a different nature from that he had had before; what chiefly
employed his thoughts, was a desire to guess who it was that had

found out the secret to win her heart; the Duke de Nemours was
the first person he thought of on this occasion, as being the

handsomest man at Court; and the Chevalier de Guise, and the
Mareschal de St. Andre occurred next, as two persons who had made

it their endeavour to get her love, and who were still very
assiduous in courting her, so that he was fully persuaded it must

be one of the three. He arrived at the Louvre, and the King
carried him into his closet to inform him he had made choice of

him to conduct Madame into Spain, and that he believed nobody
could acquit himself better of that charge, nor that any lady

would do France greater honour than Madam de Cleves. Monsieur de
Cleves received the honour the King had done him by this choice

with the respect he ought, and he considered it also as what
would take his wife from Court, without leaving room to suspect

any change in her conduct; but the embarrassment he was under
required a speedier remedy than that journey, which was to be

deferred a great while, could afford; he immediately wrote to
Madam de Cleves to acquaint her with what the King had told him,

and gave her to understand he absolutely expected she should
return to Paris. She returned according to his orders, and when

they met, they found one another overwhelmed with melancholy.
Monsieur de Cleves spoke to her, as a man of the greatest honour

in the world, and the best deserving the confidence she had
reposed in him; "I am not alarmed as to your conduct," said

he,"you have more strength and virtue than you imagine; I am not
alarmed with fears of what may happen hereafter; what troubles me

is that I see you have those sentiments for another which you
want for me." "I don't know what to answer you," said she,

"I die with shame when I speak of this subject spare me, I
conjure you, such cruel conversations; regulate my conduct, and

never let me see anybody; this is all I desire of you; but take
it not ill of me, if I speak no more of a thing which makes me

appear so little worthy of you, and which I think so unbecoming
me." "You are in the right, Madam;" replied he, "I abuse

your goodness and your confidence in me; but have some compassion
also on the condition you have brought me to, and think that

whatever you have told me, you conceal from me a name, which
creates in me a curiosity I cannot live without satisfying; and

yet I ask you not to satisfy it; I cannot, however, forbear
telling you, that I believe the man I am to envy is the Mareschal

de St. Andre, the Duke de Nemours, or the Chevalier de Guise."
"I shall make you no answer," says she blushing, "nor give you

any ground from what I say, either to lessen or strengthen your
suspicions; but if you endeavour to inform yourself by observing

me, you will throw me into a confusion all the world will take
notice of, for God's sake," continued she, "allow me under

pretence of an indisposition to see nobody." "No, Madam,"
said he, "it will quickly be discovered to be a feigned

business; and besides, I am willing" target="_blank" title="a.不愿意的；不情愿的">unwilling to trust you to anything
but yourself; my heart tells me this is the best way I can take,

and my reason tells me so also, considering the temper of mind
you are in, I cannot put a greater restraint upon you than by

leaving you to your liberty."
Monsieur de Cleves was not mistaken; the confidence he showed he

had in his wife, fortified her the more against Monsieur de
Nemours, and made her take more severe resolutions than any

restraint could have brought her to. She went to wait on the
Queen-Dauphin at the Louvre as she used to do, but avoided the

presence and eyes of Monsieur de Nemours with so much care, that
she deprived him of almost all the joy he had in thinking she

loved him; he saw nothing in her actions but what seemed to show
the contrary; he scarcely knew if what he had heard was not a

dream, so very probable" target="_blank" title="a.未必有的">improbable it seemed to him; the only thing which
assured him that he was not mistaken, was Madam de Cleves's

extreme melancholy, which appeared, whatever pains she took to
hide it; and perhaps kind words and looks would not have

increased the Duke of Nemours's love so much as this severe
conduct did.

One evening, as Monsieur and Madam de Cleves were at the Queen's
apartment, it was said there was a report that the King would

name another great lord to wait on Madame into Spain. Monsieur
de Cleves had his eye fixed on his wife, when it was further

said, the Chevalier de Guise, or the Mareschal de St. Andre, was
the person; he observed she was not at all moved at either of

those names, nor the discourse of their going along with her;
this made him believe, it was not either of them whose presence

she feared. In order to clear up his suspicions, he went into
the Queen's closet, where the King then was, and after having

stayed there some time came back to his wife, and whispered her,
that he had just heard the Duke de Nemours was the person

designed to go along with them to Spain.
The name of the Duke de Nemours, and the thought of being exposed

to see him every day, during a very long journey, in her
husband's presence, so affected Madam de Cleves, that she could

not conceal her trouble: and being willing to give other reasons
for it, "No choice," says she, "could have been made more

disagreeable for you; he will share all honours with you, and I
think you ought to endeavour to get some other chosen." "It is

not honour, Madam," replied Monsieur de Cleves, "that makes you
apprehensive of the Duke de Nemours's going with me, the

uneasiness you are in proceeds from another cause; and from this
uneasiness of yours I learn, that which I should have discovered

in another woman, by the joy she would have expressed on such an
occasion; but be not afraid; what I have told you is not true, it

was an invention of mine to assure myself of a thing which I
already believed but too much."

Having said this, he went out, being willing" target="_blank" title="a.不愿意的；不情愿的">unwilling to increase, by
his presence, the concern he saw his wife in.

The Duke de Nemours came in that instant, and presently observed
Madam de Cleves's condition; he came up to her, and told her

softly, he had that respect for her, he durst not ask what it was
made her more pensive than usual. The voice of the Duke de

Nemours brought her to herself again, and looking at him, without
having heard what he had said to her, full of her own thoughts,

and afraid lest her husband should see him with her, "For God's
sake," says she, "leave me to myself in quiet." "Alas,

Madam," answered he, "I disturb you too little; what is it you
can complain of? I dare not speak to you, I dare not look upon

you, I tremble whenever I approach you. How have I drawn upon
myself what you have said to me, and why do you show me that I am

in part the cause of the trouble I see you in?" Madam de Cleves
was very sorry to have given the Duke an opportunity of

explaining himself more clearly than ever he had done before; she
left him without making any answer, and went home with her mind

more agitated than ever. Her husband perceived her concern was
increased, and that she was afraid he would speak to her of what

had passed, and followed her into her closet; "Do not shun me,
Madam," says he, "I will say nothing to you that shall

displease you; I ask pardon for the surprise I gave you a while
ago; I am sufficiently punished by what I have learnt from it;

the Duke de Nemours was of all men he whom I most feared; I see
the danger you are in; command yourself for your own sake, and,

if it is possible, for mine; I do not ask this of you as a
husband, but as a man whose happiness wholly depends on you, and

who loves you more violently" target="_blank" title="ad.强暴地；猛烈地">violently and more tenderly than he whom your