You only show me a sort of civility which is far from giving me
satisfaction; you express none of those pretty inquietudes, the

concern, and impatience, which are the soul of love; you are no
further affected" target="_blank" title="a.做作的；假装的">affected with my passion, than you would be with one

which flowed only from the advantage of your fortune, and not
from the beauty of your person." "It is unjust in you to

complain," replied the Princess, "I don't know what you can
desire of me more; I think decency will not allow me to go

further than I do." "It's true," replied he, "you show some
appearances I should be satisfied with, were there anything

beyond; but instead of being restrained by decency, it is that
only which makes you act as you do; I am not in your heart and

inclinations, and my presence neither gives you pain nor
pleasure." "You can't doubt," replied she, "but it is a

sensible pleasure to me to see you, and when I do see you, I
blush so often, that you can't doubt, but the seeing you gives me

pain also." "Your blushes, Madam," replied he, "cannot
deceive me; they are signs of modesty, but do not prove the heart

to be affected" target="_blank" title="a.做作的；假装的">affected, and I shall conclude nothing more from hence than
what I ought."

Mademoiselle de Chartres did not know what to answer; these
distinctions were above her comprehension. The Prince of Cleves

plainly saw she was far from having that tenderness of affection
for him, which was requisite to his happiness; it was manifest

she could not feel a passion which she did not understand.
The Chevalier de Guise returned from a journey a few days before

the marriage. He saw so many insuperable difficulties in his
design of marrying Mademoiselle de Chartres, that he gave over

all hopes of succeeding in it; and yet he was extremely afflicted
to see her become the wife of another: his grief however did not

extinguish his passion; and his love was as great as ever.
Mademoiselle de Chartres was not ignorant of it; and he made her

sensible at his return, that she was the cause of that deep
melancholy which appeared in his countenance. He had so much

merit and so much agreeableness, that it was almost impossible to
make him unhappy without pitying him, nor could she forbear

pitying him; but her pity did not lead to love. She acquainted
her mother with the uneasiness which the Chevalier's passion gave

her.
Madam de Chartres admired the honour of her daughter, and she

admired it with reason, for never was anyone more naturally
sincere; but she was surprised, at the same time, at the

insensibility of her heart, and the more so, when she found that
the Prince of Cleves had not been able to affect her any more

than others: for this reason, she took great pains to endear her
husband to her, and to make her sensible how much she owed to the

affection he had for her before he knew her, and to the
tenderness he since expressed for her, by preferring her to all

other matches, at a time when no one else durst entertain the
least thoughts of her.

The marriage was solemnised at the Louvre; and in the evening the
King and the two Queens, with the whole Court, supped at Madam de

Chartres's house, where they were entertained with the utmost
magnificence. The, Chevalier de Guise durst not distinguish

himself by being absent from the ceremony, but he was so little
master of himself that it was easy to observe his concern.

The Prince of Cleves did not find that Mademoiselle de Chartres
had changed her mind by changing her name; his quality of a

husband entitled him to the largest privileges, but gave him no
greater share in the affections of his wife: hence it was, that

though he was her husband, he did not cease to be her lover,
because he had always something to wish beyond what he possessed;

and though she lived perfectly easy with him, yet he was not
perfectly happy. He preserved for her a passion full of violence

and inquietude, but without jealousy, which had no share in his
griefs. Never was husband less inclined to it, and never was

wife farther from giving the least occasion for it. She was
nevertheless constantly in view of the Court; she frequented the

Courts of the two Queens, and of Madame: all the people of
gallantry saw her both there and at her brother-in-law the Duke

of Never's, whose house was open to the whole world; but she had
an air which inspired so great respect, and had in it something

so distant from gallantry, that the Mareschal de St. Andre, a
bold man and supported by the King's favour, became her lover

without daring to let her know it any otherwise than by his cares
and assiduities. A great many others were in the same condition:

and Madam de Chartres had added to her daughter's discretion so
exact a conduct with regard to everything of decorum, that

everybody was satisfied she was not be be come at.
The Duchess of Loraine, while she was employed in negotiating the

peace, had applied herself to settle the marriage of the Duke her
son: a marriage was agreed upon between him and Madam Claude of

France, the King's second daughter; and the month of February was
appointed for the nuptials.

In the meantime the Duke of Nemours continued at Brussels, his
thoughts being wholly employed on his design in England; he was

continually sending or receiving couriers from thence; his hopes
increased every day, and at last Lignerolly sent him word that it

was time to finish by his presence what was so well begun; he
received this news with all the joy a young ambitious man is

capable of, who sees himself advanced to a throne merely by the
force of his personal merit; his mind insensibly accustomed

itself to the grandeur of a Royal State; and whereas he had at
first rejected this undertaking as an impracticable thing, the

difficulties of it were now worn out of his imagination, and he
no longer saw anything to obstruct his way.

He sent away in haste to Paris to give the necessary orders for
providing a magnificent equipage, that he might make his

appearance in England with a splendour suitable to the design he
was to conduct; and soon after he followed himself, to assist at

the marriage of the Duke of Loraine.
He arrived the evening before the espousals, and that very

evening waited on the King to give him an account of his affair,
and to receive his orders and advice how to govern himself in it.

Afterwards he waited on the Queens; but the Princess of Cleves
was not there, so that she did not see him, nor so much as know

of his arrival. She had heard everybody speak of this celebrated
Prince, as of the handsomest and most agreeable man at Court; and

the Queen-Dauphin had described him in such a manner, and spoke
of him to her so often, that she had raised in her a curiosity

and even impatience to see him.
The Princess employed the day of the wedding in dressing herself,

that she might appear with the greater advantage at the ball and
royal banquet that were to be at the Louvre. When she came,

everyone admired both her beauty and her dress. The ball began,
and while she was dancing with the Duke of Guise, a noise was

heard at the door of the hall, as if way was making for some
person of uncommondistinction. She had finished her dance, and

as she was casting her eyes round to single out some other
person, the King desired her to take him who came in last; she

turned about, and viewing him as he was passing over the seats to
come to the place where they danced, she immediately concluded he

was the Duke of Nemours. The Duke's person was turned in so
delicate a manner, that it was impossible not to express surprise

at the first sight of him, particularly that evening, when the
care he had taken to adorn himself added much to the fine air of

his carriage. It was as impossible to behold the Princess of
Cleves without equal admiration.

The Duke de Nemours was struck with such surprise at her beauty,
that when they approached and paid their respects to each other,

he could not forbear showing some tokens of his admiration. When
they begun to dance, a soft murmur of praises ran through the

whole company. The King and the two Queens, remembering that the
Duke and Princess had never seen one another before, found