her love must be all in vain. "It is of no use. Do not write,
and pray do not come. If this goes on it will kill me. You know that
I shall never give myself to anybody else." This was in answer to
a proposition made through Tetchen that he should come again to
her,--should come, and take her away with him. He had come, and there
had been that interview in the kitchen, but he had not succeeded in
inducing her to leave her home.

There had been many projects discussed between them, as to which
Tetchen had given much advice. It was Tetchen's opinion, that if
Linda would declare to her aunt that she meant at once to marry
Ludovic Valcarm, and make him master of the house in which they
lived, Madame Staubach would have no alternative but to submit
quietly; that she would herself go forth and instruct the clergyman
to publish the banns, and that Linda might thus become Valcarm's
acknowledged wife before the snow was off the ground. Ludovic seemed
to have his doubts about this, still signifying his preference for a
marriage at Munich. When Tetchen explained to him that Linda would
lose her character by travelling with him to Munich before she was
his wife, he merely laughed at such an old wife's tale. Had not he
himself seen Fanny Heisse and Max Bogen in the train together between
Augsburg and Nuremberg long before they were married, and who had
thought of saying a word against Fanny's character? "But everybody
knew about that," said Linda. "Let everybody know about this," said
Ludovic.

But Linda would not go. She would not go, even though Ludovic told
her that it was imperative that he himself should quit Nuremberg.
Such matters were in training,--he did not tell her what matters,--as
would make his going quite imperative. Still she would take no step
towards going with him. That advice of Tetchen's was much more in
accordance with her desires. If she could act upon that, then she
might have some happiness before her. She thought that she could
make up her mind, and bring herself to declare her purpose to her
aunt, if Ludovic would allow her to do so. But Ludovic declared that
this could not be done, as preparatory to their being married at
Nuremberg; and at last he was almost angry with her. Did she not
trust him? Oh, yes, she would trust him with everything; with her
happiness, her heart, her house,--with all that the world had left
for her. But there was still that feeling left within her bosom, that
if she did this t