s you bid me, until the shadows have
gathered in, in the wake of the setting sun. After that," he added with
his accustomed merry laugh, "let Mynheer, the Burgomaster come, your
picture shall not hang fire because of me."

"That's brave!" said Frans Hals more cheerily. "If you will come I can
do it. You will see how advanced that sleeve and collar will be by
half-past seven to-morrow."

His voice had quite a ring in it now; he fussed about in his studio,
re-arranged the picture on the easel, and put aside the portrait of
Jongejuffrouw Beresteyn; Diogenes watched him with amusement, but the
frown had not quite disappeared from his brow. He had made two promises
to-day, both of which he would have to fulfil at all costs. Just now, it
was in a flash, that the thought came to him how he could help his
friend and yet keep his word to Beresteyn. A quick plan had formed
itself in his mind for accomplishing this--he saw in a mental vision the
forced run on the ice back to Haarlem and back again in the wake of the
sleigh. It could be done with much pluck and endurance and a small
modicum of good luck, and already his mind was made up to it, whatever
the cost in fatigue or privations might be.

But time was pressing now. After a renewed and most solemn promise he
took leave of Frans Hals, who already was too deeply absorbed in work
to take much notice of his friend. The glorious, self-centred
selfishness of genius was in him. He cared absolutely nothing for any
worry or trouble he might cause to the other man by his demand for that
sitting on the morrow. The picture mattered--nothing else--and the
artist never even asked his friend if he would suffer inconvenience or
worse by sacrificing his day to it to-morrow.

CHAPTER XIII

THE SPANISH WENCH

An hour later in the tap-room of the "Lame Cow" Diogenes had finished
explaining to his brother philosophers the work which he had in hand and
for which he required their help. The explanation had begun with the
words filled with portentous charm:

"There will be 500 guilders for each of you at the end of our journey."

And they knew from many and varied experiences of adventures undertaken
in amicable trilogy that Diogenes would be as good as these words.

For the rest they did not greatly trouble themselves. There was a lady
to be conveyed with respect and with safety, out of Haarlem and as far
as Rotterdam, and it was in Rotterdam that the 500 guilders would reward
e