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82 in his name.—If you please to be at leisure to hear me, madam, said monsieur de Nemours, I will presently make you acquainted with the true state of the thing; and inform you of matters of so great importance to the viscount, that I would not even have trusted the prince of Cleves with them, had I not stood in need of his assistance to have the honour to see you.—I believe, said madam de Cleves in a very unconcerned manner, that anything you may give yourself the trouble of telling me, will be to little purpose; you had better go to the queen-dauphin, and plainly tell her, without using these round–about ways, the interest you have in that letter, since she has been told, as well as I, that it belongs to you.

The uneasiness of mind which monsieur de Nemours observed in madam de Cleves gave him the most sensible pleasure he ever knew, and lessened his impatience to justify himself: I do not know, madam, replied he, what the queen-dauphin may have been told; but I am not at all concerned in that letter; it is addressed to the viscount.—I believe so, replied madam de Cleves; but the queen-dauphin has heard to the contrary, and she won't think it very probable that the viscount's letter should fall out of your pocket; you must therefore have some reason, that I do not know of, for concealing the truth of this matter from the queen-dauphin; I advise you to confess it to her.—I have nothing to confess to her; says he, the letter is not directed to me; and if there be any one that I would have satisfied of it, it is not the queen-dauphin; but, madam, since the viscount's interest is nearly concerned in this, be pleased to let me acquaint you with some matters that are worthy of your curiosity. Madam de Cleves by her silence shewed her readiness to hear him, and he as succinctly as possible related to her all he had just heard from the viscount. Though the circumstances were naturally surprising, and proper to create attention, yet madam de Cleves heard them with such