She lay on a couch with a table before her, on which were

several baskets full of ribbons, out of which she chose some, and he

observed she chose those colours which he wore at the tournament; he

saw her make them up into knots for an Indian cane, which had been his,

and which he had given to his sister; Madam de Cleves took it from her,

without seeming to know it had belonged to the Duke. After she had

finished her work with the sweetest grace imaginable, the sentiments of

her heart showing themselves in her countenance, she took a wax candle

and came to a great table over against the picture of the Siege of

Mets, in which was the portrait of the Duke de Nemours; she sat down

and set herself to look upon that portrait, with an attention and

thoughtfulness which love only can give.

It is impossible to express what Monsieur de Nemours felt at this

moment; to see, at midnight, in the finest place in the world, a lady

he adored, to see her without her knowing that he saw her, and to find

her wholly taken up with things that related to him, and to the passion

which she concealed from him; this is what was never tasted nor

imagined by any other lover.

The Duke was so transported and beside himself, that he continued

motionless, with his eyes fixed on Madam de Cleves, without thinking

how precious his time was; when he was a little recovered, he thought

it best not to speak to her till she came into the garden, and he

imagined he might do it there with more safety, because she would be at

a greater distance from her women; but finding she stayed in the bower,

he resolved to go in: when he was upon the point of doing it, what was

his confusion; how fearful was he of displeasing her, and of changing

that countenance, where so much sweetness dwelt, into looks of anger

and resentment!

To come to see Madam de Cleves without being seen by her had no

impudence in it, but to think of showing himself appeared very unwise;

a thousand things now came into his mind which he had not thought of

before; it carried in it somewhat extremely bold and extravagant, to

surprise in the middle of the night a person to whom he had never yet

spoke of his passion. He thought he had no reason to expect she would

hear him, but that she would justly resent the danger to which he

exposed her, by accidents which might rise from this attempt; all his

courage left him, and he was several times upon the point of resolving

to go back again without showing himself; yet urged by the desire of

speaking to her, and heartened by the hopes which everything he had

seen gave him, he advanced some steps, but in such disorder, that a

scarf he had on entangled in the window, and made a noise. Madam de

Cleves turned about, and whether her fancy was full of him, or that she

stood in a place so directly to the light that she might know him, she

thought it was he, and without the least hesitation or turning towards

the place where he was, she entered the bower where her women were.




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