n; "and your
unwillingness to acknowledge that you know the Duke of Nemours, without
having seen him before, carries in it something very obliging to him."
The Queen interrupted them, that the ball might go on; and the Duke de
Nemours took out the Queen-Dauphin. This Princess was a perfect
beauty, and such she appeared in the eyes of the Duke de Nemours,
before he went to Flanders; but all this evening he could admire
nothing but Madam de Cleves.

The Chevalier de Guise, whose idol she still was, sat at her feet, and
what had passed filled him with the utmost grief; he looked upon it as
ominous for him, that fortune had destined the Duke of Nemours to be in
love with the Princess of Cleves. And whether there appeared in
reality any concern in the Princess's face, or whether the Chevalier's
jealousy only led him to suspect it, he believed that she was touched
with the sight of the Duke, and could not forbear telling her, that
Monsieur de Nemours was very happy to commence an acquaintance with her
by an incident which had something very gallant and extraordinary in it.

Madam de Cleves returned home with her thoughts full of what had passed
at the ball; and though it was very late, she went into her mother's
room to give her a relation of it; in doing which she praised the Duke
of Nemours with a certain air, that gave Madam de Chartres the same
suspicion the Chevalier de Guise had entertained before.

The day following the ceremony of the Duke of Loraine's marriage was
performed; and there the Princess of Cleves observed so inimitable a
grace, and so fine a mien in the Duke of Nemours, that she was yet more
surprised.

She afterwards saw him at the Court of the Queen-Dauphin; she saw him
play at tennis with the King; she saw him run the ring; she heard him
discourse; still she found he far excelled everybody else, and drew the
attention of the company to him wherever he was; in short, the
gracefulness of his person, and the agreeableness of his wit soon made
a considerable impression on her heart.

The Duke de Nemours had an inclination no less violent for her; and
hence flowed all that gaiety and sweetness of behaviour, which the
first desires of pleasing ordinarily inspire a man with: hence he
became more amiable than ever he was before; so that by often seeing
one another, and by seeing in each other whatever was most accomplished
at Court, it could not be but that they must mutually receive the
greatest pleasu