Adrian made a good, though not a very quick recovery. He had losta great deal of blood, but the vessel closed without furthercomplications, so that it remained only to renew his strength by restand ample food. For ten days or so after the return of Foy and Martin,he was kept in bed and nursed by the women of the house. Elsa's sharein this treatment was to read to him from the Spanish romances which headmired. Very soon, however, he found that he admired Elsa herself evenmore than the romances, and would ask her to shut the book that he mighttalk to her. So long as his conversation was about himself, his dreams,plans and ambitions, she fell into it readily enough; but when he beganto turn it upon _herself_, and to lard it with compliment and amorousinnuendo, then she demurred, and fled to the romances for refuge.
Handsome as he might be, Adrian had no attractions for Elsa. Abouthim there was something too exaggerated for her taste; moreover he wasSpanish, Spanish in his beauty, Spanish in the cast of his mind, and allSpaniards were hateful to her. Deep down in her heart also lay a secondreason for this repugnance; the man reminded her of another man who formonths had been a nightmare to her soul, the Hague spy, Ramiro. ThisRamiro she had observed closely. Though she had not seen him very oftenhis terrible reputation was familiar to her. She knew also, for herfather had told her as much, that it was he who was drawing the netsabout him at The Hague, and who plotted day and night to rob him of hiswealth.
At first sight there was no great resemblance between the pair. Howcould there be indeed between a man on the wrong side of middle age,one-eyed, grizzled, battered, and bearing about with him an atmosphereof iniquity, and a young gentleman, handsome, distinguished, andwayward, but assuredly no criminal? Yet the likeness existed. Shehad seen it first when Adrian was pointing out to her how, were he ageneral, he would dispose his forces for the capture of Leyden, and fromthat moment her nature rose in arms against him. Also it came out inother ways, in little tricks of voice and pomposities of manner whichElsa caught at unexpected moments, perhaps, as she told herself, becauseshe had trained her mind to seek these similarities. Yet all the whileshe knew that the fancy was ridiculous, for what could these two menhave in common with each other?
In those days, however, Elsa did not think much of Adrian, or of anybodyexcept her beloved father, whose only child she was, and whom she adoredwith all the passion of her heart. She knew the terrible danger in whichhe stood, and guessed that she had been sent away that she should notshare his perils. Now she had but one desire and one prayer--that hemight escape in safety, and that she might return to him again. Onceonly a message came from him, sent through a woman she had never seen,the wife of a fisherman, who delivered it by word of mouth. This was themessage:
"Give my love and blessing to my daughter Elsa, and tell her that so farI am unharmed. To Foy van Goorl say, I have heard the news. Well done,thou good and faithful servant! Let him remember what I told him, and besure that he will not strive in vain, and that he shall not lack for hisreward here or hereafter."
That was all. Tidings reached them that the destruction of so many menby the blowing up of the _Swallow_, and by her sinking of the Governmentboat as she escaped, had caused much excitement and fury among theSpaniards. But, as those who had been blown up were free-lances, and asthe boat was sunk while the _Swallow_ was flying from them, nothing hadbeen done in the matter. Indeed, nothing could be done, for it was notknown who manned the _Swallow_, and, as Ramiro had foreseen, her crewwere supposed to have been destroyed with her in the Haarlemer Meer.
Then, after a while, came other news that filled Elsa's heart with awild hope, for it was reported that Hendrik Brant had disappeared, andwas believed to have escaped from The Hague. Nothing more was heard ofhim, however, which is scarcely strange, for the doomed man hadgone down the path of rich heretics into the silent vaults of theInquisition. The net had closed at last, and through the net fell thesword.
But if Elsa thought seldom of Adrian, except in gusts of spasmodicdislike, Adrian thought of Elsa, and little besides. So earnestly didhe lash his romantic temperament, and so deeply did her beauty and charmappeal to him, that very soon he was truly in love with her. Nor did thefact that, as he believed, she was, potentially, the greatest heiressin the Netherlands, cool Adrian's amorous devotion. What could suit himbetter in his condition, than to marry this rich and lovely lady?
So Adrian made up his mind that he would marry her, for, in his vanity,it never occurred to him that she might object. Indeed, the only thoughtthat gave him trouble was the difficulty of reducing her wealth intopossession. Foy and Martin had buried it somewhere in the HaarlemerMeer. But they said, for this he had ascertained by repeated inquiries,although the information was given grudgingly enough, that the map ofthe hiding-place had been destroyed in the explosion on the _Swallow_.Adrian did not believe this story for a moment. He was convinced thatthey were keeping the truth from him, and as the prospective master ofthat treasure he resented this reticence bitterly. Still, it had to beovercome, and so soon as he was engaged to Elsa he intended to speakvery clearly upon this point. Meanwhile, the first thing was to find asuitable opportunity to make his declaration in due form, which done hewould be prepared to deal with Foy and Martin.
Towards evening it was Elsa's custom to walk abroad. As at that hour Foyleft the foundry, naturally he accompanied her in these walks, Martinfollowing at a little distance in case he should be wanted. Soon thoseexcursions became delightful to both of them. To Elsa, especially, itwas pleasant to escape from the hot house into the cool evening air,and still more pleasant to exchange the laboured tendernesses andhighly coloured compliments of Adrian for the cheerful honesty of Foy'sconversation.
Foy admired his cousin as much as did his half-brother, but his attitudetowards her was very different. He never said sweet things; he nevergazed up into her eyes and sighed, although once or twice, perhaps byaccident, he did squeeze her hand. His demeanour towards her was that ofa friend and relative, and the subject of their talk for the most partwas the possibility of her father's deliverance from the dangers whichsurrounded him, and other matters of the sort.
The time came at last when Adrian was allowed to leave his room, andas it chanced it fell to Elsa's lot to attend him on this first journeydownstairs. In a Dutch home of the period and of the class of the VanGoorl's, all the women-folk of whatever degree were expected to takea share in the household work. At present Elsa's share was to nurse toAdrian, who showed so much temper at every attempt which was madeto replace her by any other woman, that, in face of the doctor'sinstructions, Lysbeth did not dare to cross his whim.
It was with no small delight, therefore, that Elsa hailed the prospectof release, for the young man with his grandiose bearing and amoroussighs wearied her almost beyond endurance. Adrian was not equallypleased; indeed he had feigned symptoms which caused him to remain inbed an extra week, merely in order that he might keep her near him. Butnow the inevitable hour had come, and Adrian felt that it was incumbentupon him to lift the veil and let Elsa see some of the secret ofhis soul. He had prepared for the event; indeed the tedium of hisconfinement had been much relieved by the composition of lofty andheart-stirring addresses, in which he, the noble cavalier, laid hisprecious self and fortune at the feet of this undistinguished, but richand attractive maid.
Yet now when the moment was with him, and when Elsa gave him her handto lead him from the room, behold! all these beautiful imaginings hadvanished, and his knees shook with no fancied weakness. Somehow Elsa didnot look as a girl ought to look who was about to be proposed to; shewas too cold and dignified, too utterly unconscious of anything unusual.It was disconcerting--but--it must be done.
By a superb effort Adrian recovered himself and opened with one of thefine speeches, not the best by any means, but the only specimen which hecould remember.
"Without," he began, "the free air waits to be pressed by my crampedwings, but although my heart bounds wild as that of any haggard hawk, Itell you, fairest Elsa, that in yonder gilded cage," and he pointed
tothe bed, "I----"
"Heaven above us! Heer Adrian," broke in Elsa in alarm, "are you--areyou--getting giddy?"
"She does not understand. Poor child, how should she?" he murmured in astage aside. Then he started again. "Yes, most adorable, best beloved,I am giddy, giddy with gratitude to those fair hands, giddy with worshipof those lovely eyes----"
Now Elsa, unable to contain her merriment any longer, burst outlaughing, but seeing that her adorer's face was beginning to look asit did in the dining-room before he broke the blood vessel, she checkedherself, and said:
"Oh! Heer Adrian, don't waste all this fine poetry upon me. I am toostupid to understand it."
"Poetry!" he exclaimed, becoming suddenly natural, "it isn't poetry."
"Then what is it?" she asked, and next moment could have bitten hertongue out.
"It is--it is--love!" and he sank upon his knees before her, where, shecould not but notice, he looked very handsome in the subdued light ofthe room, with his upturned face blanched by sickness, and his southernglowing eyes. "Elsa, I love you and no other, and unless you return thatlove my heart will break and I shall die."
Now, under ordinary circumstances, Elsa would have been quite competentto deal with the situation, but the fear of over-agitating Adriancomplicated it greatly. About the reality of his feelings at the moment,at any rate, it seemed impossible to be mistaken, for the man wasshaking like a leaf. Still, she must make an end of these advances.
"Rise, Heer Adrian," she said gently, holding out her hand to help himto his feet.
He obeyed, and glancing at her face, saw that it was very calm and coldas winter ice.
"Listen, Heer Adrian," she said. "You mean this kindly, and doubtlessmany a maid would be flattered by your words, but I must tell you that Iam in no mood for love-making."
"Because of another man?" he queried, and suddenly becoming theatricalagain, added, "Speak on, let me hear the worst; I will not quail."
"There is no need to," replied Elsa in the same quiet voice, "becausethere is no other man. I have never yet thought of marriage, I have nowish that way, and if I had, I should forget it now when from hour tohour I do not know where my dear father may be, or what fate awaits him.He is my only lover, Heer Adrian," and as Elsa spoke her soft brown eyesfilled with tears.
"Ah!" said Adrian, "would that I might fly to save him from all dangers,as I rescued you, lady, from the bandits of the wood."
"I would you might," she replied, smiling sadly at the double meaning ofthe words, "but, hark, your mother is calling us. I know, Heer Adrian,"she added gently, "that you will understand and respect my dreadfulanxiety, and will not trouble me again with poetry and love-talk, for ifyou do I shall be--angry."
"Lady," he answered, "your wishes are my law, and until these cloudshave rolled from the blue heaven of your life I will be as silent as thewatching moon. And, by the way," he added rather nervously, "perhapsyou will be silent also--about our talk, I mean, as we do not want thatbuffoon, Foy, thrusting his street-boy fun at us."
Elsa bowed her head. She was inclined to resent the "we" and otherthings in this speech, but, above all, she did not wish to prolong thisfoolish and tiresome interview, so, without more words, she took heradmirer by the hand and guided him down the stairs.
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