g to return to her
home. But she would be prepared to exercise all the power which
Linda's position had given her, to be as severe as the austerity
of her nature would permit, if this girl should persist in her
obstinacy. She regarded it as Linda's positive duty to submit to
Peter Steinmarc as her husband. They had been betrothed with Linda's
own consent. The banns had been already once called. She herself had
asked for God's protection over them as man and wife. And then how
much was there not due to Peter, who had consented, not without much
difficult persuasion from Herr Molk, to take this soiled flower to
his bosom, in spite of the darkness of the stain. "There will be
no provoking difficulties made about the house?" Peter had said in
a corner to the burgomaster. Then the burgomaster had undertaken
that in the circumstances as they now existed, there should be no
provoking difficulties. Herr Molk understood that Linda must give up
something on receiving that position of an honest man's wife, which
she was now hardly entitled to expect. Thus the bargain had been
made, and Madame Staubach was of opinion that it was her first duty
to see that it should not be again endangered by any obstinacy on
behalf of Linda. Obstinate, indeed! How could she be obstinate after
that which she had done? She had now fallen at her aunt's feet, was
weeping, sobbing, praying for mercy. But Madame Staubach could have
no mercy on the girl in this position. Such mercy would in itself
be a sin. The sin done she could forgive; the sin a-doing must be
crushed, and put down, and burnt out, and extinguished, let the agony
coming from such process be as severe as might be. There could be no
softness for Linda while Linda was obstinate. "I cannot suppose," she
said, "that you mean to hesitate after what has taken place."

"Oh, aunt Charlotte! dear aunt Charlotte!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I don't love him. I can't love him. I will do anything else
that you please. He may have the house if he wants it. I will
promise;--promise never to go away again or to see anybody." But
she might as well have addressed such prayers to a figure of stone.
On such a matter as this Madame Staubach could not be other than
relentless. Even while Linda was kneeling at her feet convulsed with
sobs, she told the poor girl, with all the severity of language
which she could use, of the vileness of the iniquity of that night's
proceedings. Linda had been false t