you, that to this moment I retain an idea of it, which makes me

believe it is the worst of all ills.



"There is scarce a woman but out of vanity or inclination

desires to engage you; there are very few whom you do not please,



and my own experience would make me believe, that there are none

whom it is not in your power to please; I should think you always



in love and beloved, nor should I be often mistaken; and yet in

this case I should have no remedy but patience, nay I question if



I should dare to complain: a lover may be reproached; but can a

husband be so, when one has nothing to urge, but that he loves



one no longer? But admit I could accustom myself to bear a

misfortune of this nature, yet how could I bear that of imagining



I constantly saw Monsieur de Cleves, accusing you of his death,

reproaching me with having loved you, with having married you,



and showing me the difference betwixt his affection and yours?

It is impossible to over-rule such strong reasons as these; I



must continue in the condition I am in, and in the resolution I

have taken never to alter it." "Do you believe you have the



power to do it, Madam?" cried the Duke de Nemours. "Do you

think your resolution can hold out against a man who adores, and



who has the happiness to please you? It is more difficult than

you imagine, Madam, to resist a person who pleases and loves one



at the same time; you have done it by an austerity of virtue,

which is almost without example; but that virtue no longer



opposes your inclinations, and I hope you will follow them in

spite of yourself." "I know nothing can be more difficult than



what I undertake," replied Madam de Cleves; "I distrust my

strength in the midst of my reasons; what I think I owe to the



memory of Monsieur de Cleves would be a weak consideration, if

not supported by the interest of my ease and repose; and the



reasons of my repose have need to be supported by those of my

duty; but though I distrust myself, I believe I shall never



overcome my scruples, nor do I so much as hope to overcome the

inclination I have for you; that inclination will make me



unhappy, and I will deny myself the sight of you, whatever

violence it is to me: I conjure you, by all the power I have



over you, to seek no occasion of seeing me; I am in a condition

which makes that criminal which might be lawful at another time;



decency forbids all commerce between us." Monsieur de Nemours

threw himself at her feet, and gave a loose to all the violent



motions with which he was agitated; he expressed both by his

words and tears the liveliest and most tender passion that ever



heart was touched with; nor was the heart of Madam de Cleves

insensible; she looked upon him with eyes swelled with tears:



"Why was it," cries she, "that I can charge you with Monsieur

de Cleves's death? Why did not my first acquaintance with you



begin since I have been at liberty, or why did not I know you

before I was engaged? Why does fate separate us by such



invincible obstacles?" "There are no obstacles, Madam,"

replied Monsieur de Nemours; "it is you alone oppose my



happiness; you impose on yourself a law which virtue and reason

do not require you to obey." "'Tis true," says she, "I



sacrifice a great deal to a duty which does not subsist but in my

imagination; have patience, and expect what time may produce;



Monsieur de Cleves is but just expired, and that mournful object

is too near to leave me clear and distinct views; in the meantime



enjoy the satisfaction to know you have gained the heart of a

person who would never have loved anyone, had she not seen you:



believe the inclination I have for you will last forever, and

that it will be uniform and the same, whatever becomes of me:



Adieu," said she; "this is a conversation I ought to blush for;

however, give an account of it to the Viscount; I agree to it,



and desire you to do it."

With these words she went away, nor could Monsieur de Nemours



detain her. In the next room she met with the Viscount, who

seeing her under so much concern would not speak to her, but led



her to her coach without saying a word; he returned to Monsieur

de Nemours, who was so full of joy, grief, admiration, and of all



those affections that attend a passion full of hope and fear,

that he had not the use of his reason. It was a long time ere



the Viscount could get from him an account of the conversation;

at last the Duke related it to him, and Monsieur de Chartres,



without being in love, no less admired the virtue, wit and merit

• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)


• relate [ri´leit] v.阐明；使联系；涉及 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


• acknowledge [ək´nɔlidʒ] vt.(公开)承认；感谢 (初中英语单词)


• slender [´slendə] a.细长的；微薄的 (初中英语单词)


• ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)


• learning [´lə:niŋ] n.学习；学问；知识 (初中英语单词)


• obligation [,ɔbli´geiʃən] n.义务；职责；合约 (初中英语单词)


• preserve [pri´zə:v] v.保藏 n.保藏物 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)


• unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)


• flatter [´flætə] vt.阿谀，奉承；胜过 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)


• resolve [ri´zɔlv] v.决心 n.决心；刚毅 (初中英语单词)


• miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)


• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)


• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• retain [ri´tein] vt.保持；保留；留住 (初中英语单词)


• scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)


• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为….所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)


• patience [´peiʃəns] n.忍耐(力)；耐心；坚韧 (初中英语单词)


• complain [kəm´plein] vi.抱怨，叫屈；控诉 (初中英语单词)


• accustom [ə´kʌstəm] vt.使习惯于 (初中英语单词)


• constantly [´kɔnstəntli] ad.经常地；不断地 (初中英语单词)


• resolution [,rezə´lu:ʃən] n.决心；坚决；果断 (初中英语单词)


• resist [ri´zist] v.抵抗；对抗；抵制 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• consideration [kən,sidə´reiʃən] n.考虑；原因；体谅 (初中英语单词)


• overcome [,əuvə´kʌm] vt.战胜，克服 (初中英语单词)


• criminal [´kriminəl] a.犯罪的 n.罪犯 (初中英语单词)


• commerce [´kɔmə:s] n.商业；社交；交流 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)


• impose [im´pəuz] v.课税；强加；利用 (初中英语单词)


• distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• expire [ik´spaiə] vi.终止；截止；死 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)


• melancholy [´melənkəli] n.忧郁 a.忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• hinder [´hində, ´haində] vt.阻止 a.后面的 (高中英语单词)


• inclination [,inkli´neiʃən] n.倾斜；爱好；天资 (高中英语单词)


• delicacy [´delikəsi] n.精美；娇弱，微妙 (高中英语单词)


• certainty [´sə:tənti] n.确实(性)；确信 (高中英语单词)


• misfortune [mis´fɔ:tʃən] n.不幸；灾祸 (高中英语单词)


• jealousy [´dʒeləsi] n.妒忌；猜忌 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• remedy [´remidi] n.药品 vt.医治；减轻 (高中英语单词)


• distrust [dis´trʌst] n.&vt.不信任，怀疑 (高中英语单词)


• repose [ri´pəuz] v.&n.(使)休息；安息 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


• boldness [´bəuldnis] n.大胆；冒失；显著 (英语四级单词)


• withal [wi´ðɔ:l] ad.加之；同样；然而 (英语四级单词)


• austere [ɔ´stiə] a.严峻(格)的；质朴的 (英语四级单词)


• apprehend [,æpri´hend] vt.理解；忧虑；逮捕 (英语四级单词)


• sincerity [sin´seriti] n.真诚；诚意 (英语四级单词)


• modesty [´mɔdisti] n.谨慎；端庄；羞怯 (英语四级单词)


• conjure [´kʌndʒə] v.祈求；召(鬼)；变魔术 (英语四级单词)


• lawful [´lɔ:fəl] a.合法的，守法的 (英语四级单词)


• mournful [´mɔ:nful] a.令人沮丧的 (英语四级单词)


• phantom [´fæntəm] n.幽灵；幻影 a.幻想的 (英语六级单词)


• felicity [fi´lisiti] n.幸福；(措词)适当 (英语六级单词)


• constancy [´kɔnstənsi] n.坚定；坚贞；坚久不变 (英语六级单词)


• animate [´ænimit, ´ænimeit] vt.使有生气；激励 (英语六级单词)


• unguarded [ʌn´gɑ:did] a.不谨慎的；轻率的 (英语六级单词)


• subsist [səb´sist] vi.生存；维持生命 (英语六级单词)