CHAPTER XXIX
CHECK AGAIN
Though the jongejuffrouw seemed inexpressibly tired and weak, herattitude toward Diogenes lost nothing of its cold aloofness. She waspeeping out under the hood of the sledge when he approached it, and atsight of him she immediately drew in her head.
"Will you deign to descend, mejuffrouw," he said with that slight toneof good-humoured mockery in his voice which had the power to irritateher. "Mynheer Ben Isaje, whose hospitality you will enjoy this night,lives some way up this narrow, insalubrious street, and he has bidden meto escort you to his house."
Silently, and with a great show of passive obedience, Gilda made readyto step out of the sledge.
"Come, Maria," she said curtly.
"The road is very slippery, mejuffrouw," he added warningly, "will younot permit me--for your own convenience' sake--to carry you as far asBen Isaje's door?"
"It would not be for my convenience, sir," she retorted haughtily, "anyou are so chivalrously inclined perhaps you would kindly convey mywaiting woman thither in your arms."
"At your service, mejuffrouw," he said with imperturbable good temper.
And without more ado, despite her screams and her struggles, he seizedMaria round her ample waist and round her struggling knees at the momentthat she was stepping out of the sledge in the wake of her mistress.
The lamp outside the hostel at the corner illumined for a momentGilda's pale, wearied face, and Diogenes saw that she was trying herbest to suppress an insistent outburst of laughter.
"Hey there!" he shouted, "Pythagoras, Socrates, follow the jongejuffrouwat a respectful distance and see that no harm come to her while I leadthe way with this featherweight in my arms."
Nor did he deposit Maria to the ground until he reached the door of BenIsaje's house; here, when the mevrouw began to belabour him with hertongue and with her fists, he turned appealingly to Gilda:
"Mejuffrouw," he said merrily, "is this abuse not unmerited? I did butobey your behests and see how I must suffer for mine obedience."
But Gilda vouchsafed him no reply, and in the darkness he could not seeif her face looked angered or smiling.
Ben Isaje, hearing the noise that went on outside his house, had alreadyhastened to open the door. He welcomed the jongejuffrouw with obsequiousbows. Behind him in the dark passage stood a lean and towzled-lookingserving woman of uncertain years who was as obsequious as her master.When Gilda, confused and wearied, and mayhap not a little tired,advanced timorously into the narrow passage, the woman rushed up to her,and almost kneeling on the floor in the lowliness of her attitude, shekissed the jongejuffrouw's hand.
Diogenes saw nothing more of Gilda and Maria after that. They vanishedinto the gloom up the ladder-like staircase, preceded by the towzled butamiable woman, who by her talk and clumsy attempts at service hadalready earned Maria's fulsome contempt.
"You, too, must be hungry, sir," murmured a smooth affable voice closeto Diogenes' elbow. "There is a bite and a drink ready for you; will yousup, sir, ere you go to bed?"
Before, however, following Ben Isaje into the shop Diogenes exchanged afew words with his brother philosophers, who, impassive andunquestioning, had escorted the jongejuffrouw to the door, and now stoodthere awaiting further orders. Diogenes suggested their getting supperand a bed in the hostelry at the top of the street in company with theirdriver; the horses too should all be stabled there.
"I am going to spend the night under this tumble-down roof," he said,"but remember to sleep with one eye open and be prepared for a summonsfrom me at any hour of the night or morning. Until that comes, however,do not leave the hostel. Care well for the horses, we may have need ofthem to-morrow. Good-night! pleasant dreams! Do not forget thatto-morrow five hundred guilders will fill each of your pockets. In themeanwhile here is the wherewithal to pay for bed and supper."
He gave them some money and then watched the two quaint figures, thelong one and the round one, until they were merged in the blackness ofthe narrow street. Then he went within. Ben Isaje once more closed andbolted the front door and the two men then went together into the shop.
Here an appetizing supper had been laid ready upon the table and acouple of tallow candles burned in pewter sconces.
Ben Isaje at once invited his guest to eat and drink.
"Not before we have settled our business together, master," said thelatter as he dragged a chair towards him, and sitting astride upon it,with his shapely legs thrust well out before him, he once more drew apaper from out the lining of his doublet.
"You are satisfied," he resumed after a slight pause, "that the ladywhom I have had the honour of bringing into your house is indeed theJongejuffrouw Gilda Beresteyn, sister of your client Mynheer NicolaesBeresteyn of Haarlem?"
"I am quite satisfied on that point," replied the Jew, whose thin, bentform under the rigid folds of the black kaftan looked curiously weird inthe feeble yellow light. His face was narrow and also waxlike in hue andthe flickering candle-light threw quaint, distorted shadows around hislong hooked nose.
"Then," said Diogenes blandly while he held out a folded paper to BenIsaje, "here is the bond signed by Mynheer Beresteyn wherein he ordersyou to pay me the sum of 3,000 guilders in consideration of the serviceswhich I have rendered him."
But Ben Isaje did not take the paper thus held out to him.
"It is too late," he said quietly, "to transact business to-night."
"Too late!" exclaimed Diogenes with a blunt oath. "What in thunder doyou mean?"
"I mean, sir, that you must try and curb your natural impatience untilto-morrow."
"But I will not curb mine impatience another moment, plepshurk," criedthe philosopher in a rage, "I have fulfilled my share of a bargain, 'tisonly a verdommte Keerl who would shirk paying his own share on thenail."
"Nor would Mynheer Beresteyn desire me to shirk his responsibilities, Iassure you," rejoined the Jew suavely, "and believe me, sir, that youwill not lose one grote by waiting until the morrow. Let a good supperand a comfortable bed freely offered you atone for this unimportantdelay. You still hold Mynheer Beresteyn's bond: to-morrow at the firstbusiness hour you shall be paid."
"But why any delay at all?" thundered Diogenes, who indeed misliked thisway of doing business. "Why not pay me the money now?--at once, I willgladly forego the supper and sit all night upon your doorstep, but havemy money in my pocket."
"Unfortunately, sir," said Ben Isaje with imperturbable amiability, "Iam quite helpless in the matter. I am not the sole master of thisbusiness, my wife's brother shares my profits and my obligations.Neither of us is at liberty to pay out a large sum of money, save in thepresence of the other."
"You and your partner know how to trust one another," said Diogenes witha laugh.
The Jew made no comment on this, only shrugged his shoulders in thatcalm manner peculiar to his race, which suggests the Orientalresignation to compelling fate.
Diogenes--inwardly fuming--thought over the matter very quietly for afew moments: it was obviously as useless to argue this matter out withBen Isaje, as it had been to combat his dictum anent the jongejuffrouwspending the night under his roof, and as usual the wholesome lesson oflife which the philosopher had learnt so thoroughly during hisadventurous career stood him in good stead now: the lesson was the onewhich taught him never to waste time, temper or words over a purposelessargument.
That one shrug of Isaje's shoulders had told him with dumb eloquencethat no amount of persuasion on his part would cause the banker toswerve from his determination. The money would be forthcoming on themorrow but not before, and there were ten picked men somewhere in thehouse at the present moment to prevent Diogenes from settling thismatter in a primitive and efficient way by using his fists.
So in this instance too--disappointed though he was--he quickly regainedhis good humour. After all, the Jew was right: a night's delay would notspell a loss, and was well compensated for by a good supper and cosybed.
With his habitual light-heart
ed laugh and careless shrug of theshoulders, he folded the paper up again and once more slipped itcarefully into the inner lining of his doublet.
"You are right, sir," he said, "'twere foolish to allow choler to spoilthe appetite. I am as hungry as the dog of a Spaniard. By your leaveI'll test the strength of your ale and to-morrow ere I leave your houseyou shall pay me over the money in the presence of your trustingbrother-in-law. Until then the bond remains with me, and I hold myselfresponsible for the safety of the jongejuffrouw. So I pray you be notsurprised if I forbid her removal from this house until I have exchangedthis bond for the sum of 3,000 guilders."
After which he drew his chair close to the table, and fell to all itsgood cheer with a hearty will. Ben Isaje, hospitable and affable to thelast, waited on him with his own hands.