CHAPTER XVIII
Ghysbrecht Van Swieten could not sleep all night for anxiety. He wasafraid of thunder and lightning, or he would have made one of the partythat searched Peter's house. As soon as the storm ceased altogether,he crept downstairs, saddled his mule, and rode to the "Three Kings" atSevenbergen. There he found his men sleeping, some on the chairs, someon the tables, some on the floor. He roused them furiously, and heardthe story of their unsuccessful search, interlarded with praises oftheir zeal.
"Fool! to let you go without me," cried the burgomaster. "My life on'the was there all the time. Looked ye under the girl's bed?"
"No; there was no room for a man there."
"How know ye that, if ye looked not?" snarled Ghysbrecht. "Ye shouldhave looked under her bed, and in it too, and sounded all the panelswith your knives. Come, now, get up, and I shall show ye how to search."
Dierich Brower got up and shook himself. "If you find him, call me ahorse and no man."
In a few minutes Peter's house was again surrounded.
The fiery old man left his mule in the hands of Jorian Ketel, and, withDierich Brower and the others, entered the house.
The house was empty.
Not a creature to be seen, not even Peter. They went upstairs, andthen suddenly one of the men gave a shout, and pointed through Peter'swindow, which was open. The others looked, and there, at some littledistance, walking quietly across the fields with Margaret and Martin,was the man they sought. Ghysbrecht, with an exulting yell, descendedthe stairs and flung himself on his mule; and he and his men set off inhot pursuit.
The Cloister and the Hearth Page 18
