passion for that Queen; he put so great a value on madam de Cleves, that he resolved to be rather wanting in giving proofs of his love, than to hazard its being publicly known; he did not so much as speak of it to the viscount de Chartres, who was his intimate friend, and from whom he concealed nothing; the truth is, he conducted this affair with so much discretion, that nobody suspected he was in love with madam de Cleves, except the Chevalier de Guise; and she would scarcely have perceived it herself, if the inclination she had for him had not led her into a particular attention to all his actions, but which she was convinced of it.
She no longer continued to have the same disposition to communicate to her mother what she thought concerning the Duke de Nemours, as she had to talk to her about her other lovers; though she had no settled design of concealing it from her, yet she did not speak of it. Madam de Chartres, however, plainly perceived the Duke's attachment to her daughter, as well as her daughter's inclination for him; the knowledge of this could not but sensibly afflict her, nor could she be ignorant of the danger this young lady was in, in being beloved by, and loving so accomplished a person as the Duke de Nemours: she was entirely confirmed in the suspicion she had of this business, by an incident which fell out a few days after.
The mareschal de St. André, who took all opportunities to show his magnificence, desired the king, under pretence of showing him his house which was just finished, to do him the honour to sup there with the two queens. The mareschal was also very glad to display, in the sight of the princess of Cleves, that splendid and expensive manner of life, which he carried to so great a profusion.
Some days before that appointed for the entertainment, the dauphin, who had an ill state of health, found himself indisposed, and saw nobody; the queen-dauphin had spent all that day with him; and in the
