time that I deceived her for madam de Themines, I deceived madam de Themines for another; judge what an idea this will give her of me, and whether she will ever trust me again. If she does not see the letter, what shall I say to her? She knows it has been given to the queen-dauphin; she will think Chatelart knew that queen's hand, and that the letter is from her; she will fancy the person of whom the letter expresses a jealousy, is perhaps herself; in short, there is nothing which she may not think, and there is nothing which I ought not to fear from her thoughts: add to this, that I am desperately in love with madam de Martigues, and that the queen-dauphin will certainly show her this letter, which she will conclude to have been lately writ. Thus shall I be equally embroiled, both with the person I love most, and with the person I have most cause to fear. Judge, after this, if I have not reason to conjure you to say the letter is yours, and to beg of you to get it out of the queen-dauphin's hands.
I am very well satisfied, answered the duke de Nemours, that one cannot be in a greater embarrassment than that you are in, and it must be confessed you deserve it. I have been accused of being inconstant in my amours, and of having had several intrigues at the same time; but you out-go me so far, that I should not so much as have dared to imagine what you have undertaken; could you pretend to keep madam de Themines, and be at the same engaged with the queen? Did you hope to have an engagement with the queen, and be able to deceive her? She is both an Italian and a queen, and by consequence full of jealousy, suspicion, and pride. As soon as your good fortune, rather than your good conduct, had set you at liberty from an engagement you was entangled in, you involved yourself in new ones; and you fancied that in the midst of the court you could be in love with madam de Martigues without the queen's perceiving it. You could not have been too careful to take from her the shame of having
