He saw that Anton's mind was made up, and the side of the scale in which sat the fair Rosalie kicked the beam.
After all, if Anton did, in his virtuous simplicity, tell her mother, the adventure was spoiled, and, still worse, their friendship forever at an end.

These reflections furrowed his fine brow.
A little before seven o'clock a shadow fell on Anton's paper, and, looking up, he saw Fink silently holding out a small note to him, directed to Rosalie.

He sprang up at once.
"I have written to tell her," said Fink, with icy coldness, "that your friendship left me no other choice than that of compromising her or giving her up, and that, therefore, I chose the latter.

Here is the letter; I have no objection to your reading it; it is her dismissal." Anton took the letter out of the culprit's hand, sealed it in all haste with a little office seal, and gave it to one of the porters to post at once.
And so this danger was averted, but from that day there was an estrangement between the friends.

Fink grumbled, and Anton could not forget what he called treachery to Bernhard; and so it was, that for some weeks they no longer spent their evenings together..