"Since you are desirous I should open myself to you," answered
Madam de Cleves, "I'll comply with your desire, and I'll do it
with a sincerity that is rarely to be met with in persons of my
sex: I shall not tell you that I have not observed your passion
for me; perhaps you would not believe me if I should tell you so;
I confess therefore to you, not only that I have observed it, but
that I have observed it in such lights as you yourself could wish
it might appear to me in." "And if you have seen my passion,
Madam," said he, "is it possible for you not to have been moved
by it? And may I venture to ask, if it has made no impression on
your heart?" "You should have judged of that from my
conduct," replied she; "but I should be glad to know what you
thought of it." "I ought to be in a happier condition,"
replied he, "to venture to inform you; my fortune would
contradict what I should say; all I can tell you, Madam, is that
I heartily wished you had not acknowledged to Monsieur de Cleves
what you concealed from me, and that you had concealed from him
what you made appear to me." "How came you to discover,"
replied she blushing, "that I acknowledged anything to Monsieur
de Cleves?" "I learned it from yourself, Madam," replied he;
"but that you may the better pardon the boldness I showed in
listening to what you said, remember if I have made an ill use of
what I heard, if my hopes rose upon it, or if I was the more
encouraged to speak to you."

Here he began to relate how he had overheard her conversation
with Monsieur de Cleves; but she interrupted him before he had
finished; "Say no more of it," said she, "I see how you came
to be so well informed; I suspected you knew the business but too