, in order to prevent people from coming in, so that it was very

difficult for the Duke to get over, however he made a shift to do it.

He was no sooner in the garden but he discovered where Madam de Cleves

was; he saw a great light in the bower, all the windows of it were

open; upon this, slipping along by the side of the palisades, he came

up close to it, and one may easily judge what were the emotions of his

heart at that instant: he took his station behind one of the windows,

which served him conveniently to see what Madam de Cleves was doing.

He saw she was alone; he saw her so inimitably beautiful, that he could

scarce govern the transports which that sight gave him: the weather was

hot, her head and neck were uncovered, and her hair hung carelessly

about her.




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