authoritative a manner, that he durst not disobey her; that he

gained her in a manner as soon as he courted her, that they
concealed their mutualpassion for each other from the whole

world, that he never visited her publicly, that he had the
pleasure to remove her sorrow for her husband's death, and that

lastly he was to have married her at the very juncture in which
she died; but that this marriage, which was an effect of love,

would have appeared in her an effect of duty and obedience, she
having prevailed upon her father to lay his commands on her to

marry him, in order to avoid the appearance of too great an
alteration in her conduct, which had seemed so averse to a second

marriage.'
"`While Etouteville was speaking to me,' said Sancerre, `I

believed all he said, because I found so much probability in it,
and because the time when he told me his passion for Madam de

Tournon commenced, is precisely the same with that when she
appeared changed towards me; but the next morning I thought him a

liar, or at least an enthusiast, and was upon the point of
telling him so. Afterwards I came into an inclination of

clearing up the matter, and proposed several questions, and laid
my doubts before him, in a word, I proceeded so far to convince

myself of my misfortune, that he asked me if I knew Madam de
Tournon's handwriting, and with that threw upon my bed four

letters of hers and her picture; my brother came in that minute;
Etouteville's face was so full of tears, that he was forced to

withdraw to avoid being observed, and said he would come again in
the evening to fetch what he left with me; and as for me, I sent

my brother away under pretence of being indisposed, so impatient
was I to see the letters he had left, and so full of hopes to

find something there that might make me disbelieve what
Etouteville had been telling me; but alas! What did I not find

there? What tenderness! what assurances of marriage! what
letters! She never wrote the like to me. Thus,' continued he,

`am I at once pierced with anguish for her death and for her
falsehood, two evils which have been often compared, but never

felt before by the same person at the same time; I confess, to my
shame, that still I am more grieved for her loss than for her

change; I cannot think her guilty enough, to consent to her
death: were she living, I should have the satisfaction to

reproach her, and to revenge myself on her by making her sensible
of her injustice; but I shall see her no more, I shall see her no

more; this is the greatest misfortune of all others; would I
could restore her to life, though with the loss of my own! Yet

what do I wish! If she were restored to life, she would live for
Etouteville: how happy was I yesterday,' cried he, `how happy! I

was the most afflicted man in the world; but my affliction was
reasonable, and there was something pleasing in the very thought

that I was inconsolable; today all my sentiments are unjust; I
pay to a feigned passion the tribute of my grief, which I thought

I owed to a real one; I can neither hate nor love her memory; I
am capable" target="_blank" title="a.无能力的；不能的">incapable of consolation, and yet don't know how to grieve for

her; take care, I conjure you, that I never see Etouteville; his
very name raises horror in me; I know very well I have no reason

of complaint against him; I was to blame in concealing from him
my love for Madam de Tournon; if he had known it, perhaps he

would not have pursued her, perhaps she would not have been false
to me; he came to me to impart his sorrows, and I cannot but pity

him; alas! he had reason to love Madam de Tournon, he was beloved
by her, and will never see her more: notwithstanding I perceive I

can't help hating him; once more I conjure you take care I may
not see him.'

"Sancerre burst afterwards into tears, began again to regret
Madam de Tournon, and to speak to her, as if she were present,

and say the softest things in the world; from these transports he
passed to hatred, to complaints, to reproaches and imprecations

against her. When I saw him in so desperate a condition, I found
I should want somebody to assist me in appeasing his mind;

accordingly I sent for his brother, whom I had left with the
King; I met him in the anti-chamber, and acquainted him with

Sancerre's condition: we gave the necessary orders to prevent his
seeing Etouteville, and employed part of the night in

endeavouring to make him capable of reason; this morning I found
him yet more afflicted; his brother continued with him, and I

returned to you."
"'Tis impossible to be more surprised than I am," said Madam de

Cleves; "I thought Madam de Tournon equallycapable" target="_blank" title="a.无能力的；不能的">incapable of love
and falsehood." "Address and dissimulation," replied Monsieur

de Cleves, "cannot go further than she carried them; observe,
that when Sancerre thought her love to him was abated, it really

was, and she began to love Etouteville; she told the last that he
removed her sorrow for her husband's death, and that he was the

cause of her quitting her retirement; Sancerre believed the cause
was nothing but a resolution she had taken not to seem any longer

to be in such deep affliction; she made a merit to Etouteville of
concealing her correspondence with him, and of seeming forced to

marry him by her father's command, as if it was an effect of the
care she had of her reputation; whereas it was only an artifice

to forsake Sancerre, without his having reason to resent it: I
must return," continued Monsieur de Cleves, "to see this

unhappy man, and I believe you would do well to go to Paris too;
it is time for you to appear in the world again, and receive the

numerous visits which you can't well dispense with."
Madam de Cleves agreed to the proposal, and returned to Paris the

next day; she found herself much more easy with respect to the
Duke de Nemours than she had been; what her mother had told her

on her death-bed, and her grief for her death, created a sort of
suspension in her mind as to her passion for the Duke, which made

her believe it was quite effaced.
The evening of her arrival the Queen-Dauphin made her a visit,

and after having condoled with her, told her that in order to
divert her from melancholy thoughts, she would let her know all

that had passed at Court in her absence; upon which she related
to her a great many extraordinary things; "but what I have the

greatest desire to inform you of," added she, "is that it is
certain the Duke de Nemours is passionately in love; and that his

most intimate friends are not only not entrusted in it, but can't
so much as guess who the person is he is in love with;

nevertheless this passion of his is so strong as to make him
neglect, or to speak more properly, abandon the hopes of a

Crown."
The Queen-Dauphin afterwards relatedwhatever had passed in

England; "What I have just told you," continued she, "I had
from Monsieur d'Anville; and this morning he informed me, that

last night the King sent for the Duke de Nemours upon the subject
of Lignerol's letters, who desires to return, and wrote to his

Majesty that he could no longer excuse to the Queen of England
the Duke of Nemours's delay; that she begins to be displeased at

it; and though she has not positively given her promise, she has
said enough to encourage him to come over; the King showed this

letter to the Duke of Nemours, who instead of speaking seriously
as he had done at the beginning of this affair, only laughed and

trifled, and made a jest of Lignerol's expectations: He said,
`The whole world would censure his imprudence, if he ventured to

go to England, with the pretensions of marrying the Queen,
without being secure of success; I think,' added he, `I should

time my business very ill to go to England now, when the King of
Spain uses such pressing instances to obtain the Queen in

marriage; the Spanish King perhaps would not be a very formidable
rival in matters of gallantry, but in a treaty of marriage I

believe your Majesty would not advise me to be his competitor.'
`I would advise you to it upon this occasion,' replied the King;

`but however you will have no competitor in him; I know he has