her at Colomiers in hopes she would take her 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