CHAPTER XI
THE BARGAIN
There had been silence in the great, bare work-room for some time,silence only broken by Beresteyn's restless pacing up and down thewooden floor. Diogenes had resumed his seat, his shrewd glance followingevery movement of the other man, every varied expression of his face.
At last Nicolaes came to a halt opposite to him.
"Am I to understand then, sir," he asked, looking Diogenes straightbetween the eyes and affecting not to note the mocking twinkle withinthem, "that you accept my proposition and that you are prepared to do meservice?"
"Absolutely, sir," replied the other.
"Then shall we proceed with the details?"
"An it please you."
"You will agree to do me service for the sum of 4,000 guilders?"
"In gold."
"Of course. For this sum you will convey Jongejuffrouw Beresteyn out ofHaarlem, conduct her with a suitable escort and in perfect safety toRotterdam and there deliver her into the hands of Mynheer Ben Isaje--thebanker--who does a vast amount of business for me and is entirely andmost discreetly devoted to my interests. His place of business issituated on the Schiedamsche Straat and is a house well known to everyone in Rotterdam seeing that Mynheer Ben Isaje is the richestmoney-lending Jew in the city."
"That is all fairly simple, sir," assented Diogenes.
"You will of course tender me your oath of secrecy."
"My word of honour, sir. If I break that I would be as likely to breakan oath."
"Very well," said Beresteyn after a moment's hesitation during which hetried vainly to scrutinize a face which he had already learned was quiteinscrutable. "Shall we arrange the mode of payment then?"
"If you please."
"How to obtain possession of the person of the jongejuffrouw is not mybusiness to tell you. Let me but inform you that to-day being New Year'sday she will surely go to evensong at the cathedral and that her wayfrom our home thither will lead her along the bank of the Oude Grachtbetween the Zijl Straat where our house is situate and the Hout Straatwhich debouches on the Groote Markt. You know the bank of the OudeGracht better than I do, sir, so I need not tell you that it is lonely,especially at the hour when evensong at the cathedral is over. Thejongejuffrouw is always escorted in her walks by an elderly duenna whomyou will of course take to Rotterdam, so that she may attend on mysister on the way, and by two serving men whose combined courage is not,of course, equal to your own. This point, therefore, I must leave you toarrange in accordance with your desire."
"I thank you, sir."
"In the same way it rests with you what arrangements you make for thejourney itself; the providing of a suitable carriage and of an adequateescort I leave entirely in your hands."
"Again I thank you."
"I am only concerned with the matter itself, and with the payment whichI make to you for your services. As for your route, you will leaveHaarlem by the Holy Cross gate and proceed straight to Bennebrock, amatter of a league or so. There I will meet you at the half-way housewhich stands at the cross-roads where a signpost points the way toLeyden. The innkeeper there is a friend of mine, whose naturaldiscretion has been well nurtured by frequent gifts from me. He hathname Praff, and will see to the comfort of my sister and of her duenna,while you and I settle the first instalment of our business, quiteunbeknown to her. There, sir, having assured myself that my sister issafe and in your hands, I will give over to you the sum of 1,000guilders, together with a letter writ by me to the banker Ben Isaje ofRotterdam. He knows Jongejuffrouw Beresteyn well by sight, and in myletter I will ask him, firstly, to ascertain from herself if she is welland safe, and secondly to see that she is at once conveyed, still underyour escort, to his private residence which is situate some littledistance out of the city between Schiedam and Overschie on the way toDelft, and lastly, to hand over to you the balance of 3,000 guildersstill due then by me to you."
He paused a moment to draw breath after the lengthy peroration, then, asDiogenes made no comment, he said somewhat impatiently:
"I hope, sir, that all these arrangements meet with your approval!"
"They fill me with profound respect for you, sir, and admiration foryour administrative capacities," replied Diogenes, with studiedpoliteness.
"Indeed I do flatter myself ..." quoth the other.
"Not without reason, sir. The marvellous way in which you have providedfor the safety of three-fourths of your money, and hardly at all forthat of your sister, fills me with envy which I cannot control."
"Insolent...."
"No, no, my good sir," interposed Diogenes blandly, "we have alreadyagreed that we are not going to quarrel, you and I ... we have too greata need for one another; for that 3,000 guilders--which, afterdeductions, will be my profit in this matter--means a fortune to apenniless adventurer, and you are shrewd enough to have gauged thatfact, else you had not come to me with such a proposal. I will do youservice, sir, for the 3,000 guilders which will enable me to live a lifeof independence in the future, and also for another reason, which Iwould not care to put into words, and which you, sir, would fail tounderstand. So let us say no more about all these matters. I agree toyour proposals and you accept my services. To-night at ten o'clock Iwill meet you at the half-way house which stands in the hamlet ofBennebrock at the cross-roads where a signpost points the way toLeyden."
"To-night! That's brave!" exclaimed Beresteyn. "You read my thoughts,sir, even before I could tell you that delay in this affair would renderit useless."
"To-night then, sir," said Diogenes in conclusion, "I pray you have nofear of failure. The jongejuffrouw will sleep at Leyden, or somewherenear there, this night. The city is distant but half-a-dozen leagues,and we can reach it easily by midnight. From thence in the morning wecan continue our journey, and should be in sight of Rotterdamtwenty-four hours later. For the rest, as you say, the manner of ourjourney doth not concern you. If the frost continues and we can travelby sledge all the way we could reach Rotterdam in two days; in anyevent, even if a thaw were to set in we should not be more than threedays on the way."
He rose from his chair and stood now facing Beresteyn. His tall figure,stretched to its full height, seemed to tower above the other man,though the latter was certainly not short; but Diogenes lookedmassive--a young lion sniffing the scent of the desert. The mockingglance, the curve of gentle irony were still there in eyes and mouth,but the nostrils quivered with excitement, with the spirit of adventurewhich never slept so soundly but that it awakened at a word.
"And now, sir," he said, "there are two matters both of equalimportance, which we must settle ere I can get to work."
"What may these be, sir?"
"Firstly the question of money. I have not the wherewithal to makepreparations. I shall have to engage a sleigh for to-night, horses, anescort as far as Leyden. I shall have to make payments for promises ofsecrecy...."
"That is just, sir. Would 200 guilders meet this difficulty?"
"Five hundred would be safer," said Diogenes airily, "and you may deductthat sum from your first payment at Bennebrock."
Beresteyn did not choose to notice the impertinent tone which rangthrough the other man's speech. Without wasting further words, he took apurse from his wallet, and sitting down on one corner of the model'splatform, he emptied the contents of the purse upon it.
He counted out five hundred guilders, partly in silver and partly ingold. These he replaced in the purse and then handed it over toDiogenes. The latter had not moved from his position during this time,standing as he did at some little distance so that Beresteyn had to getup in order to hand him the money. Diogenes acknowledged its receiptwith a courteous bow.
"And what is the other matter, sir?" asked Nicolaes, after he had placedthe rest of his money back into his wallet, "what is the other matterwhich we have failed to settle?"
"The jongejuffrouw, sir.... I am a comparative stranger in Haarlem.... Ido not know the illustrious lady by sight."
"True, I had not
thought of that. But this omission can very easily beremedied ... if you, sir, will kindly call our friend Hals; he has, an Imistake not, more than one sketch of my sister in his studio and ahalf-finished portrait of her as well."
"Then I pray you, sir," rejoined Diogenes airily, "do you go andacquaint our mutual friend of your desire to show me the half-finishedportrait of the jongejuffrouw, for I must now exchange this gorgeousdoublet of a prosperous cavalier for one more suited to this day'spurpose."
And he immediately proceeded to undress without paying the slightestheed to Beresteyn's look of offended dignity.
It was no use being angry with this independent knave; NicolaesBeresteyn had found that out by now, therefore he thought it best toappear indifferent to this new display of impudence and himself to goand seek out Frans Hals as if this had been his own intention all along.
Inwardly fuming but without uttering another word he turned on his heeland went out of the room, slamming the door to behind him.