ke had the address, by discourses that appeared altogether
general, but which she understood very well by the relation they had to
what he had said privately to her, to let her know that he went
a-hunting only to be more at liberty to think of her, and that the
reason of his not going to the assemblies was her not being there.

At last she executed the resolution she had taken to go out of her
husband's room, whenever he was there, though this was doing the utmost
violence to herself: the Duke perceived she avoided him, and the
thought of it touched him to the heart.

The Prince of Cleves did not immediately take notice of his wife's
conduct in this particular, but at last he perceived she went out of
the room when there was company there; he spoke to her of it, and she
told him that she did not think it consistent with decency to be every
evening among the gay young courtiers; that she hoped he would allow
her to live in a more reserved manner than she had done hitherto, that
the virtue and presence of her mother authorised her in many liberties
which could not otherwise be justified in a woman of her age.

Monsieur de Cleves, who had a great deal of facility and complaisance
for his wife, did not show it on this occasion, but told her he would
by no means consent to her altering her conduct; she was upon the point
of telling him, it was reported that the Duke de Nemours was in love
with her, but she had not the power to name him; besides she thought it
disingenuous to disguise the truth, and make use of pretences to a man
who had so good an opinion of her.

Some days after the King was with the Queen at the assembly hour, and
the discourse turned upon nativities and predictions; the company were
divided in their opinion as to what credit ought to be given to them;
the Queen professed to have great faith in them, and maintained that
after so many things had come to pass as they had been foretold, one
could not doubt but there was something of certainty in that science;
others affirmed, that of an infinite number of predictions so very few
proved true, that the truth of those few ought to be looked upon as an
effect of chance.

"I have formerly been very curious and inquisitive as to futurity,"
said the King, "but I have seen so many false and improbable things,
that I am satisfied there is no truth in that pretended art. Not many
years since there came hither a man of great reputation in astrology;
everybody went