part she had in the Duke of Nemours's opinion, and particularly
as to what he said of the uneasiness of not being at a ball where
his mistress was, because he was not to be at that of the
Mareschal de St. Andre, the King having sent him to meet the Duke
of Ferrara.

The Queen-Dauphin, and the Prince of Conde, not going into the
Duke's opinion, were very merry upon the subject. "There is but
one occasion, Madam," said the Prince to her, "in which the
Duke will consent his mistress should go to a ball, and that is
when he himself gives it. He says, that when he gave your
Majesty one last year, his mistress was so kind as to come to it,
though seemingly only to attend you; that it is always a favour
done to a lover, to partake of an entertainment which he gives;
that it is an agreeable circumstance for him to have his mistress
see him preside in a place where the whole Court is, and see him
acquit himself well in doing the honours of it." "The Duke de
Nemours was in the right," said the Queen-Dauphin, smiling, "to
approve of his mistress's being at his own ball; there was then
so great a number of ladies, whom he honoured with the
distinction of that name, that if they had not come, the assembly
would have been very thin."

The Prince of Conde had no sooner begun to relate the Duke de
Nemours's sentiments concerning assemblies, but Madam de Cleves
felt in herself a strong aversion to go to that of the Mareschal
de St. Andre. She easily came into the opinion, that a woman
ought not to be at an entertainment given by one that professed
love to her, and she was very glad to find out a reason of
reservedness for doing a thing which would oblige the Duke of