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140 him that he ought to observe the same conduct a great while longer.

A servant of the duke's informed him, that monsieur de Cleves's gentleman, who was his intimate friend, had told him, in the excess of his grief for the loss of his master, that monsieur de Nemours's journey to Colomiers was the occasion of his death. The duke was extremely surprised to hear this; but after having reflected upon it, he guessed the truth in part, and rightly judged what madam de Cleves's sentiments would be at first, and what a distance it would throw him from her, if she thought her husband's illness was occasioned by his jealousy; he was of opinion that he ought not so much as to put her in mind of his name very soon; and he abided by that conduct, however severe it appeared to him.

He took a journey to Paris, nor could he forbear calling at her house to enquire how she did. He was told, that she saw nobody, and that she had even given strict orders that they should not trouble her with an account of any that might come to see her. Those very strict orders, perhaps, were given with a view to the duke, and to prevent her hearing him spoken of; but he was too much in love to be able to live so absolutely deprived of the sight of madam de Cleves; he resolved to find the means, let the difficulty be what it would, to get out of a condition which was so insupportable to him.

The grief of that princess exceeded the bounds of reason; a husband dying, and dying on her account, and with so much tenderness for her, never went out of her mind: she continually revolved in her thoughts what she owed him, and she condemned herself for not having had a passion for him, as if that had been a thing which depended on herself; she found no consolation but in the thought, that she lamented him as he deserved to be lamented, and that she would do nothing