XXIII
BEFORE THE COURT
You may believe the landlord's daughter bestirred herself to prepare agood meal for the boys next morning. Mynheer had a Chinese gong thatcould make more noise than a dozen of breakfast bells. Its hideousreveille, clanging through the house, generally startled the drowsiestlodgers into activity, but the maiden would not allow it to be soundedthis morning:
"Let the brave young gentlemen sleep," she said, to the greasy kitchenboy; "they shall be warmly fed when they waken."
It was ten o'clock when Captain Peter and his band came straggling downone by one.
"A pretty hour," said mine host, gruffly. "It is high time we werebefore the court. Fine business this for a respectable inn. You willtestify truly, young masters, that you found most excellent fare andlodgment at the Red Lion?"
"Of course we will," answered Carl, saucily, "and pleasant company, too,though they visit at rather unseasonable hours."
A stare and a "humph!" was all the answer Mynheer made to this, but thedaughter was more communicative. Shaking her earrings at Carl she saidsharply:
"Not so very pleasant either, master traveler, if one could judge by theway _you_ ran away from it!"
"Impertinent creature!" hissed Carl under his breath, as he began busilyto examine his skate-straps. Meantime the kitchen-boy, listening outsideat the crack of the door, doubled himself with silent laughter.
After breakfast the boys went to the Police Court, accompanied byHuygens Kleef and his daughter. Mynheer's testimony was principally tothe effect that such a thing as a robber at the "Red Lion" had beenunheard of until last night; and as for the "Red Lion," it was a mostrespectable inn, as respectable as any house in Leyden. Each boy, inturn, told all he knew of the affair, and identified the prisoner in thebox as the same man who entered their room in the dead of night. Ludwigwas surprised to find that the robber was a man of ordinarysize--especially after he had described him, under oath, to the Court asa tremendous fellow, with great square shoulders, and legs of prodigiousweight. Jacob swore that he was awakened by the robber kicking andthrashing upon the floor; and, immediately afterward, Peter and the rest(feeling sorry that they had not explained the matter to their sleepycomrade) testified that the man had not moved a muscle from the momentthe point of the dagger touched his throat, until, bound from head tofoot, he was rolled over for inspection. The landlord's daughter madeone boy blush, and all the court smile, by declaring that, "if it hadn'tbeen for that handsome young gentleman there" (pointing to Peter) they"might have all been murdered in their beds; for the dreadful man had agreat, shining knife most as long as your honor's arm," and _she_believed "the handsome young gentleman had struggled hard enough to getit away from him, but he was too modest, bless him! to say so."
Finally, after a little questioning, and cross-questioning from thepublic Prosecutor the witnesses were dismissed, and the robber washanded over to the consideration of the Criminal Court.
"The scoundrel!" said Carl, savagely, when the boys reached the street."He ought to be sent to jail at once. If I had been in your place,Peter, I certainly should have killed him outright!"
"He was fortunate, then, in falling into gentler hands," was Peter'squiet reply; "it appears he has been arrested before under a charge ofhouse-breaking. He did not succeed in robbing this time, but he brokethe door-fastenings, and that I believe makes a burglary in the eye ofthe law. He was armed with a knife, too, and that makes it worse forhim, poor fellow!"
"Poor fellow!" mimicked Carl; "one would think he was your brother!"
"So he is my brother, and yours, too, Carl Schummel, for that matter,"answered Peter, looking into Carl's eye. "We cannot say what we mighthave become under other circumstances. _We_ have been bolstered up fromevil, since the hour we were born. A happy home and good parents mighthave made that man a fine fellow instead of what he is. God grant thatthe law may cure and not crush him!"
"Amen to that!" said Lambert, heartily, while Ludwig van Holp looked athis brother in such a bright, proud way that Jacob Poot, who was an onlyson, wished from his heart that the little form buried in the old churchat home had lived to grow up beside him.
"Humph!" said Carl, "it's very well to be saintly and forgiving, and allthat sort of thing, but I'm naturally hard. All these fine ideas seem torattle off of me like hailstones--and it's nobody's business, either, ifthey do."
Peter recognized a touch of good feeling in this clumsy concession;holding out his hand, he said in a frank, hearty tone:
"Come, lad, shake hands, and let us be good friends even if we don'texactly agree on all questions."
"We do agree better than you think," sulked Carl, as he returned Peter'sgrasp.
"All right," responded Peter briskly. "Now Van Mounen, we awaitBenjamin's wishes. Where would he like to go?"
"To the Egyptian Museum," answered Lambert, after holding a briefconsultation with Ben.
"That is on the Breede Straat. To the Museum let it be. Come, boys!"