ht that would
make me smile now; I have parted from too many that were dear to me.
Gerard lost again as soon as found; Kate in heaven; and Sybrandt down
for life."

"Poor mother! Mother dear, Gouda manse is to be furnished, and cleaned,
and made ready all in a hurry, See, here be ten gold angels. Make them
go far, good mother; for I have ta'en over many already from my boy for
a set of useless loons that were aye going to find him for me."

Catherine and Reicht stared at her a moment in silence, and then out
burst a flood of questions, to none of which would she give a reply.
"Nay," said she, "I have lain on my bed and thought, and thought, and
thought whiles you were all sleeping; and methinks I have got the clue
to all, I love you, dear mother; but I'll trust no woman's tongue. If I
fail this time, I'll have none to blame but Margaret Brandt."

A resolute woman is a very resolute thing. And there was a deep, dogged
determination in Margaret's voice and brow that at once convinced
Catherine it would be idle to put any more questions at that time,
She and Reicht lost themselves in conjectures; and Catherine whispered
Reicht, "Bide quiet; then 'twill leak out;" a shrewd piece of advice,
founded on general observation.

Within an hour Catherine was on the road to Gouda in a cart, with two
stout girls to help her, and quite a siege artillery of mops, and pails,
and brushes, She came back with heightened colour, and something of the
old sparkle in her eye, and kissed Margaret with a silent warmth that
spoke volumes, and at five in the morning was off again to Gouda.

That night as Reicht was in her first sleep a hand gently pressed
her shoulder, and she awoke, and was going to scream, "Whisht," said
Margaret, and put her finger to her lips.

She then whispered, "Rise softly, don thy habits, and come with me!"

When she came down, Margaret begged her to loose Dragon and bring him
along. Now Dragon was a great mastiff, who had guarded Margaret Van Eyck
and Reicht, two lone women, for some years, and was devotedly attached
to the latter.

Margaret and Reicht went out, with Dragon walking majestically behind
them. They came back long after midnight, and retired to rest.

Catherine never knew.

Margaret read her friends: she saw the sturdy, faithful Frisian could
hold her tongue, and Catherine could not. Yet I am not sure she would
have trusted even Reicht had her nerve equalled her spirit; but with
all her daring an