CHAPTER XVI
LEYDEN
It seemed that from some church tower far away a clock struck the hourof midnight when the sledge at last came to a halt.
Worn out with nerve-racking thoughts, as well as with the cruel monotonyof the past four hours, Gilda felt her soul and body numb and lifelessas a stone. There was much running and shouting round the vehicle, ofhorses' hoofs resounding against rough cobble-stones, of calls forostler and landlord.
Then for awhile comparative quietude. Maria still snored unperturbed,and Gilda, wide-eyed and with beating heart, awaited further events.Firstly the hood of the sledge in which she lay was lifted off: shecould hear the ropes and straps being undone, the tramp of feet allround her and an occasional volley of impatient oaths. Then out of thedarkness a pleasant voice called her somewhat peremptorily by name.
"Mejuffrouw Beresteyn!"
She did not reply, but lay quite still, with wide-open eyes like a birdthat has been tracked and knows that it is watched. Maria uttered a loudgroan and tried to roll over on her side.
"Where have those murderers taken us to now?" she muttered through theveil that still enveloped her mouth.
The pleasant voice close to Gilda's ear, now called out more loudly:
"Here, Pythagoras, Socrates! lift the mevrouw out of the sleigh andcarry her up to the room which the landlord hath prepared for theladies."
Maria immediately gave vent to violent shrieks of protest.
"How dare ye touch me!" she screamed at the top of her voice, "yemurdering devils dare but lay a finger on a respectable woman and Godwill punish you with pestilence and dislocation and ..."
It must be presumed that neither Pythagoras nor Socrates were greatlyupset by the mevrouw's curses, for Gilda, who was on the alert for everymovement and for every sound, was well aware that Maria's highlyrespectable person was presently seized by firm hands, that the shawlround her face was pressed more tightly against her mouth--for herscreams sounded more muffled--and that despite her struggles, her criesand her kicking she was lifted bodily out of the sledge.
When these disquieting sounds had died down the same pleasant voicebroke in once again on Gilda's obstinate silence.
"Mejuffrouw Beresteyn!" it reiterated once again.
"Dondersteen! but 'tis no use lying mum there, and pretending to beasleep," it continued after awhile, since Gilda certainly had taken nonotice of the call, "that old woman made enough noise to wake the dead."
Still not a sound from Gilda, who--more like a cowering bird thanever--was trying with widely-dilated eyes to pierce the darkness aroundher, in order to see something of the enemy. She saw the outline of aplumed hat like a patch of ink against the sky above, and also a pair ofvery broad shoulders that were stooping toward the floor of the sledge.
"Hey!" shouted the enemy with imperturbable cheerfulness, "leave thatdoor wide open, I'll carry the jongejuffrouw in myself. She seems to beunconscious."
The words roused Gilda out of her attitude of rigid silence,--the wordswhich she looked on as an awful threat, and also the sensation that theloose bonds which had pinioned her down to the vehicle were beingundone.
"I am not unconscious," she said aloud and quite calmly, "and was quiteaware just now that you laid rough hands on a helpless woman. Since I amequally helpless and in your power I pray you to command what I mustdo."
"Come! that's brave! I knew that you could not be asleep," rejoined theenemy with inveterate good-humour, "but for the moment, mejuffrouw, Imust ask you to descend from this sleigh. It has been a vastlyuncomfortable vehicle for you to travel in, I fear me, but it was thebest that we could get in Haarlem on New Year's day. An you will deignto enter this humble hostelry you will find the mevrouw there, amoderately good supper and something resembling a bed, all of which I amthinking will be highly acceptable to you."
While the enemy spoke, Gilda had a few seconds in which to reflect.Above all things she was a woman of sense and one who valued her owndignity; she knew quite well that the making of a scene outside an innin a strange town and at this hour of the night could but result in aloss of that dignity which she so highly prized, seeing that she wasentirely at the mercy of men who were not likely to yield either to herprotests or to her appeals.
Therefore, when she felt that she was free to move, she made everyeffort to raise herself; uncomfortably these long hours of wearymotionless lying on her back, had made her limbs so numb that theyrefused her service. She made one or two brave attempts to hide herhelplessness, but when she wanted to draw up her knees, she nearly criedwith the pain of trying to move them out of their cramped position.
"It were wiser methinks," quoth the enemy with a slight tone of mockeryin his cheerful voice, "it were wiser to accept the help of my arms.They are strong, firm and not cramped. Try them, mejuffrouw, you willhave no cause to regret it."
Quite involuntarily--for of a truth she shrank from the mere touch ofthis rascal who obviously was in the pay of Stoutenburg, and doing thelatter's infamous work for him--quite involuntarily then, she placed herhand upon the arm which he had put out as a prop for her.
It was as firm as a rock. Leaning on it somewhat heavily she was able tostruggle to her knees. This made her venturesome. She tried to stand up;but fatigue, the want of food, the excitement and anxiety which she hadendured, combined with the fact that she had been in a recumbentposition for many hours, caused her to turn desperately giddy. Sheswayed like a young sapling under the wind, and would have fallen butthat the same strong arm firm as a rock was there to receive her ere shefell.
I suppose that dizziness deprived her of her full senses, else she wouldnever have allowed that knave to lift her out of the sledge and then tocarry her into a building, and up some narrow and very steep stairs. Butthis Diogenes did do, with but scant ceremony; he thought her protestsfoolish, and her attempts at lofty disdain pitiable. She was after allbut a poor, helpless scrap of humanity, so slight and frail that as hecarried her into the house, there was grave danger of his crushing herinto nothingness as she lay in his arms.
Despite her pride and her aloofness he found it in his heart to pity herjust now. Had she been fully conscious she would have hated to seeherself pillowed thus against the doublet of so contemptible a knave;and here she was absolutely handed over body and soul to a namelessstranger, who in her sight, was probably no better than a menial--andthis by the cynical act of one who next to her father was her mostnatural protector.
Yes, indeed he did pity her, for she seemed to him more than ever likethat poor little song-bird whom a lout had tortured for his own pleasureby plucking out its feathers one by one. It seemed monstrous that sodelicate a creature should be the victim of men's intrigues andpassions. Why! even! her breath had the subtle scent of tulips as itfanned his cheeks and nostrils when he stooped in order to look on her.
In the meanwhile he had been as good as his word. He had pushed on toLeyden in advance of the cortege, had roused the landlord of thishostelry and the serving wenches, and scattered money so freely thatdespite the lateness of the hour a large square room--the best in thehouse, and scrupulously clean as to the red-tiled floor and walnutfurniture--was at once put at the disposal of the ladies of so noble atravelling company.
The maids were sent flying hither and thither, one into the kitchen tomake ready some hot supper, the other to the linen press to find thefinest set of bed linen all sweetly laid by in rosemary.
Diogenes, still carrying Gilda, pushed the heavy panelled door open withhis foot, and without looking either to right or left of him madestraight for the huge open hearth, wherein already logs of pinewood hadbeen set ablaze, and beside which stood an armchair, covered withUtrecht velvet.
Into its inviting and capacious depths he deposited his inanimateburden, and only then did he become aware of two pairs of eyes, whichwere fixed upon him with very different expression. A buxom wench inample wide kirtle of striped duffle, had been busy when he entered inspreading clean linen sheets upon the narrow li
ttle bed built in thepanelling of the room. From under her quaint winged cap of starched lacea pair of very round eyes, blue as the Ryn, peeped in naive undisguisedadmiration on the intruder, whilst from beneath her disordered coifMaria threw glances of deadly fury upon him.
Could looks but kill, Maria certes would have annihilated the low rascalwho had dared to lay hands upon the noble jongejuffrouw. But our friendDiogenes was not a man to be perturbed either by admiring or condemninglooks. He picked up a footstool from under the table and put it underthe jongejuffrouw's feet; then he looked about him for a pillow, andwith scant ceremony took one straight out of the hands of the servingwench who was just shaking it up ready for the bed. His obviousintention was to place it behind the jongejuffrouw's head, but at thisact of unforgivable presumption Maria's wrath cast aside all restraint.Like a veritable fury she strode up to the insolent rascal, and snatchedthe pillow from him, throwing on him such a look of angry contempt asshould have sent him grovelling on his knees.
"Keep thy blood cool, mevrouw," he said with the best of humour, "thylooks have already made a weak-kneed coward of me."
With the dignity of an offended turkey hen, Maria arranged the pillowherself under her mistress's head, having previously shaken it andcarefully dusted off the blemish caused upon its surface by contact withan unclean hand. As for the footstool, she would not even allow it toremain there where that same unclean hand had placed it; she kicked itaside with her foot and drew up her small, round stature in acomprehensive gesture of outraged pride.
Diogenes made her a low bow, sweeping the floor with his plumed hat. Theserving wench had much ado to keep a serious countenance, so comical didthe mevrouw look in her wrath, and so mirth-provoking the gentleman withhis graceful airs and unruffled temper. Anon laughter tickled her sothat she had to run quickly out of the room, in order to indulge in afit of uncontrolled mirth, away from the reproving glances of mevrouw.
It was the pleasant sound of that merry laughter outside the door thatcaused the jongejuffrouw to come to herself and to open wide, wonderingeyes. She looked around her, vaguely puzzled, taking in the details ofthe cosy room, the crackling fire, the polished table, the inviting bedthat exhaled an odour of dried rosemary.
Then her glance fell on Diogenes, who was standing hat in hand in thecentre of the room, with the light from the blazing logs playing uponhis smiling face, and the immaculate whiteness of his collar.
She frowned. And he who stood there--carelessly expectant--could nothelp wondering whether with that swift contemptuous glance which shethrew on him, she had already recognized him.
"Mejuffrouw," he said, thus checking with a loud word the angryexclamation which hovered on her lips, "if everything here is notentirely in accordance with your desires, I pray you but to command andit shall be remedied if human agency can but contrive to do so. As forme, I am entirely at your service--your major domo, your servant, youroutrider, anything you like to name me. Send but for your servant if youhave need of aught; supper will be brought up to you immediately, and inthe meanwhile I beg leave to free you from my unwelcome company."
Already there was a goodly clatter of platters, and of crockery outside,and as the wench re-entered anon bearing a huge tray on which were setout several toothsome things, Diogenes contrived to make his exitwithout encountering further fusillades of angry glances.
He joined his friends in the tap-room downstairs, and as he was young,vigorous and hungry he set to with them and ate a hearty supper. But hespoke very little and the rough jests of his brother philosophers metwith but little response from him.