For seest thou, my son, to admit this were to compromise the fair daughter of an honorable house." "Alas!" said Anton, "I fear that she already feels herself compromised." "Never mind," said Fink, coolly, "she will bear it." "But, Fritz," said Anton, wringing his hands, "have you, then, no sense of the wrong you are doing to Bernhard?
It is just because his pure heart beats in the midst of a family circle that he only endures because he is so trusting and inexperienced, that this injury pains me so bitterly." "Therefore you will do wisely to spare your friend's sensitiveness, and keep his sister's secret." "Not so," replied Anton, indignantly; "my duty to Bernhard leads me to a different course.

I must demand from you that you break off your connection with Rosalie, whatever its nature, and strive only to see in her what you always should have seen--the sister of my friend." "Really," returned Fink, in a mocking tone, "I have no objection to your making this demand; but if I do not comply with it, how then ?--always supposing, which, by the way, I deny, that I was the fortunate expected one." "If you do not," cried Anton, in high excitement, "I can never forgive you.

This is more than mere want of feeling--it is something worse." "And what, pray ?" coldly asked Fink.
"It is base," cried Anton.

"It is bad enough to take advantage of the young girl's coquetry, but worse to forget her brother as well as me, through whom you made this unfortunate acquaintance." "Be so good as to hear me say," replied Fink, lighting the lamp of his tea-kettle, "that I never gave you any right to speak to me thus.

I have no wish to quarrel with you, but I shall be much obliged to you henceforth to drop this subject." "Then I must leave you, for I can speak of nothing else while I have the conviction that you are acting unworthily." Anton moved to the door.