If you withdraw on that account, you must indeed be very jealous." "One cannot help being jealous, monseigneur, when one loves.

Is not your royal highness jealous of Madame?
Would you not, if you saw some one always near Madame, and always treated with great favor, take umbrage at it?
One's friends are as one's lovers.

Your highness has sometimes conferred the distinguished honor upon me of calling me your friend." "Yes, yes,; but you used a phrase which has a very equivocal significance; you are unfortunate in your phrases." "What phrase, monseigneur ?" "You said, 'treated with great favor.' What do you mean by favor ?" "Nothing can be more simple," said the chevalier, with an expression of great frankness; "for instance, whenever a husband remarks that his wife summons such and such a man near her; whenever this man is always to be found by her side, or in attendance at the door of her carriage; whenever the bouquet of the one is always the same color as the ribbons of the other; when music and supper parties are held in private apartments; whenever a dead silence takes place immediately the husband makes his appearance in his wife's rooms; and when the husband suddenly finds that he has, as a companion, the most devoted and the kindest of men, who, a week before, was with him as little as possible; why, then--" "Well, finish." "Why, then, I say, monseigneur, one possibly may get jealous.

But all these details hardly apply; for our conversation had nothing to do with them." The duke was evidently very much agitated, and seemed to struggle with himself a good deal.

"You have not told me," he then remarked, "why you absented yourself.