The Laughing Cavalier by Baroness Orczy (best 7 inch ereader .TXT) 📕

and we swung them by their straps; they made excellent weapons thus; the fellow should have more than one wound about him.”

“Three, my good Jan, to be quite accurate,” said Diogenes calmly, “but all endurable. I had ten about me outside Prague once, but the fellows there were fighting better than you, and in a worthier cause.”

Jan’s rough hands continued their exhaustive search; a quickly smothered groan from the prisoner caused Stoutenburg to laugh.

“That sound,” he said, “was music to mine ear.”

Jan now drew a small leather wallet and a parchment roll both from the wide flap of the prisoner’s boot. Stoutenburg pounced upon the wallet, and Beresteyn with eager anxiety tore the parchment out of Jan’s hand.

“It is the formal order to Ben Isaje,” he said, “to pay over the money to this knave. Is there anything else, Jan?” he continued excitedly, “a thinner paper?⁠—shaped like a letter?”

“Nothing else, mynheer,” replied Jan.

“Did you then deliver my letter to Ben Isaje, fellow?” queried Beresteyn of the prisoner.

“My friend Jan should be able to tell you that,” he replied, “hath he not been searching the very folds of my skin.”

In the meanwhile Stoutenburg had been examining the contents of the wallet.

“Jewellery belonging to the jongejuffrouw,” he said dryly, “which this rogue hath stolen from her. Will you take charge of them, Nicolaes? And here,” he added, counting out a few pieces of gold and silver, “is some of your own money.”

He made as if he would return this to Beresteyn, then a new idea seemed to strike him, for he put all the money back into the wallet and said to Jan:

“Put this wallet back where you found it, Jan, and, Nicolaes,” he added turning back to his friend, “will you allow me to look at that bond?”

While Jan obeyed and replaced the wallet in the flap of the prisoner’s boot, Beresteyn handed the parchment to Stoutenburg. The latter then ordered Jan to hold up the lantern so that by its light he might read the writing.

This he did, twice over, with utmost attention; after which he tore off very carefully a narrow strip from the top of the document.

“Now,” he said quietly, “this paper, wherever found, cannot compromise you in any way, Nicolaes. The name of Ben Isaje who alone could trace the cipher signature back to you, we will scatter to the winds.”

And he tore the narrow strip which he had severed from the document into infinitesimal fragments, which he then allowed the wind to snatch out of his hand and to whirl about and away into space. But the document itself he folded up with ostentatious care.

“What do you want with that?” asked Beresteyn anxiously.

“I don’t know yet, but it might be very useful,” replied the other. “So many things may occur within the next few days that such an ambiguously worded document might prove of the utmost value.”

“But⁠ ⁠… the signature⁠ ⁠…” urged Beresteyn, “my father⁠ ⁠…”

“The signature, you told me, friend, is one that you use in the ordinary way of business whilst the wording of the document in itself cannot compromise you in any way; it is merely a promise to pay for services rendered. Leave this document in my keeping; believe me, it is quite safe with me and might yet be of incalculable value to us. One never knows.”

“No! one never does know,” broke in the prisoner airily, “for of a truth when there’s murder to be done, pillage or outrage, the Lord of Stoutenburg never knows what other infamy may come to his hand.”

“Insolent knave!” exclaimed Stoutenburg hoarsely, as with a cry of unbridled fury he suddenly raised his arm and with the parchment roll which he held, he struck the prisoner savagely in the face.

“Take care, Stoutenburg,” ejaculated Beresteyn almost involuntarily.

“Take care of what,” retorted the other with a harsh laugh, “the fellow is helpless, thank God! and I would gladly break my riding whip across his impudent face.”

He was livid and shaking with fury. Beresteyn⁠—honestly fearing that in his blind rage he would compromise his dignity before his subordinates⁠—dragged him by the arm away from the presence of this man whom he appeared to hate with such passionate intensity.

Stoutenburg, obdurate at first, almost drunk with his own fury, tried to free himself from his friend’s grasp. He wanted to lash the man he hated once more in the face, to gloat for awhile longer on the sight of his enemy now completely in his power. But all around in the gloom he perceived figures that moved; the soldiers and mercenaries placed at his disposal by his friends were here in numbers: some of them had been put on guard over the prisoner by Jan, and others had joined them, attracted by loud voices.

Stoutenburg had just enough presence of mind left in him to realize that the brutal striking of a defenceless prisoner would probably horrify these men, who were fighters and not bullies, and might even cause them to turn from their allegiance to him.

So with desperate effort he pulled himself together and contrived to give with outward calm some final orders to Jan.

“See that the ropes are securely fastened, Jan,” he said, “leave half a dozen men on guard, then follow me.”

But to Beresteyn, who had at last succeeded in dragging him away from this spot, he said loudly:

“You do not know, Nicolaes, what a joy it is to me to be even with that fellow at last.”

A prolonged laugh, that had a note of triumph in it, gave answer to this taunt, whilst a clear voice shouted lustily:

“Nay! we never can be quite even, my lord; since you were not trussed like a capon when I forced you to lick the dust.”

XXXIV Protestations

Half-an-hour later, the Lord of Stoutenburg was in Gilda’s presence. He was glad enough that Nicolaes Beresteyn⁠—afraid to meet his sister⁠—had refused to accompany him. He, too, felt nervous and anxious at thought of meeting her face