ou will never admit him into your presence; and if he seeks you out and
forces himself upon you, that you will not exchange words with him?"

Ottilie did not hesitate a moment; she gave Charlotte the promise, which
she had already made to herself.

Now, however, Charlotte began to be haunted with Edward's threat, that
he would only consent to renounce Ottilie, as long as she was not parted
from Charlotte. Since that time, indeed, circumstances were so altered,
so many things had happened, that an engagement which was wrung from him
in a moment of excitement might well be supposed to have been cancelled.
She was unwilling, however, in the remotest sense to venture anything or
to undertake anything which might displease him, and Mittler was
therefore to find Edward, and inquire what, as things now were, he
wished to be done.

Since the death of the child, Mittler had often been at the castle to
see Charlotte, although only for a few moments at a time. The unhappy
accident which had made her reconciliation with her husband in the
highest degree improbable, had produced a most painful effect upon him.
But ever, as his nature was, hoping and striving, he rejoiced secretly
at the resolution of Ottilie. He trusted to the softening influence of
passing time; he hoped that it might still be possible to keep the
husband and the wife from separating; and he tried to regard these
convulsions of passion only as trials of wedded love and fidelity.

Charlotte, at the very first, had informed the Major by letter of
Ottilie's declaration. She had entreated him most earnestly to prevail
on Edward to take no further steps for the present. They should keep
quiet and wait, and see whether the poor girl's spirits would recover.
She had let him know from time to time whatever was necessary of what
had more lately fallen from her. And now Mittler had to undertake the
really difficult commission of preparing Edward for an alteration in her
situation. Mittler, however, well knowing that men can be brought more
easily to submit to what is already done, than to give their consent to
what is yet to be done, persuaded Charlotte that it would be better to
send Ottilie off at once to the school.

Consequently, as soon as Mittler was gone, preparations were at once
made for the journey. Ottilie put her things together; and Charlotte
observed that neither the beautiful box, nor anything out of it, was to
go with her. Ottilie had said nothing to her