distemper was accompanied with such
ill symptoms that it was thought very dangerous. Madam de Cleves was
informed of it, and came in all haste to him; when she arrived, he was
still worse; besides, she observed something in him so cold and
chilling with respect to her, that she was equally surprised and
grieved at it; he even seemed to receive with pain the services she did
him in his sickness, but at last she imagined it was perhaps only the
effect of his distemper.

When she was come to Blois where the Court then was, the Duke de
Nemours was overjoyed to think she was at the same place where he was;
he endeavoured to see her, and went every day to the Prince of Cleves's
under pretence of enquiring how he did, but it was to no purpose; she
did not stir out of her husband's room, and was grieved at heart for
the condition he was in. It vexed Monsieur de Nemours to see her under
such affliction, an affliction which he plainly saw revived the
friendship she had for Monsieur de Cleves, and diverted the passion
that lay kindling in her heart. The thought of this shocked him
severely for some time; but the extremity, to which Monsieur de
Cleves's sickness was grown, opened to him a scene of new hopes; he saw
it was probable that Madam de Cleves would be at liberty to follow her
own inclinations, and that he might expect for the future a series of
happiness and lasting pleasures; he could not support the ecstasy of
that thought, a thought so full of transport! he banished it out of his
mind for fear of becoming doubly wretched, if he happened to be
disappointed in his hopes.

In the meantime Monsieur de Cleves was almost given over by his
physicians. One of the last days of his illness, after having had a
very bad night, he said in the morning, he had a desire to sleep; but
Madam de Cleves, who remained alone in his chamber, found that instead
of taking repose he was extremely restless; she came to him, and fell
on her knees by his bedside, her face all covered with tears; and
though Monsieur de Cleves had taken a resolution not to show her the
violent displeasure he had conceived against her, yet the care she took
of him, and the sorrow she expressed, which sometimes he thought
sincere, and at other times the effect of her dissimulation and
perfidiousness, distracted him so violently with opposite sentiments
full of woe, that he could not forbear giving them vent.

"You shed plenty of tears, Madam," said he, "for a de