Lysbeth, a Tale of the Dutch
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CHAPTER XVIII
FOY SEES A VISION
Never since that day when, many years before, she had bought the safetyof the man she loved by promising herself in marriage to his rival, hadLysbeth slept so ill as she did upon this night. Montalvo was alive.Montalvo was here, here to strike down and destroy those whom she loved,and triple armed with power, authority, and desire to do the deed. Wellshe knew that when there was plunder to be won, he would not step asideor soften until it was in his hands. Yet there was hope in this; he wasnot a cruel man, as she knew also, that is to say, he had no pleasurein inflicting suffering for its own sake; such methods he used only as ameans to an end. If he could get the money, all of it, she was sure thathe would leave them alone. Why should he not have it? Why should alltheir lives be menaced because of this trust which had been thrust uponthem?
Unable to endure the torments of her doubts and fears, Lysbeth woke herhusband, who was sleeping peacefully at her side, and told him what waspassing in her mind.
"It is a true saying," answered Dirk with a smile, "that even the bestof women are never quite honest when their interest pulls the other way.What, wife, would you have us buy our own peace with Brant's fortune,and thus break faith with a dead man and bring down his curse upon us?"
"The lives of men are more than gold, and Elsa would consent," sheanswered sullenly; "already this pelf is stained with blood, the bloodof Hendrik Brant himself, and of Hans the pilot."
"Yes, wife, and since you mention it, with the blood of a good manySpaniards also, who tried to steal the stuff. Let's see; there must havebeen several drowned at the mouth of the river, and quite twenty wentup with the _Swallow_, so the loss has not been all on our side. Listen,Lysbeth, listen. It was my cousin, Hendrik Brant's, belief that in theend this great fortune of his would do some service to our people or ourcountry, for he wrote as much in his will and repeated it to Foy. I knownot when or in what fashion this may come about; how can I know? Butfirst will I die before I hand it over to the Spaniard. Moreover, Icannot, since its secret was never told to me."
"Foy and Martin have it."
"Lysbeth," said Dirk sternly, "I charge you as you love me not to workupon them to betray their trust; no, not even to save my life or yourown--if we must die, let us die with honour. Do you promise?"
"I promise," she answered with dry lips, "but on this condition only,that you fly from Leyden with us all, to-night if maybe."
"Good," answered Dirk, "a halfpenny for a herring; you have made yourpromise, and I'll give you mine; that's fair, although I am old to seeka new home in England. But it can't be to-night, wife, for I must makearrangements. There is a ship sailing to-day, and we might catch herto-morrow at the river's mouth, after she has passed the officers, forher captain is a friend of mine. How will that do?"
"I had rather it had been to-night," said Lysbeth. "While we are inLeyden with that man we are not safe from one hour to the next."
"Wife, we are never safe. It is all in the hands of God, and, therefore,we should live like soldiers awaiting the hour to march, and rejoiceexceedingly when it pleases our Captain to sound the call."
"I know," she answered; "but, oh! Dirk, it would be hard--to part."
He turned his head aside for a moment, then said in a steady voice,"Yes, wife, but it will be sweet to meet again and part no more."