Page:The Works of J. W. von Goethe, Volume 6.djvu/168

 142 which he has cultivated in himself it is his only pleasure—indeed it is his passion—to be daily and hourly exercising for the benefit of others. And now to sit still with his arms folded; or to go on studying, acquiring, and acquiring, when he can make no use of what he already possesses,—my dear creature, it is a painful situation; and, alone as he is, he feels it doubly and trebly."

"But I thought," said Charlotte, "that he had had offers from many different quarters. I myself wrote to numbers of my own friends, male and female, for him, and, as I have reason to believe, not without effect."

"It is true," replied Edward; "but these very offers, these various proposals, have only caused him fresh embarrassment. Not one of them is at all suitable to such a person as he is. He would have nothing to do: he would have to sacrifice himself, his time, his purposes, his whole method of life; and to that he cannot bring himself. The more I think of it all, the more I feel about it, and the more anxious I am to see him here with us."

"It is very beautiful and amiable on your part," answered Charlotte, "to enter with so much sympathy into your friend's position; only, you must allow me to ask you to think of yourself and of me, as well."

"I have done that," replied Edward. "For ourselves, we can have nothing to expect from his presence with us, except pleasure and advantage. I will say nothing of the expense. In any case, if he came to us, it would be but small; and you know he will be of no inconvenience to us at all. He can have his own rooms in the right wing of the castle, and everything else can be arranged as simply as possible. What shall we not be thus doing for him! and how agreeable and how profitable may not his society prove to us! I have long been wishing for a plan of the