CHAPTER XXVI
THE BRIDEGROOM AND THE BRIDE
The day passed, and through every hour of it the snow fell incessantly.Night came, and it was still falling in large, soft flakes that floatedto the earth gently as thistledown, for now there was no wind. Adrianmet his father at meals only; the rest of the day he preferred to spendout of doors in the snow, or hanging about the old sheds at the back ofthe mill, rather than endure the society of this terrible man; thisman of mocking words and iron purpose, who was forcing him into thecommission of a great crime.
It was at breakfast on the following morning that Ramiro inquired ofBlack Mag whether the Jufvrouw Brant had sufficiently recovered fromthe fatigues of her journey to honour them with her presence. The womanreplied that she absolutely refused to leave her room, or even to speakmore than was necessary.
"Then," said Ramiro, "as it is important that I should have a few wordswith her, be so good as to tell the young lady, with my homage, thatI will do myself the honour of waiting on her in the course of theforenoon."
Meg departed on her errand, and Adrian looked up suspiciously.
"Calm yourself, young friend," said his father, "although the interviewwill be private, you have really no cause for jealousy. At present,remember, I am but the second string in the bow-case, the understudy whohas learnt the part, a humble position, but one which may prove useful."
At all of which gibes Adrian winced. But he did not reply, for by now hehad learned that he was no match for his father's bitter wit.
Elsa received the message as she received everything else, in silence.
Three days before, as after a fearful illness during which on severaloccasions she was at the very doors of death, Lysbeth van Goorl had beendeclared out of danger, Elsa, her nurse, ventured to leave her for a fewhours. That evening the town seemed to stifle her and, feeling that sheneeded the air of the country, she passed the Morsch poort and walked alittle way along the banks of the canal, never noticing, poor girl, thather footsteps were dogged. When it began to grow dusk, she halted andstood a while gazing towards the Haarlemer Meer, letting her heart goout to the lover who, as she thought and hoped, within a day or twowould be at her side.
Then it was that something was thrown over her head, and for a while allwas black. She awoke to find herself lying in a boat, and watching her,two wretches, whom she recognised as those who had assailed her whenfirst she came to Leyden from The Hague.
"Why have you kidnapped me, and where am I going?" she asked.
"Because we are paid to do it, and you are going to Adrian van Goorl,"was the answer.
Then she understood, and was silent.
Thus they brought her to this lonesome, murderous-looking place, wheresure enough Adrian was waiting for her, waiting with a lie upon hislips. Now, doubtless, the end was at hand. She, who loved his brotherwith all her heart and soul, was to be given forcibly in marriage to aman whom she despised and loathed, the vain, furious-tempered traitor,who, for revenge, jealousy, or greed, she knew not which, had nothesitated to send his benefactor, and mother's husband, to perish in thefires of the Inquisition.
What was she to do? Escape seemed out of the question, imprisoned asshe was on the third story of a lofty mill standing in a lonely,snow-shrouded wilderness, cut off from the sight of every friendly face,and spied on hour after hour by two fierce-eyed women. No, there wasonly one escape for her--through the gate of death. Even this would bedifficult, for she had no weapon, and day and night the women kept guardover her, one standing sentinel, while the other slept. Moreover, shehad no mind to die, being young and healthy, with a love to live for,and from her childhood up she had been taught that self-slaughter is asin. No, she would trust in God, and overwhelming though it was, fighther way through this trouble as best she might. The helpless findfriends sometimes. Therefore, that her strength might be preserved, Elsarested and ate of her food, and drank the wine which they brought toher, refusing to leave the room, or to speak more than she was obliged,but watching everything that passed.
On the second morning of her imprisonment Ramiro's message reachedher, to which, as usual, she made no answer. In due course also Ramirohimself arrived, and stood bowing in the doorway.
"Have I your permission to enter, Jufvrouw?" he asked. Then Elsa,knowing that the moment of trial had come, steeled herself for theencounter.
"You are master here," she answered, in a voice cold as the falling snowwithout, "why then do you mock me?"
He motioned to the women to leave the room, and when they had gone,replied:
"I have little thought of such a thing, lady; the matter in hand is tooserious for smart sayings," and with another bow he sat himself down ona chair near the hearth, where a fire was burning. Whereon Elsa rose andstood over against him, for upon her feet she seemed to feel stronger.
"Will you be so good as to set out this matter, Senor Ramiro? Am Ibrought here to be tried for heresy?"
"Even so, for heresy against the god of love, and the sentence of theCourt is that you must expiate your sin, not at the stake, but at thealtar."
"I do not understand."
"Then I will explain. My son Adrian, a worthy young man on thewhole--you know that he _is_ my son, do you not?--has had themisfortune, or I should say the good fortune, to fall earnestly inlove with you, whereas you have the bad taste--or, perhaps, the goodtaste--to give your affections elsewhere. Under the circumstances,Adrian, being a youth of spirit and resource, has fallen back uponprimitive methods in order to bring his suit to a successful conclusion.He is here, you are here, and this evening I understand that the priestwill be here. I need not dwell upon the obvious issue; indeed, it is aprivate matter upon which I have no right to intrude, except, of course,as a relative and a well-wisher."
Elsa made an impatient movement with her hand, as though to brush asideall this web of words.
"Why do you take so much trouble to force an unhappy girl into a hatefulmarriage?" she asked. "How can such a thing advantage you?"
"Ah!" answered Ramiro briskly, "I perceive I have to do with a womanof business, one who has that rarest of gifts--common sense. I willbe frank. Your esteemed father died possessed of a very large fortune,which to-day is your property as his sole issue and heiress. Under themarriage laws, which I myself think unjust, that fortune will pass intothe power of any husband whom you choose to take. Therefore, so soon asyou are made his wife it will pass to Adrian. I am Adrian's father,and, as it happens, he is pecuniarily indebted to me to a considerableamount, so that, in the upshot, as he himself has pointed out more thanonce, this alliance will provide for both of us. But business detailsare wearisome, so I need not enlarge."
"The fortune you speak of, Senor Ramiro, is lost."
"It is lost, but I have reason to hope that it will be found."
"You mean that this is purely a matter of money?"
"So far as I am concerned, purely. For Adrian's feelings I cannot speak,since who knows the mystery of another's heart?"
"Then, if the money were forthcoming--or a clue to it--there need be nomarriage?"
"So far as I am concerned, none at all."
"And if the money is not forthcoming, and I refuse to marry the HeerAdrian, or he to marry me--what then?"
"That is a riddle, but I think I see an answer at any rate to halfof it. Then the marriage would still take place, but with anotherbridegroom."
"Another bridegroom! Who?"
"Your humble and devoted adorer."
Elsa shuddered and recoiled a step.
"Ah!" he said, "I should not have bowed, you saw my white hairs--to theyoung a hateful sight."
Elsa's indignation rose, and she answered:
"It is not your white hair that I shrink from, Senor, which in somewould be a crown of honour, but----"
"In my case suggests to you other reflections. Be gentle and spare methem. In a world of rough actions, what need to emphasise them withrough words?"
For a few minutes there was silence, which Ra
miro, glancing out of thelattice, broke by remarking that "The snowfall was extraordinarily heavyfor the time of year." Then followed another silence.
"I understood you just now, dear lady, to make some sort of suggestionwhich might lead to an arrangement satisfactory to both of us. The exactlocality of this wealth is at present obscure--you mentioned some clue.Are you in a position to furnish such a clue?"
"If I am in a position, what then?"
"Then, perhaps, after a few days visit to an interesting, but littleexplored part of Holland, you might return to your friends as you leftthem--in short as a single woman."
A struggle shook Elsa, and do what she would some trace of it appearedin her face.
"Do you swear that?" she whispered.
"Most certainly."
"Do you swear before God that if you have this clue you will not forceme into a marriage with the Heer Adrian, or with yourself--that you willlet me go, unharmed?"
"I swear it--before God."
"Knowing that God will be revenged upon you if you break the oath, youstill swear?"
"I still swear. Why these needless repetitions?"
"Then--then," and she leant towards him, speaking in a hoarse whisper,"believing that you, even you, will not dare to be false to suchan oath, for you, even you, must fear death, a miserable death, andvengeance, eternal vengeance, I give you the clue: It lies in the hiltof the sword Silence."
"The sword Silence? What sword is that?"
"The great sword of Red Martin."
Stirred out of his self-control, Ramiro struck his hand upon his knee.
"And to think," he said, "that for over twelve hours I had it hangingon the wall of the Gevangenhuis! Well, I fear that I must ask you to bemore explicit. Where is this sword?"
"Wherever Red Martin is, that is all I know. I can tell you no more; theplan of the hiding-place is there."
"Or was there. Well, I believe you, but to win a secret from the hilt ofthe sword of the man who broke his way out of the torture-chamber of theGevangenhuis, is a labour that would have been not unworthy of Hercules.First, Red Martin must be found, then his sword must be taken, which,I think, will cost men their lives. Dear lady, I am obliged for yourinformation, but I fear that the marriage must still go through."
"You swore, you swore," she gasped, "you swore before God!"
"Quite so, and I shall leave--the Power you refer to--to manage thematter. Doubtless He can attend to His own affairs--I must attend tomine. I hope that about seven o'clock this evening will suit you, bywhich time the priest and--a bridegroom will be ready."
Then Elsa broke down.
"Devil!" she cried in the torment of her despair. "To save my honour Ihave betrayed my father's trust; I have betrayed the secret for whichMartin was ready to die by torment, and given him over to be hunted likea wild beast. Oh! God forgive me, and God help me!"
"Doubtless, dear young lady, He will do the first, for your temptationswere really considerable; I, who have more experience, outwitted you,that was all. Possibly, also, He may do the second, though many haveuttered that cry unheard. For my own sake, I trust that He was sleepingwhen you uttered yours. But it is your affair and His; I leave it to bearranged between you. Till this evening, Jufvrouw," and he bowed himselffrom the room.
But Elsa, shamed and broken-hearted, threw herself upon the bed andwept.
At mid-day she arose, hearing upon the stair the step of the woman whobrought her food, and to hide her tear-stained face went to the barredlattice and looked out. The scene was dismal indeed, for the windhad veered suddenly, the snow had ceased, and in place of it rain wasfalling with a steady persistence. When the woman had gone, Elsa washedher face, and although her appetite turned from it, ate of the food,knowing how necessary it was that she should keep her strength.
Another hour passed, and there came a knock on the door. Elsa shuddered,for she thought that Ramiro had returned to torment her. Indeed it wasalmost a relief when, instead of him, appeared his son. Once glance atAdrian's nervous, shaken face, yes, and even the sound of his uncertainstep brought hope to her heart. Her woman's instinct told her that nowshe had no longer to do with the merciless and terrible Ramiro, to whoseeyes she was but a pretty pawn in a game that he must win, but witha young man who loved her, and whom she held, therefore, at adisadvantage--with one, moreover, who was harassed and ashamed, andupon whose conscience, therefore, she might work. She turned upon him,drawing herself up, and although she was short and Adrian was tall, of asudden he felt as though she towered over him.
"Your pleasure?" asked Elsa.
In the old days Adrian would have answered with some magnificentcompliment, or far-fetched simile lifted from the pages of romancers.In truth he had thought of several such while, like a half-starved dogseeking a home, he wandered round and round the mill-house in the snow.But he was now far beyond all rhetoric or gallantries.
"My father wished," he began humbly--"I mean that I have come to speakto you about--our marriage."
Of a sudden Elsa's delicate features seemed to turn to ice, while, tohis fancy at any rate, her brown eyes became fire.
"Marriage," she said in a strange voice. "Oh! what an unutterable cowardyou must be to speak that word. Call what is proposed by any foul titlewhich you will, but at least leave the holy name of marriage undefiled."
"It is not my fault," he answered sullenly, but shrinking beneath herwords. "You know, Elsa, that I wished to wed you honourably enough."
"Yes," she broke in, "and because I would not listen, because you do notplease me, and you could not win me as a man wins a maid, you--you laida trap and kidnapped me, thinking to get by brute force that which myheart withheld. Oh! in all the Netherlands lives there another suchan abject as Adrian called van Goorl, the base-born son of Ramiro thegalley slave?"
"I have told you that it is false," he replied furiously. "I had nothingto do with your capture. I knew nothing of it till I saw you here."
Elsa laughed a very bitter laugh. "Spare your breath," she said, "for ifyou swore it before the face of the recording Angel I would not believeyou. Remember that you are the man who betrayed your brother and yourbenefactor, and then guess, if you can, what worth I put upon yourwords."
In the bitterness of his heart Adrian groaned aloud, and from that groanElsa, listening eagerly, gathered some kind of hope.
"Surely," she went on, with a changed and softened manner, "surely youwill not do this wickedness. The blood of Dirk van Goorl lies on yourhead; will you add mine to his? For be sure of this, I swear it by myMaker, that before I am indeed a wife to you I shall be dead--or mayhapyou will be dead, or both of us. Do you understand?"
"I understand, but----"
"But what? Where is the use of this wickedness? For your soul's sake,refuse to have aught to do with such a sin."
"But if so, my father will marry you."
It was a chance arrow, but it went home, for of a sudden Elsa's strengthand eloquence seemed to leave her. She ran to him with her handsclasped, she flung herself upon her knees.
"Oh! help me to escape," she moaned, "and I will bless you all my life."
"It is impossible," he answered. "Escape from this guarded place,through those leagues of melting snow? I tell you that it isimpossible."
"Then," and her eyes grew wild, "then kill him and free me. He is adevil, he is your evil genius; it would be a righteous deed. Kill himand free me."
"I should like to," answered Adrian; "I nearly did once, but, for mysoul's sake, I can't put a sword through my own father; it is the mosthorrible of crimes. When I confessed----"
"Then," she broke in, "if this farce, this infamy must be gone through,swear at least that you will treat it as such, that you will respectme."
"It is a hard thing to ask of a husband who loves you more than anywoman in the world," he answered turning aside his head.
"Remember," she went on, with another flash of defiant spirit, "thatif you do not, you will soon love me better than any woman out of theworld
, or perhaps we shall both settle what lies between us before theJudgment Seat of God. Will you swear?"
He hesitated.
Oh! she reflected, what if he should answer--"Rather than this I handyou over to Ramiro"? What if he should think of that argument? Happilyfor her, at the moment he did not.
"Swear," she implored, "swear," clinging with her hands to the lappet ofhis coat and lifting to him her white and piteous face.
"I make it an offering in expiation of my sins," he groaned, "you shallgo free of me."
Elsa uttered a sigh of relief. She put no faith whatever in Adrian'spromises, but at the worst it would give her time.
"I thought that I should not appeal in vain----"
"To so amusing and egregious a donkey," said Ramiro's mocking voicespeaking from the gloom of the doorway, which now Elsa observed for thefirst time had swung open mysteriously.
"My dear son and daughter-in-law, how can I thank you sufficiently forthe entertainment with which you have enlivened one of the most drearyafternoons I remember. Don't look dangerous, my boy; recall what youhave just told this young lady, that the crime of removing a parent isone which, though agreeable, is not lightly to be indulged. Then, as toyour future arrangements, how touching! The soul of a Diana, I declare,and the self-sacrifice of a--no, I fear that the heroes of antiquitycan furnish no suitable example. And now, adieu, I go to welcome thegentleman you both of you so eagerly expect."
He went, and a minute later without speaking, for the situation seemedbeyond words, Adrian crept down the stairs after him, more miserable andcrushed even than he had crept up them half an hour before.