Me: I would never have thought of separating her from the community;

She: that it would be sad for us if we didn't agree:

Me: that a happy marriage only requires that both parties seriously seek salvation. At the same time I pointed out that although I could submit to all reasonable conditions, I could not possibly act my conscience and approve of errors.

She herself said that I probably wouldn't turn back, suggesting that it would be better if we gave up our connection straight away.

Words cannot express how this cut through my heart; in fact, the explanation confused me so much that I lost all thought.

( 226 ) Soon afterwards Mr. Fiedler came in, whom I asked to take part in our conversation and Bertha to repeat what we had said.

He said that for some time he had been saddened by the fact that Pastor Kavel and I did not agree. That he heard again on Sunday that I rejected public confession, but since we both wanted to be Lutherans, I must be mistaken; He had held it against his daughter, who was only his stepdaughter but whose he regarded as his own children and whose emigration had cost him a lot of effort, and told her that our marriage was out of place under such circumstances. He also accused me of avoiding the Klemzig church service by never coming in the mornings and never attending in the evenings.

Me: It is clear that Pastor Kavel and I did not agree, but the question was who was making the mistake; in public confession, there it was with Kavel, and that was also my opinion, and as long as I was not convinced of the opposite, I would have to stick with this assertion for the sake of conscience. He himself knew very well that I had also been personally insulted by Pastor Kavel, and he had approved of my letters to Kavel.

[Fiedler:] Maybe he would have retracted it if I had talked to him about it;

Me: I spoke to him and he explained to me that he wouldn't have acted any differently towards me, even if I were Luther.

( 227 ) It was agreed that we, Kavel and I, should discuss the matter; I don't know where from, but my heart felt some peace after this conversation. Bertha had gone out in the meantime and when she came back she asked me what we had agreed with each other; Me: nothing but that I should talk to Pastor Kavel. I asked her for a kiss, which she refused me, just as she didn't want to sit in her old place. I asked her if she could play with her most sacred feelings? to which she replied, with her