r leave before him, and he thought he had found out by that
means an infallible way of speaking to Madam de Cleves.

The Princess of Cleves, when they arrived, was walking in her garden
the sight of Monsieur de Nemours gave her no small uneasiness, and put
her out of doubt that it was he she had seen the foregoing night. The
certainty of his having done so bold and imprudent a thing gave her
some little resentment against him, and the Duke observed an air of
coldness in her face, which sensibly grieved him; the conversation
turned upon indifferent matters, and yet he had the skill all the while
to show so much wit, complaisance, and admiration for Madam de Cleves,
that part of the coldness she expressed towards him at first left her
in spite of herself.

When his fears were over and he began to take heart, he showed an
extreme curiosity to see the pavilion in the forest; he spoke of it as
of the most agreeable place in the world, and gave so exact a
description of it, that Madam de Mercoeur said he must needs have been
there several times to know all the particular beauties of it so well.
"And yet, I don't believe," replied Madam de Cleves, "that the Duke de
Nemours was ever there; it has been finished but a little while." "It
is not long since I was there," replied the Duke, looking upon her,
"and I don't know if I ought not to be glad you have forgot you saw me
there." Madam de Mercoeur, being taken up in observing the beauties of
the gardens, did not attend to what her brother said; Madam de Cleves
blushed, and with her eyes cast down, without looking on Monsieur de
Nemours, "I don't remember," said she, "to have seen you there; and if
you have been there, it was without my knowledge." "It is true,
Madam," replied he, "I was there without your orders, and I passed
there the most sweet and cruel moments of my life."

Madam de Cleves understood very well what he said, but made him no
answer; her care was to prevent Madam de Mercoeur from going into the
bower, because the Duke de Nemours's picture was there, and she had no
mind she should see it; she managed the matter so well, that the time
passed away insensibly, and Madam de Mercoeur began to talk of going
home: but when Madam de Cleves found that the Duke and his sister did
not go together, she plainly saw to what she was going to be exposed;
she found herself under the same embarrassment she was in at Paris, and
took also the same resolution; her fear, lest th