"And ours too. We can do nothing, decide on nothing until we are sure."

"Then I pray you wait for me here," concluded Beresteyn. "I will bring
you a surety before we part this night."

"Let me go and speak to her," urged Stoutenburg.

"No, no, 'tis best that I should go."

Stoutenburg made a movement as if he would detain him, then seemed to
think better of it, and finally let him go.

Beresteyn did not wait for further comment from his friends but quickly
turned on his heel. The next moment he was speeding away across the vast
edifice and his tall figure was soon swallowed up by the gloom.

CHAPTER V

BROTHER AND SISTER

The verger on guard at the west door had quietly dropped to sleep. He
did not wake apparently when Jongejuffrouw Beresteyn slipped past him
and out through the door.

Beresteyn followed close on his sister's heels. He touched her shoulder
just as she stood outside the portal, wrapping her fur cloak more snugly
over her shoulders and looking round her, anxious where to find her
servants.

"'Tis late for you to be out this night, Gilda," he said, "and alone."

"I am only alone for the moment," she replied quietly. "Maria and Jakob
and Piet are waiting for me at the north door. I did not know it would
be closed."

"But why are you so late?"

"I stayed in church after the service."

"But why?" he insisted more impatiently.

"I could not pray during service," she said. "My thoughts wandered. I
wanted to be alone for a few moments with God."

"Did you not know then that you were not alone?"

"No. Not at first."

"But ... afterwards...?"

"Your voice, Nicolaes, struck on my ear. I did not want to hear. I
wanted to pray."

"Yet you listened?"

"No. I did not wish to listen."

"But you heard?"

She gave no actual reply, but he could see her profile straight and
white, the curved lips firmly pressed together, the brow slightly
puckered, and from the expression of her face and of her whole attitude,
he knew that she had heard.

He drew in his breath, like one who has received a blow and has not yet
realized how deeply it would hurt. His right hand which was resting on
his hip tore at the cloth of his doublet, else mayhap it would already
have wandered to the hilt of his sword.

He had expected it of course. Already when he saw Gilda gliding out of
the shadows with that awed, tense expression on her face, he knew that
she must have heard ... something at least ... som