d aloud.

"How little you--her own brother--know her," he retorted. "Gilda
resigned? Gilda content to let events shape themselves--such events as
those which she heard us planning in the Groote Kerk on New Year's Eve?
Why, my friend, Gilda will never be resigned, she will never be content
until she hath moved earth and heaven to save the Stadtholder from my
avenging hand!"

"But what can she do now? Ben Isaje is honest in business matters. It
would not pay him to play his customers false. And I have promised him
two thousand guilders if he keeps her safely as a prisoner of war, not
even to be let out on parole. Ben Isaje would not betray me. He is too
shrewd for that."

"That may be true of Ben Isaje himself; but what of his wife? his sons
or daughters if he have any? his serving wenches, his apprentices and
his men? How do you know that they are not amenable to promises of heavy
bribes?"

"But even then...."

"Do you not think that at Rotterdam every one by now knows the Prince's
movements? He passed within half a league of the town yesterday; there
is not a serving wench in that city at this moment who does not know
that Maurice of Nassau slept at Delft last night and will start
northwards to-morrow."

"And what of that?" queried Beresteyn, trying to keep up a semblance of
that carelessness which he was far from feeling now.

"Do you believe then that Gilda will stay quietly in the house of
Ben Isaje, knowing that the Prince is within four leagues of her
door?... knowing that he will start northwards to-morrow ... knowing
that my headquarters are here--close to Ryswyk ... knowing in fact all
that she knows?"

"I had not thought on all that," murmured Beresteyn under his breath.

"And there is another danger too, friend, greater perhaps than any
other," continued Stoutenburg vehemently.

"Good G--d, Stoutenburg, what do you mean?"

"That cursed foreign adventurer----"

"What about him?"

"Have you then never thought of him as being amenable to a bribe from
Gilda."

"In Heaven's name, man, do not think of such awful eventualities!"

"But we must think of them, my good Beresteyn. Events are shaping
themselves differently to what we expected. We must make preparations
for our safety accordingly, and above all realise the fact that Gilda
will move heaven and earth to thwart us in our plans."

"But she can do nothing," persisted Beresteyn sullenly, "without
betraying me. In Haarlem it was different. Sh