The tone and the air of the Prince of Navarre dispelled the Count of Tende's astonishment. "I don't know," he responded in the same tone in which the prince had spoken, "if a favor that you ask of my wife on your knees, when you were told she was sleeping and I find you all alone with her, and without knocking at my door, will be one that I would wish she accord you."

The Prince of Navarre, reassured and without the embarrassment of the first moment, got up, seated himself with total ease, and the Countess of Tende, trembling and lost, hid her disturbance in the darkness of the place where she was. The Prince of Navarre began to speak to the Count:

"I am going to surprise you, you are going to disapprove of me, but you must nevertheless help me.

"I am in love and loved by the most amiable person of the court; I stole away yesterday evening from the Princess of Navarre's side and from all my servants to go to a rendez-vous where this person was waiting for me. My wife, who had already surmised I was occupied by something other than her, and who had observed my conduct, knew from my servants that I had left; she is in a state of jealousy and despair which nothing approaches.

"I told her I had passed those hours, which gave her such inquietude, chez the Marchale of Saint André, who is indisposed and who sees almost no one; I told her Madame the Countess of Tende was there and that she could ask her if she hadn't seen me all evening. I took the liberty of coming to confide in Madame the Countess. I went to the home of la Châtre, who is only three steps from here; I left his place without my servants having seen me. Someone told me that Madame was wide awake. I found no one in her antechamber and I rashly entered. She refuses to lie in my favor; she says she doesn't want to betray her friend and gave me some very sage reprimands; I made them to myself too but in vain. I must allay Madame the Princess of Navarre's inquietude and jealousy and extricate myself from the mortal embarrassment of her reproaches."