being now twelve o'clock, dinner would be on the
table at half-past one, during which interval he begged Ramsay to amuse
himself, by examining the pictures, books, etcetera, with which the room
was well furnished. Then, resuming his tablets and pen, and taking the
letters with him, Mynheer Van Krause made a very low bow, and left
Ramsay to himself, little imagining that he had admitted an attainted
traitor under his roof.

Ramsay could speak Dutch fluently, for he had been quartered two years
at Middleburg, when he was serving in the army. As soon as the sailors
had taken up his portmanteau, and he had dismissed them with a gratuity,
the extent of which made the old porter open his eyes with astonishment,
and gave him a favourable opinion of his master's new guest, he entered
into conversation with the old man, who, like Eve upon another occasion,
was tempted, nothing loth, for the old man loved to talk; and in a house
so busy as the syndic's there were few who had time to chatter, and
those who had, preferred other conversation to what, it must be
confessed, was rather prosy.

"Mein Gott, mynheer, you must not expect to have company here all day.
My master has the town business and his own business to attend to: he
can't well get through it all: besides, now is a busy time, the schuyts
are bringing up the cargo of a vessel from a far voyage, and Mynheer
Krause always goes to the warehouse from breakfast till dinner, and then
again from three or four o'clock till six. After that he will stay
above, and then sees company, and hears our young lady sing."

"Young lady! has he a daughter, then?"

"He has a daughter, mynheer--only one--only one child--no son, it is a
pity; and so much money too, they say. I don't know how many stivers
and guilders she will have by-and-bye."

"Is not Madame Krause still alive?"

"No, mynheer, she died when this maiden was born. She was a good lady,
cured me once of the yellow jaundice."

Ramsay, like all young men, wondered what sort of a person this lady
might be; but he was too discreet to put the question. He was, however,
pleased to hear that there was a young female in the house, as it would
make the time pass away more agreeably; not that he expected much.
Judging from the father, he made up his mind, as he took his clothes out
of his valise, that she was very short, very prim, and had a hooked
nose.

The old man now left the room to allow Ramsay to dress, and telling him