and one flesh. But now I see that you look upon me as
a stranger, seeing that your secrets, which should be known to me, are
hidden from me as though I were a stranger. Alas! my lord, you have told
me many weighty and secret matters, of which you have never known me to
speak, you have proved my will to be like to your own, and you cannot
doubt but that I am less myself than you. And if you have sworn never to
tell the gentleman's secret to another, you will not break your oath in
telling it to me, for I am not and cannot be other than yourself. I have
you in my heart, I hold you in my arms, I have in my womb a child in
whom you live, and yet I may not have your heart as you have mine. The
more faithful and true I am to you, the more cruel and stern are you to
me, so that a thousand times a day do I long by a sudden death to rid
my child of such a father and myself of such a husband. And I hope that
this will be ere long, since you set a faithless servant before a wife
such as 1 am to you, and before the life of the mother of your child,
which will perish because I cannot have of you that which I most desire
to know."

So saying, she embraced and kissed her husband, and watered his face
with her tears, uttering the while such lamentations and sighs that the
good Prince feared to lose wife and child together, and resolved to tell
her all the truth of the matter. Nevertheless, he first swore to her
that if ever she revealed it to a living being she should die by his
own hand; and she agreed to and accepted this punishment. Then the poor,
deceived husband told her all that he had seen from beginning to end,
and she made show of being well pleased. In her heart she was minded
very differently, but through fear of the Duke she concealed her passion
as well as she was able.

Now on a certain great feast-day the Duke held his Court, to which he
had bidden all the ladies of that country, and among the rest his
niece. When the dances began, all did their duty save the Duchess, who,
tormented by the sight of her niece's beauty and grace, could neither
make merry nor prevent her spleen from being perceived. At last she
called all the ladies, and making them scat themselves around her, began
to talk of love; and seeing that the Lady du Vergier said nothing, she
asked her, with a heart which jealousy was rending--

"And you, fair niece, is it possible that your beauty has found no lover
or true knight?"

"Madam," replied the Lady