another month had passed by, and it was now nearly mid-winter. another month had passed by, and neither had madame staubach nor peter steinmarc heard ought of ludovic's presence among the rafters; but things were much altered in the red house, and linda's life was hot, fevered, suspicious, and full of a dangerous excitement. twice again she had seen ludovic, once meeting him in the kitchen, and once she had met him at a certain dark gate in the nonnen garten, to which she had contrived to make her escape for half an hour on a false plea. things were much changed with linda tressel when she could condescend to do this. and she had received from her lover a dozen notes, always by the hand of tetchen, and had written to him more than once a few short, incoherent, startling words, in which she would protest that she loved him, and protest also at the same time that 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 thing which he proposed, she would be trusting him with her very soul.
ludovic said a word to her about the house, and tetchen said many words. when linda expressed an opinion, that though the house might not belong to her aunt legally, it was or ought to be her aunt's property in point of honour, tetchen only laughed at her. "don't let her bother you about peter then, if she chooses to live here on favour," said tetchen. as linda came to think of it, it did appear hard to her that she should be tormented about peter steinmarc in her own house. she was not madame staubach's child, nor her slave; nor, indeed, was she of childish age. gradually the idea grew upon her that she might assert her right to free herself from the tyranny to which she was made subject. but there was always joined to this a consciousness, that though, according to the laws of the world, she might assert her right, and claim her property, and acknowledge to everybody her love to ludovic valcarm, she could do none of these things in accordance with the laws of god. she had become subject to her aunt by the circumstances of her life, as though her aunt were in fact her parent, and the fifth commandment was as binding on her as though she were in truth the daughter of the guardian who had had her in charge since her infancy. once she said a word to her aunt about the house, and was struck with horror by the manner in which madame staubach had answered her. she had simply said that, as the house was partly hers, she had thought that she might suggest the expediency of getting another lodger in place of peter steinmarc. but madame staubach had arisen from her chair and had threatened to go at once out into the street,—"bare, naked, and destitute," as she expressed herself. "if you ever tell me again," said madame staubach, "that the house is yours, i will never eat another meal beneath your father's roof." linda, shocked at her own wickedness, had fallen at her aunt's knees, and promised that she would never again be guilty of such wickedness. and as she reflected on what she had done, she did believe herself to have been very mean and very wicked. she had known all her life that, though the house was hers to live in, it was subject to the guidance of her aunt; and so had she been subject till she had grown to be a woman. she could not quite understand that such subjection for the whole term of her life need be a duty to her; but when was the term of duty to be completed?
between her own feelings on one side, and tetchen's continued instigation on the other, she became aware that that which she truly needed was advice. these secret interviews and this clandestine correspondence were terrible to her very soul. she would not even yet be a castaway if it might be possible to save herself! there were two things fixed for her,—fixed, even though by their certainty she must become a castaway. she would never marry peter steinmarc, and she would never cease to love ludovic valcarm. but might it be possible that these assured facts should be reconciled to duty? if only there were somebody whom she might trust to tell her that!
linda's father had had many friends in nuremberg, and she could still remember those whom, as a child, she had seen from time to time in her father's house. the names of some were still familiar to her, and the memories of the faces even of one or two who had suffered her to play at their knees when she was little more than a baby, were present to her. manners had so changed at the red house since those days, that few, if any, of these alliances had been preserved. the peculiar creed of madame staubach was not popular with the burghers of nuremberg, and we all know how family friendships will die out when they are not kept alive by the warmth of familiar intercourse. there were still a few, and they among those most respected in the city, who would bow to madame staubach when they met her in the streets, and would smile and nod at linda as they remembered the old days when they would be merry with a decorous mirth in the presence of her father. but there were none in the town,—no, not one,—who could interfere as a friend in the affairs of the widow staubach's household, or who ever thought of asking linda to sit at a friendly hearth. close neighbourhood and school acquaintance had made fanny heisse her friend, but it was very rarely indeed that she had set her foot over the threshold of jacob's door. peter steinmarc was their only friend, and his friendship had arisen from the mere fact of his residence beneath the same roof. it was necessary that their house should be divided with another, and in this way peter had become their lodger. linda certainly could not go to peter for advice. she would have gone to jacob heisse, but that jacob was a man slow of speech, somewhat timid in all matters beyond the making of furniture, and but little inclined to meddle with things out of his own reach. she fancied that the counsel which she required should be sought for from some one wiser and more learned than jacob heisse.
among the names of those who had loved her father, which still rested in her memory, was that of herr molk, a man much spoken of in nuremberg, one rich and of great repute, who was or had been burgomaster, and who occupied a house on the egidien platz, known to linda well, because of its picturesque beauty. even peter steinmarc, who would often speak of the town magistrates as though they were greatly inferior to himself in municipal lore and general wisdom, would mention the name of herr molk with almost involuntary respect. linda had seen him from time to time either in the platz or on the market-place, and her father's old friend had always smiled on her and expressed some hope that she was well and happy. ah, how vain had been that hope! what if she should now go to herr molk and ask him for advice? she would not speak to tetchen, because tetchen would at once tell it all to ludovic; and in this matter, as linda felt, she must not act as ludovic would bid her. yes; she would go to this noted pundit of the city, and, if he would allow her so to do, would tell to him all her story.
and then she made another resolve. she would not do this without informing her aunt that it was about to be done. on this occasion, even though her aunt should tell her to remain in the house, she would go forth. but her aunt should not throw it in her teeth that she had acted on the sly. one day, one cold november morning, when the hour of their early dinner was approaching, she went up-stairs from the kitchen for her hat and cloak, and then, equipped for her walk, presented herself before her aunt.
"linda, where are you going?" demanded madame staubach.
"i am going, aunt charlotte, to herr molk, in the egidien platz."
"to herr molk? and why? has he bidden you come to him?" then linda told her story, with much difficulty. she was unhappy, she said, and wanted advice. she remembered this man,—that he was the friend of her father. "i am sorry, linda, that you should want other advice than that which i can give you."
"dear aunt, it is just that. you want me to marry this man here, and i cannot do it. this has made you miserable, and me miserable. is it not true that we are not happy as we used to be?"
"i certainly am not happy. how can i be happy when i see you wandering astray? how can i be happy when you tell me that you love the man in nuremberg whom i believe of all to be most wicked and ungodly? how can i be happy when you threaten to expel from the house, because it is your own, the only man whom i love, honour, and respect?"
"i never said so, aunt charlotte;—i never thought of saying such a thing."
"and what will you ask of this stranger should you find yourself in his presence?"
"i will tell him everything, and ask him what i should do."
"and will you tell him truly?"
"certainly, aunt charlotte; i will tell him the truth in everything."
"and if he bids you marry the man whom i have chosen as your husband?" linda, when this suggestion was made to her, became silent. truly it was impossible that any wise man in nuremberg could tell her that such a sacrifice as that was necessary! then madame staubach repeated the question. "if he bids you marry peter steinmarc, will you do as he bids you?"
surely she would not be so bidden by her father's friend! "i will endeavour to do as he bids me," said linda.
"then go to him, my child, and may god so give him grace that he may soften the hardness of your heart, and prevail with you to put down beneath your feet the temptations of satan; and that he may quell the spirit of evil within you. god forbid that i should think that there is no wisdom in nuremberg fitter than mine to guide you. if the man be a man of god, he will give you good counsel."
then linda, wondering much at her aunt's ready acquiescence, went forth, and walked straightway to the house of herr molk in the egidien platz.
