gh the wood praying in his heart that the
Butcher and his companions would not find courage to attack them again
before they were out of its depths.

"Tell me, sir, are you Foy?" asked Elsa in a puzzled voice.

"No," answered Adrian, shortly, "I am his brother."

"Ah! that explains it. You see I was perplexed, for I remember Foy when
I was quite little; a beautiful boy, with blue eyes and yellow hair, who
was always very kind to me. Once he stopped at my father's house at The
Hague with his father."

"Indeed," said Adrian, "I am glad to hear that Foy was ever beautiful.
I can only remember that he was very stupid, for I used to try to teach
him. At any rate, I am afraid you will not think him beautiful now--that
is, unless you admire young men who are almost as broad as they are
long."

"Oh! Heer Adrian," she answered, laughing, "I am afraid that fault
can be found with most of us North Holland folk, and myself among
the number. You see it is given to very few of us to be tall and
noble-looking like high-born Spaniards--not that I should wish to
resemble any Spaniard, however lovely she might be," Elsa added, with a
slight hardening of her voice and face. "But," she went on hurriedly,
as though sorry that the remark had escaped her, "you, sir, and Foy are
strangely unlike to be brothers; is it not so?"

"We are half-brothers," said Adrian looking straight before him; "we
have the same mother only; but please do not call me 'sir,' call me
'cousin.'"

"No, I cannot do that," she replied gaily, "for Foy's mother is no
relation of mine. I think that I must call you 'Sir Prince,' for, you
see, you appeared at exactly the right time; just like the Prince in the
fairy-tales, you know."

Here was an opening not to be neglected by a young man of Adrian's
stamp.

"Ah!" he said in a tender voice, and looking up at the lady with his
dark eyes, "that is a happy name indeed. I would ask no better lot
than to be your Prince, now and always charged to defend you from every
danger." (Here, it may be explained, that, however exaggerated his
language, Adrian honestly meant what he said, seeing that already he was
convinced that to be the husband of the beautiful heiress of one of the
wealthiest men in the Netherlands would be a very satisfactory walk in
life for a young man in his position.)

"Oh! Sir Prince," broke in Elsa hurriedly, for her cavalier's ardour was
somewhat embarrassing, "you are telling the story wrong; the t