d of the
Jufvrouw Brant, and the legal owner of her parent's wealth, whatever
disagreements may ensue between him and me I shall have earned my share
of it in a clean and gentlemanly fashion. If, on the other hand, it
should become necessary for me to marry the young lady, which God
forbid, at least no harm is done, and he will have had the advantage of
some valuable lessons from the most accomplished card-player in Spain.

"And now what we need to enliven this detestable place is the presence
of Beauty herself. Our worthy friends should be back soon--bringing
their sheaves with them, let us hope, for otherwise matters will be
complicated. Let me see: have I thought of everything, for in such
affairs one oversight--He is a Catholic, therefore can contract a legal
marriage under the Proclamations--it was lucky I remembered that point
of law, though it nearly cost us all our lives--and the priest, I can
lay my hands on him, a discreet man, who won't hear if the lady says
No, but filled beyond a question with the power and virtue of his
holy office. No, I have nothing to reproach myself with in the way of
precaution, nothing at all. I have sown the seed well and truly, it
remains only for Providence to give the increase, or shall I say--no, I
think not, for between the general and the private familiarity is always
odious. Well, it is time that you met with a little success and settled
down, for you have worked hard, Juan, my friend, and you are getting
old--yes, Juan, you are getting old. Bah! what a hole and what weather!"
and Montalvo established himself by the fireside to doze away his
_ennui_.

When Adrian shut the door behind him the late November day was drawing
to its close, and between the rifts in the sullen snow clouds now
and again an arrow from the westering sun struck upon the tall,
skeleton-like sails of the mill, through which the wind rushed with a
screaming noise. Adrian had intended to walk on the marsh, but finding
it too sodden, he crossed the western dyke by means of a board laid from
bank to bank, and struck into the sand-dunes beyond. Even in the summer,
when the air was still and flowers bloomed and larks sang, these dunes
were fantastic and almost unnatural in appearance, with their deep,
wind-scooped hollows of pallid sand, their sharp angles, miniature
cliffs, and their crests crowned with coarse grasses. But now, beneath
the dull pall of the winter sky, no spot in the world could have been
mor