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Part III. 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 unwilling to trust you to any thing 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 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. André, was the person; he observed she was not at all moved