t time Margaret returned from visiting him, she came to Gerard
flushed with pride. "Oh, Gerard, he will be a great man one day, thanks
to thy wisdom in taking him from us silly women. A great scholar, one
Zinthius, came to see the school and judge the scholars, and didn't our
Gerard stand up, and not a line in Horace or Terence could Zinthius cite
but the boy would follow him with the rest. 'Why, 'tis a prodigy,' says
that great scholar; and there was his poor mother stood by and heard it.
And he took our Gerard in his arms, and kissed him; and what think you
he said?"

"Nay, I know not."

"'Holland will hear of thee one day; and not Holland only, but all the
world,' Why what a sad brow!"

"Sweet one, I am as glad as thou, yet am I uneasy to hear the child is
wise before his time, I love him dear; but he is thine idol, and Heaven
doth often break our idols."

"Make thy mind easy," said Margaret. "Heaven will never rob me of my
child. What I was to suffer in this world I have suffered, For if any
ill happened my child or thee, I should not live a week. The Lord He
knows this, and He will leave me my boy."

A month had elapsed after this; but Margaret's words were yet ringing in
his ears, when, going on his daily round of visits to his poor, he was
told quite incidentally, and as mere gossip, that the plague was at
Deventer, carried thither by two sailors from Hamburgh.

His heart turned cold within him. News did not gallop in those days. The
fatal disease must have been there a long time before the tidings would
reach Gouda. He sent a line by a messenger to Margaret, telling her that
he was gone to fetch little Gerard to stay at the manse a little while,
and would she see a bed prepared, for he should be back next day. And so
he hoped she would not hear a word of the danger till it was all happily
over. He borrowed a good horse, and scarce drew rein till he reached
Deventer, quite late in the afternoon. He went at once to the school.
The boy had been taken away.

As he left the school he caught sight of Margaret's face at the window
of a neighbouring house she always lodged at when she came to Deventer.

He ran hastily to scold her and pack both her and the boy out of the
place.

To his surprise the servant told him with some hesitation that Margaret
had been there, but was gone.

"Gone, woman?" said Gerard indignantly, "art not ashamed to say so? Why,
I saw her but now at the window."

"Oh, if you saw her-