CHAPTER XXVIII
CHECK
The room into which Diogenes now stepped looked at first sight to bealmost devoid of furniture: it was only when the Jew had entered andplaced the lanthorn down upon a wooden table at one end of the room thatthe philosopher realized where he was.
The dark low walls showed themselves lined with solid oak chests andpresses, each with massive hinges and locks, rusty and covered withdust, but firm enough to withstand for many an hour the depredations ofthieves. Ben Isaje was obviously a jeweller by trade and this was theshop where he kept his precious goods: no wonder then that he lookedwith obvious fear on his belated visitor with the powerful shoulders andvigorous limbs, seeing that to all appearances he was at the momentalone in the house.
Like all jewellers settled in the Dutch cities at this time Ben Isajecarried on a number of other trades--some of which were perhaps notaltogether avowable. He acted as banker and moneylender, and generalgo-between in financial transactions, some of which had political aims.Discretion was of necessity his chief stock-in-trade, and his smallcargo of scruples he had thrown overboard long ago.
He was as ready now to finance a conspiracy against the Stadtholder asagainst the Archduchess or Don John, provided he saw huge monetaryprofits in the deal, and received bribes with a calm conscience bothfrom Maurice of Nassau and the Lord of Stoutenburg. But once he wasliberally paid he would hold to his bond: it was only by keeping thegood graces of all political parties that he remained free frommolestation.
Diogenes had known exactly what to expect when Nicolaes Beresteyn gavehim the letter and bond to present to Ben Isaje; he was, therefore, notsurprised in the least when he saw before him the true type of financialagent whom already he had met more than once in his life before.
Ben Isaje, who was the depositary of vast sums of money placed in hishouse by clients of substance and of note, wore a long, greasy kaftan ofblack cloth, which was worn thread-bare at the elbows and the knees, andthe shop wherein he transacted business both for governments and privateindividuals which oft times involved several million guilders, had onlya few very ricketty chairs, one or two tables blackened with dirt andage, and a piece of tattered carpet in one corner as sole expressions ofcomfort.
But all these facts were of course none of Diogenes' business. At hishost's invitation he had sat down on one of the ricketty chairs and thenproceeded to extract some papers from out the inner lining of hisdoublet.
"It would save time," he began dryly, and seeing that the man still eyedhim with suspicion, "if you would cease to deny that you are Ben Isaje,jeweller of Rotterdam. I have here some papers which I must deliver intothe said Ben Isaje's own hands: they are writ by Mynheer NicolaesBeresteyn of Haarlem and do explain the purport of my visit here."
"From Nicolaes Beresteyn," quoth the other with an obvious sigh ofrelief. "Why did you not name him before, sir? I am always at MynheerNicolaes Beresteyn's commands. Indeed my name is Ben Isaje. An you havecause to doubt it, sir...."
"Dondersteen! but I never did doubt it, man, from the moment I saw theend of your hooked nose through the aperture of your door. So no moretalk now, I pray you. Time is getting on. Here is the letter whichMynheer Beresteyn bade me present to you."
He handed over the letter to Ben Isaje which was writ in Beresteyn's ownhand and duly signed with his own name. The Jew took it from him anddrawing a chair close to the light on the table he unfolded the paperand began to read.
Diogenes the while examined him attentively. He was the man who afterthis night would have charge of Gilda, at the bidding of her ownbrother; he--Diogenes--would after this night become a free agent, hispledge to Beresteyn would be redeemed and he would be free--in an hour'stime mayhap--to work for his own ends--to restore the jongejuffrouw toher sorrowing father, by taking her by force from this old Jew's keepingand returning with utmost speed and in utmost secrecy the very way hehad just come. A fortune of 500,000 guilders awaited him in Haarlem,provided he could cajole or threaten Gilda in keeping his share of heroriginal abduction a secret for all times.
How this could be done he had not yet thought on; but that it could bedone he had no manner of doubt. An interview with the lady either thisnight or on the morrow, a promise to take her back to her father at onceif she swore a solemn oath never to betray him, and he might be back inLeyden with her to-morrow eve and in possession of a fortune thefollowing day.
No wonder then, that with these happy thoughts whirling in his head, he
could scarcely restrain his temper while Ben Isaje read the long letterthrough, and then re-read it again a second time.
"Have you not finished, sir?" he exclaimed at last with markedimpatience, "meseems the letter is explicit enough."
"Quite explicit, sir, I thank you," replied Ben Isaje, as he slowlyfolded up the letter and slipped it into the pocket of his kaftan. "Iam to assure myself that the Jongejuffrouw Gilda Beresteyn, who is inyour charge, is safe and well and hath no grave complaints to makeagainst you, beyond that you did seize her by force in the streets ofHaarlem. After which I am to see that she is conveyed with respect andsafety to my own private house which is situate outside this city, or toany other place which I might think fitting, and there to keep her incomfort until such time as Mynheer Beresteyn desires. All that is quiteclearly set forth in the letter, sir, and also that in payment for yourservices you are to receive the sum of 3,000 guilders which I am to giveyou in exchange for the formal bond which you will duly present."
The Jew spoke very deliberately--too deliberately, in fact, forDiogenes' endurance. Now he broke in impatiently.
"Is that all that is set forth in the letter?"
The Jew smiled somewhat sardonically.
"Not quite all," he said, "there is, of course, question in it ofpayment to myself."
"And certain conditions too, I imagine, attached to such payment. I knowthat Mynheer Nicolaes Beresteyn is prudent beyond his years."
"There is but one condition, sir, which enjoins me to keep a watchfuleye on the jongejuffrouw once she is under my roof: to set a watch overher and her movements, and never, if possible, to let her out of mysight; he suggests that she might at any time make an attempt at escape,which he strictly commands me to frustrate, and in point of fact hedesires me to look upon his sister as a prisoner of war not even to belet out on parole."
Diogenes' low, prolonged whistle was his only comment on what he hadjust heard.
"Mynheer Beresteyn also suggests to me, sir," continued the Jew withmarked affability, "the advisability of keeping a watchful eye over youuntil such time as the jongejuffrouw is safely housed under my roof."
"You will find that injunction somewhat more difficult to follow, myfriend, than you imagine," retorted Diogenes with a ringing laugh, "anyou'll take my advice you will have extra watchmen posted outside yourdoor."
"I have valuable things as well as monies stored in this house, sir,"rejoined the Jew simply. "I have a picked guard of ten men sleeping hereevery night, and two watchmen outside my door until dawn."
Once more a long, low whistle escaped from the philosopher's lips.
"You are careful, my friend!" he said lightly.
"One has to be careful, sir, against thieves and house-breakers."
"And will your picked guard of ten men escort the jongejuffrouw to yourprivate house this night?"
But the other slowly shook his head in response.
"The lady and her escort," he said "must, I fear me, accept thehospitality of this hovel for to-night."
"But...."
"My wife is away, sir, visiting her father in Dordrecht. She will onlybe home to-morrow. In the meanwhile my house is empty, and I am spendingmy nights here as well as my days."
"But...."
"It will not be a great hardship for the jongejuffrouw, sir," broke inthe Jew again, "she will be made as comfortable for the night asmaybe--she and her attendant too. I have a serving woman here who willsee to the beds and the supper. Then to-morrow I can send a messe
nger tomy private house to prepare my wife the moment she arrives, against thecoming of the jongejuffrouw. 'Tis situate but half a league from here,and she would then be sure of a welcome equal to her worth."
Then as Diogenes was silent--since he felt perplexed and anxious at thisunlooked-for turn of events and this first check to his plans--Ben Isajecontinued with even greater affability than heretofore:
"Indeed, sir, and is it not better for the lady's own comfort? She willbe over-fatigued when she arrives, and delighted--I know--at finding anice bed and supper ready for her. Is it not all for the best?" hereiterated pleasantly.
But Diogenes was not satisfied. He did not like the idea of losing sightof Gilda altogether, quite so soon.
"I do not care to leave the jongejuffrouw," he said, "until I see hersafely on her way to your house."
"Nor need you leave her, sir. There is a small room at the back of thisshop, to which you are heartily welcome for the night. It is usuallyoccupied by some of my guard, but they can dispose themselves in otherrooms in the house. They are sturdy fellows, sir, and well-armed,"continued the Jew, not without significance, "and I trust that they willnot disturb you with their noise. Otherwise, sir, you are most welcometo sleep and sup under this roof."
Diogenes murmured vague thanks. Indeed, he was not a little troubled inhis mind. The plans which he had formed for the second abduction ofGilda would prove more difficult of execution than he had supposed. TheJew had more than the customary prudence of his race, and Beresteyn hadmade that prudence and the measures which it suggested a condition ofpayment.
Between the prudence of Beresteyn and that of Ben Isaje, it wasdifficult to see how an adventurous plan could succeed. Threephilosophers against a picked guard of ten men, with two more to keepwatch outside the door, did not seem a promising venture. But Diogeneswould not have been the happy-go-lucky soldier of fortune that he was,had he paused for long at this juncture in order to brood over likelyfailure, or had he not been willing to allow Chance a goodly share inthe working out of his destiny.
It certainly was useless to argue any of these matters further with BenIsaje; fate had willed it that the philosopher should spend this nightunder the same roof as the jongejuffrouw with a watch of twelve pickedmen--not counting the Jew himself--set over him, and to rebel againstthat fate now were puerile and useless.
So he murmured more audible thanks for the proffered hospitality, andput on as good-humoured an air over the matter as he could.
From the distance now there came the sound of jingling bells and theclatter of horses' hoofs upon the cobble-stones of the streets.
"'Tis the jongejuffrouw," exclaimed Diogenes, springing to his feet.
"The sledge cannot turn into this narrow way," rejoined Ben Isaje, "willyou go meet the lady, sir, at the top of the street where she must needsdismount, and escort her hither, while I go to give orders to theserving woman. Your men," he added, as Diogenes at once rose and went tothe door, "and the horses can put up at the hostelry close by where nodoubt they have halted even now."
But already Diogenes was half way down the passage; soon he was at thefront door fumbling in the dark for the heavy bolts. Ben Isaje followedhim more deliberately, lanthorn in hand. He unlocked the door, and thenext moment Diogenes was once more out in the street, walking rapidly inthe direction whence came the occasional pleasing sound of the tinklingof sleigh-bells.