ready her look of pleading had gone. She had straightened herself up,
prouder and more disdainful than before. He dared to make conditions!
he! the mercenary creature whom anyone could buy body and soul for
money, who took payment for doing such work as would soil an honest
man's hands! It was monstrous! impossible, unthinkable. She thought that
her ears had deceived her or that mayhap he had misunderstood.

In a moment at her words, at the scornful glance which accompanied them,
he had risen to his feet. The subtle moment had gone by; the air was no
longer oppressive, and the ground felt quite steady under him. Calm,
smiling, good-tempered, he straightened out his massive figure as if to
prepare himself for those shafts which her cruel little tongue knew so
well how to deal.

And inwardly he offered up a thanksgiving to St. Bavon for this cold
douche upon his flaming temper.

"I did not misunderstand you, mejuffrouw," he said lightly, "and I am
ready to do you service--under a certain condition."

She bit her lip with vexation. The miserable wretch was obviously not
satisfied with the amount which she had named as payment for his
services, and he played some weak part of chivalry and of honour in
order to make his work appear more difficult, and to extract a more
substantial reward from her. She tried to put into the glance which she
now threw on him all the contempt which she felt and which truly
nauseated her at this moment. Unfortunately she had need of him, she
could not start for Delft alone, marauders and footpads would stop her
ever reaching that city. Could she have gone alone she were not here now
craving the help of a man whom she despised.

"Meseems," she said coldly after a slight pause, "that you do wilfully
misunderstand our mutual positions. I am not asking you to do anything
which could offend your strangely susceptible honour, whose vagaries, I
own, I am unable to follow. Will 10,000 guilders satisfy your erratic
conscience? or did you receive more than that for laying hands on two
helpless women and dragging one--who has never done you any wrong--to a
depth of shame and sorrow which you cannot possibly fathom?"

"My conscience, mejuffrouw," he replied, seemingly quite unperturbed at
her contemptuous glance and insulting speech, "is, as you say, somewhat
erratic. For the moment it refuses to consider the possibility of
escorting you to Delft unless I know what it is that you desire to say
to the