The Mareschal de St. Andre, who took all opportunities to show
his magnificence, desired the King, under pretence of showing him
his house which was just finished, to do him the honour to sup
there with the two Queens. The Mareschal was also very glad to
display, in the sight of the Princess of Cleves, that splendid
and expensive manner of life, which he carried to so great a
profusion.

Some days before that appointed for the entertainment, the
Dauphin, who had an ill state of health, found himself
indisposed, and saw nobody; the Queen-Dauphin had spent all that
day with him; and in the evening, upon his growing better, all
the persons of quality that were in the anti-chamber were
admitted; the Queen-Dauphin returned to her own apartment, where
she found Madam de Cleves and some other ladies, with whom she
lived in familiarity.

It being already very late, and not being dressed, she did not
wait upon the Queen, but gave out that she was not to be seen,
and ordered her jewels to be brought, in order to choose out some
for the Mareschal de St. Andre's Ball, and present the Princess
of Cleves with some, as she had promised her. While they were
thus employed, the Prince of Conde entered; his great quality
gave him free access everywhere. "Doubtless," said the
Queen-Dauphin, "you come from the King my husband, what are they
doing there?"

"Madam," said he, "they are maintaining a dispute against the
Duke of Nemours, and he defends the argument he undertook with so
much warmth, that he must needs be very much interested in it; I