If he should once take the girl as his wife,
he could never unmarry himself again. He could not do so at least
without trouble, disgrace, and ruinous expense. As for revenge, he
thought that he might still have a certain amount of that pleasure in
repudiating his promised spouse for her bad conduct, and in declaring
to her aunt that he could not bring himself to make a wife of a woman
who had first disgraced herself, and then absolutely taken glory
in her disgrace. As he went along from Herr Molk's house towards
the island, taking a somewhat long path by the Rothe Ross where he
refreshed himself, and down the Carls Strasse, and by the Church of
St. Lawrence, round which he walked twice, looking up to the tower
for inspiration,--he told himself that circumstances had been most
cruel to him. He complained bitterly of his misfortune. If he refused
to marry Linda he must leave the red house altogether, and would,
of course, be ridiculed for his attempt at matrimony; and if he did
marry her-- Then, as far as he could see, there would be the very
mischief. He pitied himself with an exceedingly strong compassion,
because of the unmerited hardness of his position. It was very
dark when he got to the narrow passage leading to the house along
the river, and when there, in the narrowest and darkest part of
the passage, whom should he meet coming from Madame Staubach's
house,--coming from Linda's house, for the passage led from the red
house only,--but Ludovic Valcarm his cousin?

"What, uncle Peter?" said Ludovic, assuming a name which he had
sometimes used in old days when he had wished to be impertinent to
his relative. Peter Steinmarc was too much taken aback to have any
speech ready on the occasion. "You don't say a word to congratulate
me on having escaped from the hands of the Philistines."

"What are you doing here?" said Peter.

"I've been to see my young woman," said Ludovic, who, as Peter
imagined, was somewhat elated by strong drink.

"She is not your young woman," said Peter.

"She is not yours at any rate," said the other.

"She is mine if I like to take her," said Peter.

"We shall see about that. But here I am again, at any rate. The
mischief take them for interfering old fools! When they had got me
they had nothing to say against me."

"Pass on, and let me go by," said Peter.

"One word first, uncle Peter. Among you, you are treating that girl
as cruelly as ever a girl was treated. You had better be war