d Diogenes with a shrug of his wide
shoulders, "and yet there is a delicate, innocent girl who loves him
well enough to forget all his crimes and to plight her troth to him.
Women are strange creatures, wench--'tis a wise philosopher who steers
widely clear of their path."

CHAPTER XXV

AN ARRANT KNAVE

In the street below, not far from the house which he had just quitted,
Stoutenburg came on Nicolaes and Jan ensconced in the dark against a
wall. Beresteyn quickly explained to his friend the reason of his
presence here.

"I came with Jan," he said, "because I wished to speak with you without
delay."

"Come as far as the cathedral then," said Stoutenburg curtly. "I feel
that in this vervloekte street the walls and windows are full of ears
and prying eyes. Jan," he added, turning to the other man, "you must
remain here and on no account lose sight of that rascal when he leaves
this house. Follow him in and out of Haarlem, and if you do not see me
again to-night, join me at Ryswyk as soon as you can, and come there
prepared with full knowledge of his plans."

Leaving Jan in observation the two men made their way now in the
direction of the Groote Markt. It was still very cold, even though there
was a slight suspicion in the air of a coming change in the weather: a
scent as of the south wind blowing from over the estuaries, while the
snow beneath the feet had lost something of its crispness and purity.
The thaw had not yet set in, but it was coquetting with the frost,
challenging it to a passage of arms, wherein either combatant might
completely succumb.

As Stoutenburg had surmised the porch of the cathedral was lonely and
deserted, even the beggars had all gone home for the night. A tiny lamp
fixed into the panelling of the wall flickered dimly in the draught.
Stoutenburg sat down on the wooden bench--dark and polished with age,
which ran alongside one of the walls, and with a brusque and febrile
gesture drew his friend down beside him.

"Well?" he asked in that nervous, jerky way of his, "What is it?"

"Something that wilt horrify you, just as it did me," replied Beresteyn,
who spoke breathlessly as if under stress of grave excitement. "When I
parted from you awhile ago, I did what you asked me to do. I posted Jan
outside the door of the tapperij after I had pointed out our rogue to
him through the glass door. Imagine my astonishment when I saw that at
that moment our rascal was in close conversation