The Major thought it his duty to combat Edward’s purposes as long as it was possible; and now he changed the mode of his attack and tried a diversion.  He seemed to give way, and only spoke of the form of what they would have to do to bring about this separation, and these new unions; and so mentioned a number of ugly, undesirable matters, which threw Edward into the worst of tempers.

“I see plainly,” he cried at last, “that what we desire can only be carried by storm, whether it be from our enemies or from our friends.  I keep clearly before my own eyes what I demand, what, one way or another, I must have; and I will seize it promptly and surely.  Connections like ours, I know very well, cannot be broken up and reconstructed again without much being thrown down which is standing, and much having to give way which would be glad enough to continue.  We shall come to no conclusion by thinking about it.  All rights are alike to the understanding, and it is always easy to throw extra weight into the ascending scale.  Do you makeup your mind, my friend, to act, and act promptly, for me and for yourself.  Disentangle and untie the knots, and tie them up again.  Do not be deterred from it by nice respects.  We have already given the world something to say about us.  It will talk about us once more; and when we have ceased to be a nine days’ wonder, it will forget us as it forgets everything else, and allow us to follow our own way without further concern with us.”  The Major had nothing further to say, and was at last obliged to sit silent; while Edward treated the affair as now conclusively settled, talked through in detail all that had to be done, and pictured the future in every most cheerful color, and then he went on again seriously and thoughtfully:  “If we think to leave ourselves to the hope, to the expectation, that all will go right again of itself, that accident will lead us straight, and take care of us, it will be a most culpable self-deception.  In such a way it would be impossible for us to save ourselves, or reestablish our peace again.  I who have been the innocent cause of it all, how am I ever to console myself?  By my own importunity I prevailed on Charlotte to write to you to stay with us; and Ottilie followed in consequence.  We have had no more control over what ensued out of this, but we have the power to make it innocuous; to guide the new circumstances to our own happiness.  Can you turn away your eyes from the fair and beautiful prospects which I open to us?  Can you insist to me, can you insist to us all, on a wretched renunciation of them?  Do you think it possible?  Is it possible?  Will there be no vexations, no bitterness, no inconvenience to overcome, if we resolve to fall back into our old state? and will any good, any happiness whatever, arise out of it?  Will your own rank, will the high position which you have earned, be any pleasure to you, if you are to be prevented from visiting me, or from living with me?  And after what has passed,