Nemours that she
loved him, and of knowing that he loved another: all her comfort was to
think, that after the knowledge of this she had nothing more to fear
from herself, and that she should be entirely eased of the inclination
she had for the Duke.

She never thought of the orders the Queen-Dauphin had given her, to
come to her when she went to rest: she went to bed herself, and
pretended to be ill; so that when Monsieur de Cleves came home from the
King, they told him she was asleep. But she was far from that
tranquillity which inclines to sleep; all the night she did nothing but
torment herself, and read over and over the letter in her hand.

Madam de Cleves was not the only person whom this letter disturbed.
The Viscount de Chartres, who had lost it and not the Duke de Nemours,
was in the utmost inquietude about it. He had been that evening with
the Duke of Guise, who had given a great entertainment to the Duke of
Ferrara his brother-in-law, and to all the young people of the Court:
it happened that the discourse turned upon ingenious letters; and the
Viscount de Chartres said he had one about him the finest that ever was
writ: they urged him to show it, and on his excusing himself, the Duke
de Nemours insisted he had no such letter, and that what he said was
only out of vanity; the Viscount made him answer, that he urged his
discretion to the utmost, that nevertheless he would not show the
letter; but he would read some parts of it, which would make it appear
few men received the like. Having said this, he would have taken out
the letter, but could not find it; he searched for it to no purpose.
The company rallied him about it; but he seemed so disturbed, that they
forbore to speak further of it; he withdrew sooner than the others, and
went home with great impatience, to see if he had not left the letter
there. While he was looking for it, one of the Queen's pages came to
tell him, that the Viscountess d'Usez had thought it necessary to give
him speedy advice, that it was said at the Queen's Court, that he had
dropped a letter of gallantry out of his pocket while he was playing at
tennis; that great part of what the letter contained had been related,
that the Queen had expressed a great curiosity to see it, and had sent
to one of her gentlemen for it, but that he answered, he had given it
to Chatelart.

The page added many other particulars which heightened the Viscount's
concern; he went out that minute t