agined she was desirous to learn my secrets,
and to entrust me with her own; this thought engaged me strictly to
her. I was so pleased with this distinction that I made my court to
her with greater assiduity than usual. One evening the King and the
ladies of the Court rode out to take the air in the forest, but the
Queen, being a little indisposed did not go; I stayed to wait upon her,
and she walked down to the pond-side, and dismissed her gentlemen
ushers, that she might be more at liberty. After she had taken a few
turns she came up to me, and bid me follow her; 'I would speak with
you,' says she, 'and by what I shall say you will see I am your
friend.' She stopped here, and looking earnestly at me; 'You are in
love,' continued she, 'and because perhaps you have made nobody your
confidant, you think that your love is not known; but it is known, and
even by persons who are interested in it: you are observed, the place
where you see your mistress is discovered, and there's a design to
surprise you; I don't know who she is, nor do I ask you to tell me, I
would only secure you from the misfortunes into which you may fall.'
See, I beseech you, what a snare the Queen laid for me, and how
difficult it was for me not to fall into it; she had a mind to know if
I was in love, and as she did not ask me who I was in love with, but
let me see her intention was only to serve me, I had no suspicion that
she spoke either out of curiosity or by design.

"Nevertheless, contrary to all probability, I saw into the bottom of
the matter; I was in love with Madam de Themines, but though she loved
me again, I was not happy enough to have private places to see her in
without danger of being discovered there, and so I was satisfied she
could not be the person the Queen meant; I knew also, that I had an
intrigue with another woman less handsome and less reserved than Madam
de Themines, and that it was not impossible but the place where I saw
her might be discovered; but as this was a business I little cared for,
it was easy for me to guard against all sorts of danger by forbearing
to see her; I resolved therefore to acknowledge nothing of it to the
Queen, but to assure her on the contrary that I had a long time laid
aside the desire of gaining women's affections, even where I might hope
for success, because I found them all in some measure unworthy of
engaging the heart of an honourable man, and that it must be something
very much above th