o?'

"'I cannot tell you that; but one thing is certain, you cannot go
with me.'"

The Captain plied himself well with sherry to keep up his spirits,
and concluded by saying--

"And so we parted, Jonker. But I thought to myself, I'll pass through
the Hague; and here I heard of your illness, and said to myself,
'Probably the Jonker is ignorant of all that has occurred.'"

"Do you know what you must do, Rolf? Go back to the Werve at once. I
shall give you a letter for the lawyers to stop all proceedings, and
you will take command of the fortress until I come. Retain Fritz in the
service, and try to find the packet. I shall be with you to-morrow or
the day after, if my doctor will give me permission to leave my room."

"Oh, the packet will be at Overberg's with the rest of the General's
papers."

"Then try to find out where Miss Francis is, and induce her to return
to the Werve; but don't tell her I am coming there."

At the same moment my landlady brought me the following telegram
from Overberg--

"Your immediate presence indispensable; no arrangement possible;
F. M. has left the Castle."

I did not hesitate any longer. Without awaiting the doctor's leave,
I got Rolf to pack my portmanteau, and we were off before he could
stop us. These thick-coming events called forth all my strength,
and I forgot how weak I really was.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

When I arrived at the hotel in Zutphen, I was surprised to find a
letter awaiting me from Rudolf, who was still travelling through the
provinces of Guelderland and Overyssel with his troupe, which was
now performing at Laren fair. It ran as follows--

"If you wish to prevent Francis from committing the greatest folly she
has yet been guilty of in life, try to meet me at the 'Half-way House,'
between Zutphen and Laren, to-morrow morning about nine o'clock."

I promised myself I would not neglect this appointment. I then sent
for Overberg, who confirmed all I had heard from Rolf, and explained
many things I thought inexplicable. It was Van Beek who had pushed
matters to extremities, and he (Overberg) had been quite willing
to grant any reasonable delay. He told me one thing I was still
ignorant of. A lawyer had sent into Van Beek a copy of a codicil to
Aunt Sophia's will, drawn up by her order on the eve of her death,
by which she bequeathed to her grandniece, Francis Mordaunt, a yearly
income of three thousand florins in case she did not marry Jonker
van Zon