Throwing her card to the floor, Higgles said to Isaac, “I am free now.”
“Higgles!” exclaimed Jan.
“Let’s dance,” said Prince Raspereski taking Higgles to the floor as Jan and Sarie looked in despair. Then suddenly, as if by magic, the music began to play as Higgles and Raspereski danced upon the floor, their movements intricate like that of the music. To Higgles it seemed as if they were only there and no one else, but she was right to a degree because no one had dared to go onto the dance floor yet, perplexed by all that had happened so far.
Higgles began to feel dizzy as the room turned round and round and only before her in the changing world that was still there was Isaac. His smile showed pearly white teeth, a rarity in the World. Higgles smiled and let her conventions go as she danced and then suddenly they stopped, but looking around she saw that now others were also dancing as they had been. Looking deep into Higgles eyes Prince Isaac said, “Will you do me the favor of accompanying me to the West?”
“The West, when?” asked Higgles alarmed.
“Tomorrow night?” asked Prince Isaac, his eyes blazing, but this moment was over soon enough.
Jan walked over to the two, taking Higgles by the arm and saying to the Prince, “I am sorry Prince Raspereski, but my daughter is feeling very fatigued at the moment. She must be going now. Thank you very much for your concern, but we must go.”
“But father, I feel fine,” said Higgles.
“We are going now,” said Jan in such an authoritative tone that Higgles felt threatened for the first time in her life.
“It is all right, Miss von Soothsbay,” said Isaac as he kissed Higgles’s hand good night. Looking into her eyes he said, “Until we meet again.”
Jan then took Higgles away from where Prince Isaac was as he looked on at her and she at him. Jan, Sarie, and Higgles then left as the dance continued and Prince Isaac stood constant on the dance floor.
* * * * * * * * *
When they returned home, Jan was furious with Higgles.
“Higgles von Soothsbay, I cannot believe you acted in such a manner with such a man,” said Jan.
“I did nothing wrong,” said Higgles unsure of what was Jan’s problem.
“Nothing wrong?” asked Jan perplexed. “You defied me in front of everyone by dancing with that man, and you even enjoyed dancing with him!”
“But father…” started Higgles in her sweet tone that usually calmed Jan down, but this would not be.
“Do not, ‘but father,’ with me Higgles, you have acted abominably. You go to your room right now young lady for acting so bad. I cannot believe that you acted in such a way.”
“But father I love Prince Isaac, and he wants to marry me and take me off to…”
“That is quite enough Higgles,” said Sarie in a harsh tone. “I have taught you well that you must look for the money and see it first, there is no such thing as love when you want to be the richest girl in New Netherlands. Of course later on you can marry for love, but for right now you must marry only for money. With an old man you can get rich quick and within a year he will be dead, and your looks will still be there.”
“But I do not want an old man,” said Higgles sadly. “I want Prince Isaac.”
“This has gone far enough,” yelled out Jan at Higgles. “Off to your room, never to see Prince Isaac ever again or you will finally, the first time in your life, feel the terror of my wrath!”
Scared, Higgles ran into her room sobbing as Sarie looked to Jan in a worried face. “Perhaps you should not have been so mean to her, Jan.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jan coldly.
“I mean you may have caused her not to want to be here, only to run away to that ruffian. You know as well as I do what kind of man Prince Isaac is, but she does not. We must get her to understand what that is exactly.”
“That is what I am doing, protecting my daughter,” said Jan angrily at Sarie. “She is to stay in her room until that man is out of this city, even if I have to bury him in a grave alive to make sure that he never comes back, I will before he bothers us again.”
“But…”
“No, Sarie, this time my word is final. I will not be humiliated ever again, I suffered enough with Adelé, I will not have the same fate with the only daughter I have left.”
With this the conversation was ended as Jan and Sarie went upstairs to bed, but little did they know how soon Sarie’s fears would be realized.
XIV: Higgles Gone!
After Jan and Sarie went to sleep, and the light in their room finally was turned off Prince Raspereski smiled to himself as he stood next to Gregory, the butler for the van Soothsbays. Raspereski and the butler had known each other before a long time ago, but as to what that relationship was no one could guess and its revelation shall be given later on to the dutiful reader of this book.
The two whispered to each other beneath a maple tree as the warm night wind blew in their faces, moving the whispers away from them outwards towards the north.
“So, you are sure of the matter at hand,” said Raspereski to Gregory. “That is the argument that they had, and that was her response?”
“Yes,” said Gregory with a tone of being annoyed. “Must you repeat such things always?”
Quickly Raspereski hit Gregory over the face with his hand bringing Gregory down to the ground. “The need for repeating such things is my business, not your worry butler.”
“Perhaps they in the house would like to know of what you plan?” asked Gregory with a sneer in his tone. “Perhaps I will do that if you do not show me more respect.”
“And perhaps I will beat you senseless so that the little brain you do have is gone once I am finished with you.”
Gregory was about to talk, but realizing that Raspereski was a man to his word, he decided to be quiet as he stood up. Smiling sweetly he said, “I suppose more information for you will not be too bad for me.”
“Yes,” said Raspereski with a cold smile. “However, the parents are, by the sound of that horrible snoring, probably asleep. Now, I will whisk myself within this girl’s room and cause trouble for all.”
Raspereski, with his flowing cape of purple velvet pushing against the warm wind, walked over to the kitchen door of the van Soothsbay’s home as Gregory looked on with a lack of caring, as well as to a degree a wicked smile of revenge on his lips.
Raspereski crept into the house, his leather boots quietly touching the floor as if he knew about where all the creaks in the floor were, and the necessity of not touching them. Actually, he had even gained this information from Gregory just in case because knowing Gregory there was always a lack of trust that must be taken. Raspereski tried to dash the thoughts of Gregory and his trust out of his mind as his heart yearned only to find Higgles’ room.
He crept through the hallway, past the dining room, up the staircase, past Jan and Sarie’s room, and finally reach that of Higgles when a dog’s howl was heard from outside – Gregory was to have his revenge after all. Jan and Sarie stirred from inside of their room as Raspereski quickly fled into the doorway of another room.
Hearing Jan open the window from inside of his room, he heard him say, “Gregory, is that you?”
“Yes, Mr. van Soothsbay.”
“What are you making a racket for, man?”
“Why, Mr. van Soothsbay, it is to make a warning to be on the lookout for any characters tonight.”
“Any characters? What do you mean?”
“I mean, sir, that I, as your humble servant, will take watch, but if someone should happen to enter the house unsuspectingly I will catch them by howling like I just did.”
“Howling? Why not blow the man’s brains out?”
“Well, for a servant to do so of a gentleman might mean the dead of this servant sir, and what more honor for you sir if you did the killing, impressing all of New Amsterdam with your skills.”
Jan pondered on this; Gregory smi
led as he saw this. “Well, I…um…you are entirely right, Gregory. Howl only when there is an intruder, or else your rations will be given to the dogs.”
“Yes, sir,” said Gregory happily.
Raspereski was in a tight spot, that he knew. Gregory happily waited outside for him to return with or without Higgles in his arms to howl like a crazy, drunk wolf for everyone in New Amsterdam to hear. If he passed by Gregory and Jan freely, then he would still need to deal with the others of the city who would not let him leave to his carriage in peace, even the police would take him to jail for stealing another man’s daughter against the father’s will. Raspereski did not think that this adventure would be so dangerous, nor so difficult. Yet, he would not leave without Higgles. Then, he thought up a wonderful plan.
Jan was sleeping beautifully as he heard the howl yet again.
“What is the matter?” asked Jan of Gregory. “Is he inside?”
“What do you mean, sir?” asked Gregory. “I did not howl at all.”
“Yes you did, I heard you howl you idiot!” exclaimed Jan. “Are you too stupid to understand that you were howling?”
“But sir, I did not do any howling.”
“That’s it Gregory, you go to your house this instant and no more howling out of you before I beat your brains in, even though you have so little anyway!” With a thud Jan slammed the window closed and went back to bed to sleep. However, again he heard the howling.
“What is going on?” asked Sarie who was now awake.
Angrily Jan went to the window to see that Gregory was indeed still outside, having just discovered that Raspereski was probably who made the howl he had been waiting for revenge the easy way. “Do not worry, Sarie,” said Jan. “I have a violent temper that has to be taken care of with Gregory’s head.”
Jan put on his bathrobe and left his room, closing the door behind him as he walked down the stairs to outside. He did not see Raspereski, who was waiting in the shadows, but once the flicker of his candlelight and sound of his feet were out of range, Raspereski slipped into Higgles’s room.
Higgles had been dreaming of Raspereski, of their dance, his adventurous spirit, and of course those eyes that stay and lingered on her as she had left, telling her more than a thousand words proclaiming love by anyone ever in her life. When she awoke to those eyes again in her face she felt as if she were still dreaming and she sighed.
“If only it was really you,” said Higgles aloud with a sigh.
“But it is,” said Raspereski with a beaming smile for Higgles. She was so shocked that she could not say anything as Raspereski put his long index finger to his mouth and whispered, “Shh.” Higgles listened to this, and seeing that she would be quiet, Raspereski said, “I wanted to talk to you to let you know for yourself that since the moment I laid my eyes upon you I loved you.”
“And I of you,” whispered Higgles.
Suddenly, from outside, they heard several loud howling noises as Jan said out loud, “Now, let’s see if you howl anymore with you head and brain permanently bruised, and off to your house with you.”
Raspereski smiled his gallant smile to Higgles, and then said, “I am here for one reason, to take you with me tonight.”
“Take me, where?” asked Higgles surprised.
“Out West, to a plot of land I have bought for myself there. I have already had a house built to epic proportions there, with servants caring for it until my coming there. All it needs is someone to share it with, Higgles, someone like you. Will you do me the great honor of being there with me? Will you come with me out west?”
“Well, I…um…I…”
“Higgles?” asked a voice outside of her door, it was Jan.
Quickly as the door swung wide open Raspereski hid under Higgles’ bed as she pretended to be sleeping. Jan walked into the room and looked to Higgles with a smile. Raspereski dared not to move as Jan was near the bed, though due to his tall height his legs stuck from out under Higgles’ bed, though not shown due to the darkness of the room.
Jan then sat on Higgles’s bed, crushing the right side of Raspereski’s face. Jan affectionately stroked Higgles’s hair and said to her, “You are the most beautiful girl in all New Netherlands, it is true, but more than that you are my daughter and I love you. I know you probably do not understand now why I act the way that I do, but I act this way only because I love you so. I only hope you will listen to me for once, for I know what is best for you, my little Higgles.” Jan then kissed her goodnight, and got off the bed leaving Raspereski with the right side of his face dark blue. Jan then closed the door to Higgles’s room, entering his own and went to sleep.
Raspereski quickly got out from under the bed and stood up to view Higgles whose eyes were open. His face close to her, Higgles frightened by the right side of his face dark blue, Raspereski whispered to her, “Let’s go. Quickly get ready my dear.”
* * * * * * * * *
Within half an hour Higgles and Raspereski were ready to leave the van Soothsbay home. Raspereski ecstatic as his face was still blue, but this time it was regular blue, not dark blue. Higgles, on the other hand, was happy to be with Raspereski but still felt as if there was something deeply missing, and that leaving her parents was not right to do though she did want the adventure that Raspereski was to give to her. Raspereski smiled to her, knowing that she was worried, but his smile made her feel sure of herself and no longer worried about the unknown future for the both of them.
Quietly they tiptoed down the hallway past the room of Jan and Sarie, who both had trains for noses as they snored heavily and loudly. Out of the hallway, the tiptoed down the stairs, past the dining room, but then Raspereski remembered that Gregory might be back waiting for him outside of the kitchen door. The only way to go out would be by the front door. So, Raspereski led Higgles to the front door, opening and closing it softly, and then the two walked quickly to Raspereski’s carriage, where an old man was waiting to drive it.
“Fredrick,” snapped Raspereski to the driver. “Now, move this carriage once we are inside slowly at first, then once we have reached the city limit drive as fast and as safe as possible.”
“Where to?”
“To Ohio, you idiot!” exclaimed Raspereski as he put Higgles into the carriage, closing the door softly as they went away quietly as Jan and Sarie dreamed horrible nightmares of being with a wild beast of an animal, unable to be tamed, and Gregory had in his hands a rifle, no longer being wise enough not to kill a gentleman like Raspereski, vengeful with every brain fiber left in his head.
* * * * * * * * *
“This is an outrage!” exclaimed Jan to the others at his home the next day. Higgles was gone, Raspereski had vanished without a trace, and Gregory had been right on the need to look out. Nothing could have made Jan feel worse than that a servant had been right when he had been wrong. He even caused Gregory to be hit several times with a stick for his being right. Poor Gregory, being a servant definitely was not a place worth betting for.
However, a week passed as no sign still turned up of Higgles or of Raspereski. Poor Jan and Sarie, if only they could have prevented it! Higgles was probably his wife by now, and all of New Amsterdam was talking of the daughter who was worse than Carina or Flora Wilson combined, even worse than Adelé.
More and more people talked about how horrible Higgles was, and more and more they began to speak about how kind and useful Adelé had always been. Yes, Higgles was beautiful, but those were the problem children. Adelé had her smarts to herself, but at least she did not run off disgracing her family in such a way that an adult would understand was wrong, and Higgles was already nineteen years old, old enough to be considered as one.
The more and more people began to remember about Adelé, they began to remember about her disappearance, as well as that of Mr. Pickles and Mary, as well as the carriage driver, whose name was Ichadottle Reep (his mother was so confused about what to name him that she added the
names Ichabob and Hettbottle, the names of his grandfathers, together).
As Jan was drinking tea one evening and reading the local paper in the living room as Sarie knitted something she would even call unrecognizable, they heard voices outside the front of the house talking to each other.
“Why yes,” said a woman’s voice of high-pitch and aristocratic. “This is the house where that little shameless girl ran away from.”
“No,” said a little girl’s voice.
“Yes, Miss Georgina. Yet, you only heard it from me, but that Miss Higgles was only bound to be that way in the end. Everyone said it behind their backs, if not up to their faces.”
“But why behind their backs?” asked Georgina.
“Why, silly goose, if you ask in their faces they will not like that at all. No need to be rude to one’s face, it is uncivilized.”
“It is more civilized to say it behind their backs?”
“Yes, all respectable people do it.”
“But is it not cowardly?”