ware of his presence up-stairs, and was
prepared to cough aloud, standing at the kitchen door, if any sign
were made that either Steinmarc or Madame Staubach were about to
leave the parlour. Though it had seemed to Linda that her lover had
come to her through the darkness, aided by the powers thereof, the
assistance which had really brought him there was simply that of the
old cook down-stairs. It certainly was on the cards that Tetchen
might help him again after the same fashion, but Ludovic felt that
such help would be but of little avail unless Linda, now that she had
acknowledged her love, would do something to help also. With Ludovic
Valcarm it was quite a proper course of things that he should jump
out of a boat, or disappear into the roof among the rafters, or
escape across the tiles and down the spouts in the darkness, as
preliminary steps in a love affair. But in this special love affair
such movements could only be preliminary; and therefore, as he was
now standing face to face with Linda, and as there certainly had been
difficulties in achieving this position, he was anxious to make some
positive use of it. And then, as he explained to Linda in very few
words, he was about to leave Nuremberg, and go to Munich. She did not
quite understand whether he was always to remain in Munich; nor did
she think of inquiring how he was to earn his bread there. But it was
his scheme, that she should go with him and that there they should be
married. If she would meet him at the railway station in time for the
early train, they certainly could reach Munich without impediment.
Linda would find no difficulty in leaving the house. Tetchen would
take care that even the door should be open for her.

Linda listened to it all, and by degrees the impossibility of her
assenting to such iniquity became less palpable. And though the
wickedness of the scheme was still manifest to her, though she felt
that, were she to assent to it, she would, in doing so, give herself
up finally, body and soul, to the Evil One, yet was she not angry
with Ludovic for proposing it. Nay, loving him well enough before,
she loved him the better as he pressed her to go with him. But
she would not go. She had nothing to say but, No, no, no. It was
impossible. She was conscious after a certain fashion that her legs
would refuse to carry her to the railway station on such an errand,
that her physical strength would have failed her, and that were she
to make eve