ext
morning, the padrona summoned me to settle the accounts, I thought it
my duty to modestly remark that Don Luis d'Avila's wooing did not seem
disagreeable to the young lady in spite of her betrothal. She let me
speak, but when I ventured to repeat what people said of the Spaniard,
angrily started up and showed me to the door. A faithful servant often
hears and sees more than his employers suspect, and I had the confidence
of the padrona's foster-sister, who is now dead; but at that time
Susanna knew everything that concerned her mistress.

"There was a bad prospect for the expectant bridegroom in France, for
whenever the padrona spoke of him, it was with a laugh we knew, and
which boded no good; but she still wrote frequently to the marquis and
his mother, and many a letter from Rochebrun reached our house. To be
sure, her excellenza also gave Don Luis more than one secret audience.

"During Lent a messenger from Fraulein Van Hoogstraten's father arrived
with the news, that at Easter he, himself, would come to Brussels from
Haarlem, and the marquis from Castle Rochebrun, and on Maundy Thursday
I received orders to dress the private chapel with flowers, engage
posthorses, and do several other things. On Good Friday, the day of our
Lord's crucifixion--I wish I were telling lies--early in the morning of
Good Friday the signorina was dressed in all her bridal finery. Don Luis
appeared clad in black, proud and gloomy as usual, and by candle-light,
before sunrise on a cold, damp morning--it seems to me as if it were
only yesterday--the Castilian was married to our young mistress. The
padrona, a Spanish officer and I were the witnesses. At seven o'clock
the carriage drove up, and after it was packed Don Luis handed me a
little box to put in the vehicle. It was heavy and I knew it well; the
padrona was in the habit of keeping her gold coin in it. At Easter the
whole city learned that Don Luis d'Avila had eloped with the beautiful
Anna Van Hoogstraten, after killing her betrothed bridegroom in a duel
on Maundy-Thursday at Hals on his way to Brussels--scarcely twenty-four
hours before the wedding.

"I shall never forget how Junker Van Hoogstraten raged. The padrona
refused to see him and pretended to be ill, but she was as well as only
she could be during these last few years."

"And do you know how to interpret your mistress's mysterious conduct?"
asked Wilhelm.

"Yes sir; her reasons are perfectly evident. But I must ha