he Duc d'Anjou who realised from
what she had said to him, when she mistook him for the Duc de Guise,
that she was jealous, hoped to cause trouble. He drew close to her and
said, "It is in your interest and not in mine that I must tell you that
the Duc de Guise does not deserve the choice you have made of him in
preference to me, a choice which you cannot deny and of which I am well
aware. He is deceiving you, Madame, and betraying you for my sister as
he betrayed her for you. He is a man moved only by ambition, but since
he has the good fortune to please you, that is enough; I shall not
attempt to stand in the way of a felicity which without doubt I merit
more than he. It would be undignified for me to persist in trying to
gain the heart which is already possessed by another. It is bad enough
to have attracted only your indifference and I would not like to have
this replaced by dislike by wearying you with endless protestations of
unwelcome devotion."

The Duc d'Anjou who was genuinely touched by love and sadness, was
hardly able to complete this speech, and although he had begun in a
spirit of spite and vengeance, he was so overcome when he thought of
the Princess's beauty and of what he was losing by giving up all hope
of being her lover, that without waiting for her reply he left the
ball, saying that he felt unwell, and went home to nurse his grief.

The Princess de Montpensier stayed there, upset and worried as one
might imagine. To see her reputation and her secret in the hands of a
suitor whom she had rejected and to learn from him that she was being
deceived by her lover were not things which would put her in the right
frame of mind for a place dedicated to enjoyment; she had, however, to
remain where she was and later go to supper in the company of the
Duchess de Montpensier, her mother-in-law.

The Duc de Guise who had followed them to his sister's house, was dying
to tell her what the Duc d'Anjou had said the day before, but to his
astonishment when he did have the opportunity to speak to her, he was
overwhelmed by reproaches which were tumbled out in such angry
profusion that all he could gather was that he was accused of
infidelity and treachery. Dismayed at finding himself in this unhappy
situation when he had hoped for consolation, and being so much in love
with the Princess that he could not bear to be unsure if he was loved
in return, he took a sudden decision. "I shall lay your doubts at
rest." He