CHAPTER FORTY ONE.
IN WHICH IS SHOWN HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO TELL A SECRET.
Mr Vanslyperken received orders to attend with his boat upon hismajesty's landing, which took place in about a quarter of an hourafterwards, amidst another war of cannon.
King William was received by the authorities at the landing-stairs, andfrom thence he stepped into the carriage awaiting him, and drove off tohis palace at the Hague; much to the relief of Mr Vanslyperken, whofelt ill at ease in the presence of his sovereign. When his majesty puthis foot on shore, the foremost to receive him, in virtue of his office,was the syndic Mynheer Van Krause, who, in full costume of gown, chains,and perriwig, bowed low, as his majesty advanced, expecting, as usual,the gracious smile and friendly nod of his sovereign; but to hismortification, his reverence was returned with a grave, if not sternair, and the king passed him without further notice. All the courtiersalso, who had been accustomed to salute, and to exchange a few wordswith him, to his astonishment turned their heads another way. At first,Mynheer Van Krause could hardly believe his senses; he who had alwaysbeen so graciously received, who had been considered most truly as sucha staunch supporter of his king, to be neglected, mortified in this way,and without cause. Instead of following his majesty to his carriage,with the rest of the authorities, he stood still and transfixed, thecarriage drove off, and the syndic hardly replying to some questions putto him, hurried back to his own house in a state of confusion andvexation almost indescribable. He hastened up-stairs and entered theroom of Ramsay, who was very busy with the despatches which he hadreceived.
"Well, Mynheer Van Krause, how is his majesty looking?" inquired Ramsay,who knew that the syndic had been down to receive him on his landing.
Mynheer Krause threw himself down in a chair, threw open his gown, anduttered a deep sigh.
"What is the matter, my dear sir? you appear ruffled," continued Ramsay,who from the extracts made by Vanslyperken from the despatches, wasaware that suspicions had been lodged against his host.
"Such treatment--to one of his most devoted followers," exclaimedKrause, at last, who then entered into a detail of what had occurred.
"Such is the sweet aspect, the smile we would aspire to of kings,Mynheer Krause."
"But there must be some occasion for all this," observed the syndic.
"No doubt of it," replied Ramsay--"some reason--but not a just one."
"That is certain," replied the syndic; "some one must have maligned meto his majesty."
"It may be," replied Ramsay, "but there may be other causes: kings aresuspicious, and subjects may be too rich and too powerful. There aremany paupers among the favourites of his majesty, who would be very gladto see your property confiscated, and you cast into prison."
"But, my dear sir--"
"You forget also that the Jacobites are plotting, and have been plottingfor years; that conspiracy is formed upon conspiracy, that when sosurrounded and opposed, that kings will be suspicious."
"But his majesty King William--"
"Firmly attached, and loyal as I am to my sovereign, Mynheer Krause, Ido not think that King William is more to be relied upon than KingJames. Kings are but kings: they will repay the most important servicesby smiles, and the least doubtful act with the gibbet. I agree with youthat some one must have maligned you; but allow me to make a remark,that if once suspicion or dislike enters into a royal breast, there isno effacing it; a complete verdict of innocence will not do it; it islike the sapping of one of the dams of this country, Mynheer Krause--theadmission of water is but small at first, but it increases andincreases, till it ends in a general inundation."
"But I must demand an audience of his majesty, and explain."
"Explain--the very attempt will be considered as a proof of your guilt;no, no, as a sincere friend I should advise you to be quiet, and to takesuch steps as the case requires. That frown, that treatment of you inpublic, is sufficient to tell me that you must prepare for the event.Can you expect a king to publicly retract?"
"Retract! no--I do not require a public apology from my sovereign."
"But if, having frowned upon you publicly, he again smiles upon youpublicly, he does retract. He acknowledges that he was in error, and itbecomes a public apology."
"God in heaven! then I am lost," replied the syndic, throwing himselfback in his chair. "Do you really think so, Mynheer Ramsay?"
"I do not say that you are lost. At present, you have only lost thefavour of the king; but you can do without that, Mynheer Krause."
"Do without that!--but you do not know that without that I am lost. AmI not syndic of this town of Amsterdam, and can I expect to hold such animportant situation if I am out of favour?"
"Very true, Mynheer Krause; but what can be done? you are assailed inthe dark; you do not know the charges brought against you, and thereforecannot refute or parry them."
"But what charges can they bring against me?"
"There can be but one charge against a person in your high situation--that of disaffection."
"Disaffection! I who am and have always been so devoted!"
"The most disaffected generally appear the most devoted; Mynheer Krause,that will not help you."
"My God! then," exclaimed Krause, with animation, "what will, if loyaltyis to be construed into a sign of disaffection?"
"Nothing," replied Ramsay, coolly. "Suspicion in the heart of a king isnever to be effaced, and disaffection may be magnified into hightreason."
"Bless me!" exclaimed Van Krause, crossing his hands on his heart inutter despair. "My dear Mynheer Ramsay, will you give me your opinionhow I should act?"
"There is no saying how far you may be right in your conjectures,Mynheer Krause," replied Ramsay: "you may have have been mistaken."
"No, no, he frowned--looked cross--I see his face now."
"Yes, but a little thing will sour the face of royalty; his corn mayhave pinched him at the time, he might have had a twinge in the bowels--his voyage may have affected him."
"He smiled upon others, upon my friend Engelback, very graciously."
This was the very party who had prepared the charges against Krause--hisown very particular friend.
"Did he?" replied Ramsay. "Then, depend upon it, that's the very manwho has belied you."
"What, Engelback? my particular friend?"
"Yes, I should imagine so. Tell me, Mynheer Krause, I trust you havenever entrusted to him the important secrets which I have made youacquainted with, for if you have, your knowledge of them would be quitesufficient."
"My knowledge of them! I really cannot understand that. How can myknowledge of what is going on among the king's friends and counsellorsbe a cause of suspicion?"
"Why, Mynheer Krause, because the king is surrounded by many who areretained from policy and fear of them. If these secrets are made knowncontrary to oath, is it not clear that the parties so revealing themmust be no sincere friends of his majesty's, and will it not benaturally concluded that those who have possession of them are equallyhis open or secret enemies?"
"But then, Mynheer Ramsay, by that rule you must be his majesty'senemy."
"That does not follow, Mynheer Krause; I may obtain the secrets fromthose who are not so partial to his majesty as they are to me, but thatdoes not disprove my loyalty. To expose them would of course render meliable to suspicion--but I guard them carefully."
"I have not told a word to a soul, but to you, my dear Mynheer Krause,and I have felt assured that you were much too loyal to make known toany one, what it was your duty to your king to keep secret; surely,Mynheer Krause, you have not trusted that man?"
"I may have given a hint or so--I'm afraid that I did; but he is my mostparticular friend."
"If that is the case," replied Ramsay, "I am not at all surprised at theking's frowning on you: Engelback having intelligence from you, supposedto be known only to the highest authorities, has thought it his duty tocommunicate it to Government, and you are now suspected."<
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"God in heaven! I wish I never had your secrets, Mynheer Ramsay. Itappears, then, that I have committed treason without knowing it."
"At all events, you have incurred suspicion. It is a pity that youmentioned what I confided to you: but what's done cannot be helped; youmust now be active."
"What must I, my dear friend?"
"Expect the worst and be prepared for it--you are wealthy, Mr VanKrause, and that will not be in your favour, it will only hasten theexplosion, which, sooner or later, will take place. Remit as much ofyour money as you can to where it will be secure from the spoilers.Convert all that you can into gold, that you may take advantage of thefirst opportunity, if necessary, of flying from their vengeance. Do allthis very quietly. Go on, as usual, as if nothing had occurred--talkwith your friend Engelback--perform your duties as syndic. It may blowover, although I am afraid not. At all events you will have, in allprobability, some warning, as they will displace you as syndic beforethey proceed further. I have only one thing to add. I am your guest,and depend upon it shall share your fortune whatever it may be; if youare thrown into prison, I am certain to be sent there also. You maytherefore command me as you please. I will not desert you, you maydepend upon it."
"My dear young man, you are indeed a friend, and your advice is good.My poor Wilhelmina, what would become of her?"
"Yes, indeed: used to luxury--her father in prison, perhaps his head atthe gates--his whole property confiscated, and all because he had theearliest intelligence. Such is the reward of loyalty."
"Yes, indeed," repeated the syndic, "`put not your trust in princes,'says the psalmist. If such is to be the return for my loyalty--butthere is no time to lose. I must send, this post, to Hamburgh andFrankfort. Many thanks, my dear friend, for your kind counsel, which Ishall follow;" so saying, Mynheer Krause went to his room, threw off hisgown and chains in a passion, and hastened to his counting--house towrite his important letters.
We may now take this opportunity of informing the reader of what hadoccurred in the house of the syndic. Ramsay had, as may be supposed,gained the affections of Wilhelmina; had told his love, and received heracknowledgment in return; he had also gained such a power over her, thatshe had agreed to conceal their attachment from her father; as Ramsaywished first, he asserted, to be possessed of a certain property whichhe daily expected would fall to him, and until that, he did not thinkthat he had any right to aspire to the hand of Wilhelmina.
That Ramsay was most seriously in love there was no doubt; he would havewedded Wilhelmina, even if she had not a six-pence; but, at the sametime, he was too well aware of the advantages of wealth not to fullyappreciate it, and he felt the necessity and the justice to Wilhelmina,that she should not be deprived, by his means, of those luxuries towhich she had been brought up. But here there was a difficulty, arisingfrom his espousing the very opposite cause to that espoused by MynheerKrause, for the difference of religion he very rightly considered as amere trifle compared with the difference in political feelings. He hadalready weaned Wilhelmina from the political bias imbibed from herfather, and his connexions, without acquainting her with his belongingto the opposite party, for the present. It had been his intention, assoon as his services were required elsewhere, to have demandedWilhelmina's hand from her father, still leaving him in error as to hispolitics; and by taking her with him, after the marriage, to the courtof St. Germain, to have allowed Mynheer Krause to think what he pleased,but not to enter into any explanation: but, as Ramsay truly observed,Mynheer Krause had, by his not retaining the secrets confided to him,rendered himself suspected, and once suspected with King William, hisdisgrace, if not ruin, was sure to follow. This fact, so important toRamsay's plans, had been communicated in the extracts made byVanslyperken from the last despatches, and Ramsay had been calculatingthe consequences when Mynheer Krause returned discomfited from thepresence of the king.
That Ramsay played a very diplomatic game in the conversation which wehave repeated is true; but still it was the best game for Krause as wellas for his own interests, as the events will show. We must, however,remind the reader that Ramsay had no idea whatever of the doubletreachery on the part of Vanslyperken, in copying all the letters sentby and to him, us well as extracting from the Government despatches.
"My dearest Edward, what has detained you so long from me this morning,"inquired Wilhelmina when he entered the music-room, about an hour afterhis conversation with the syndic.
Ramsay then entered into the detail of what had occurred, and wove insuch remarks of his own as were calculated to disgust Wilhelmina withthe conduct of King William, and to make her consider her father as aninjured man. He informed her of the advice he had given him, and thenpointed out to her the propriety of her enforcing his following it withall the arguments of persuasion in her power.
Wilhelmina's indignation was roused; and she did not fail, when speakingwith her father, to rail in no measured tones against the king, and topress him to quit a country where he had been so ill-used. MynheerKrause felt the same; his pride had been severely injured; and it may betruly said, that one of the staunchest adherents of the Protestant Kingwas lost by a combination of circumstances as peculiar as they wereunexpected.
In the meantime, the corporal had gone on shore as usual, and made thewidow acquainted with the last attempt upon Smallbones, and the revengeof the ship's company. Babette had also done her part.
She had found out that Ramsay lived in the house of the syndic, and thathe was the passenger brought over by Vanslyperken in the cutter.
The widow, who had now almost arranged her plans, received Vanslyperkenmore amicably than ever; anathematised the supposed defunct Smallbones;shed tears over the stump of Snarleyyow, and asked Vanslyperken when heintended to give up the nasty cutter and live quietly on shore.