Another two hours went by. Elsa was in her apartment with Black Meg forcompany, who watched her as a cat watches a mouse in a trap. Adrian hadtaken refuge in the place where he slept above. It was a dreary, vacuouschamber, that once had held stones and other machinery of the mill nowremoved, the home of spiders and half-starved rats, that a lean blackcat hunted continually. Across its ceiling ran great beams, whereof theinterlacing ends, among which sharp draughts whistled, lost themselvesin gloom, while, with an endless and exasperating sound, as of a knuckleupon a board, the water dripped from the leaky roof.
In the round living-chamber below Ramiro was alone. No lamp had beenlit, but the glow from the great turf fire played upon his face as hesat there, watching, waiting, and scheming in the chair of black oak.Presently a noise from without caught his quick ear, and calling to theserving woman to light the lamp, he went to the door, opened it, and sawa lantern floating towards him through the thick steam of falling rain.Another minute and the bearer of the lantern, Hague Simon, arrived,followed by two other men.
"Here he is," said Simon, nodding at the figure behind him, a shortround figure wrapped in a thick frieze cloak, from which water ran. "Theother is the head boatman."
"Good," said Ramiro. "Tell him and his companions to wait in the shedwithout, where liquor will be sent to them; they may be wanted lateron."
Then followed talk and oaths, and at length the man retreated grumbling.
"Enter, Father Thomas," said Ramiro; "you have had a wet journey, Ifear. Enter and give us your blessing."
Before he answered the priest threw off his dripping, hooded cape ofFrisian cloth, revealing a coarse, wicked face, red and blear-eyed fromintemperance.
"My blessing?" he said in a raucous voice. "Here it is, Senor Ramiro,or whatever you call yourself now. Curse you all for bringing out a holypriest upon one of your devil's errands in weather which is only fitfor a bald-headed coot to travel through. There is going to be a flood;already the water is running over the banks of the dam, and it gathersevery moment as the snow melts. I tell you there is going to be such aflood as we have not seen for years."
"The more reason, Father, for getting through this little businessquickly; but first you will wish for something to drink."
Father Thomas nodded, and Ramiro filling a small mug with brandy, gaveit to him. He gulped it off.
"Another," he said. "Don't be afraid. A chosen vessel should also be aseasoned vessel; at any rate this one is. Ah! that's better. Now then,what's the exact job?"
Ramiro took him apart and they talked together for a while.
"Very good," said the priest at length, "I will take the risk and doit, for where heretics are concerned such things are not too closelyinquired into nowadays. But first down with the money; no paper orpromises, if you please."
"Ah! you churchmen," said Ramiro, with a faint smile, "in thingsspiritual or temporal how much have we poor laity to learn of you!" Witha sigh he produced the required sum, then paused and added, "No; withyour leave we will see the papers first. You have them with you?"
"Here they are," answered the priest, drawing some documents from hispocket. "But they haven't been married yet; the rule is, marry first,then certify. Until the ceremony is actually performed, anything mighthappen, you know."
"Quite so, Father. Anything might happen either before or after; butstill, with your leave, I think that in this case we may as well certifyfirst; you might want to be getting away, and it will save so muchtrouble later. Will you be so kind as to write your certificate?"
Father Thomas hesitated, while Ramiro gently clinked the gold coins inhis hand and murmured,
"I should be sorry to think, Father, that you had taken such a roughjourney for nothing."
"What trick are you at now?" growled the priest. "Well, after all it isa mere form. Give me the names."
Ramiro gave them; Father Thomas scrawled them down, adding some wordsand his own signature, then said, "There you are, that will hold goodagainst anyone except the Pope."
"A mere form," repeated Ramiro, "of course. But the world attachesso much importance to forms, so I think that we will have this onewitnessed--No, not by myself, who am an interested party--by someoneindependent," and calling Hague Simon and the waiting-woman he bade themset their names at the foot of the documents.
"Papers signed in advance--fees paid in advance!" he went on, handingover the money, "and now, just one more glass to drink the health ofthe bride and bridegroom, also in advance. You will not refuse, nor you,worthy Simon, nor you, most excellent Abigail. Ah! I thought not, thenight is cold."
"And the brandy strong," muttered the priest thickly, as this third doseof raw spirit took effect upon him. "Now get on with the business, for Iwant to be out of this hole before the flood comes."
"Quite so. Friends, will you be so good as to summon my son and thelady? The lady first, I think--and all three of you might go to escorther. Brides sometimes consider it right to fain a slight reluctance--youunderstand? On second thoughts, you need not trouble the Senor Adrian. Ihave a new words of ante-nuptial advice to offer, so I will go to him."
A minute later father and son stood face to face. Adrian leaped up; heshook his fist, he raved and stormed at the cold, impassive man beforehim.
"You fool, you contemptible fool!" said Ramiro when he had done."Heavens! to think that such a creature should have sprung from me, ahuman jackass only fit to bear the blows and burdens of others, to fillthe field with empty brayings, and wear himself out by kicking at theair. Oh! don't twist up your face at me, for I am your master as well asyour father, however much you may hate me. You are mine, body and soul,don't you understand; a bond-slave, nothing more. You lost the onlychance you ever had in the game when you got me down at Leyden. Youdaren't draw a sword on me again for your soul's sake, dear Adrian, foryour soul's sake; and if you dared, I would run you through. Now, areyou coming?"
"No," answered Adrian.
"Think a minute. If you don't marry her I shall, and before she is halfan hour older; also--" and he leant forward and whispered into his son'sear.
"Oh! you devil, you devil!" Adrian gasped; then he moved towards thedoor.
"What? Changed your mind, have you, Mr. Weathercock? Well, it is theprerogative of all feminine natures--but, your doublet is awry, andallow me to suggest that you should brush your hair. There, that'sbetter; now, come on. No, you go first, if you please, I'd rather haveyou in front of me."
When they reached the room below the bride was already there. Grippedon either side by Black Meg and the other woman, white as death andtrembling, but still defiant, stood Elsa.
"Let's get through with this," growled the half-drunken, ruffian priest."I take the willingness of the parties for granted."
"I am not willing," cried Elsa. "I have been brought here by force. Icall everyone present to witness that whatever is done is against mywill. I appeal to God to help me."
The priest turned upon Ramiro.
"How am I to marry them in the face of this?" he asked. "If only shewere silent it might be done----"
"The difficulty has occurred to me," answered Ramiro. He made a sign,whereon Simon seized Elsa's wrists, and Black Meg, slipping behind her,deftly fastened a handkerchief over her mouth in such fashion that shewas gagged, but could still breathe through the nostrils.
Elsa struggled a little, then was quiet, and turned her piteous eyes onAdrian, who stepped forward and opened his lips.
"You remember the alternative," said his father in a low voice, and hestopped.
"I suppose," broke in Father Thomas, "that we may at any rate reckonupon the consent, or at least upon the silence of the Heer bridegroom."
"You may reckon on his silence, Father Thomas," replied Ramiro.
Then the ceremony began. They dragged Elsa to the table. Thrice sheflung herself to the ground, and thrice they lifted her to her feet, butat length, weary of the weight of her body, suffered her to rest uponher knees, where she remained as though in prayer,
gagged like somevictim on the scaffold. It was a strange and brutal scene, and everydetail of it burned itself into Adrian's mind. The round, rude room,with its glowing fire of turfs and its rough, oaken furniture, half inlight and half in dense shadow, as the lamp-rays chanced to fall; thedeath-like, kneeling bride, with a white cloth across her tortured face;the red-chopped, hanging-lipped hedge priest gabbling from a book, hisback almost turned that he might not see her attitude and struggles; thehorrible, unsexed women; the flat-faced villain, Simon, grinning by thehearth; Ramiro, cynical, mocking, triumphant, and yet somewhat anxious,his one bright eye fixed in mingled contempt and amusement upon him,Adrian--those were its outlines. There was something else also thatcaught and oppressed his sense, a sound which at the time Adrian thoughthe heard in his head alone, a soft, heavy sound with a moan in it, notunlike that of the wind, which grew gradually to a dull roar.
It was over. A ring had been forced on to Elsa's unwilling hand, and,until the thing was undone by some competent and authorised Court, shewas in name the wife of Adrian. The handkerchief was unbound, her handswere loosed, physically, Elsa was free again, but, in that day and landof outrage, tied, as the poor girl knew well, by a chain more terriblethan any that hemp or steel could fashion.
"Congratulations! Senora," muttered Father Thomas, eyeing her nervously."I fear you felt a little faint during the service, but a sacrament----"
"Cease your mockings, you false priest," cried Elsa. "Oh! let the swiftvengeance of God fall upon every one of you, and first of all upon you,false priest."
Drawing the ring from her finger, as she spoke she cast it down uponthe oaken table, whence it sprang up to drop again and rattle itself tosilence. Then with one tragic motion of despair, Elsa turned and fledback to her chamber.
The red face of Father Thomas went white, and his yellow teethchattered. "A virgin's curse," he muttered, crossing himself."Misfortune always follows, and it is sometimes death--yes, by St.Thomas, death. And you, you brought me here to do this wickedness, youdog, you galley slave!"
"Father," broke in Ramiro, "you know I have warned you against it beforeat The Hague; sooner or later it always breaks up the nerves," and henodded towards the flagon of spirits. "Bread and water, Father, breadand water for forty days, that is what I prescribe, and----"
As he spoke the door was burst open, and two men rushed in, their eyesstarting, their very beards bristling with terror.
"Come forth!" they cried.
"What has chanced?" screamed the priest.
"The great dyke has burst--hark, hark, hark! The floods are upon you,the mill will be swept away."
God in Heaven--it was true! Now through the open doorway they heard theroar of waters, whose note Adrian had caught before, yes, and in thegloom appeared their foaming crest as they rushed through the great andever-widening breach in the lofty dyke down upon the flooded lowland.
Father Thomas bounded through the door yelling, "The boat, the boat!"For a moment Ramiro thought, considering the situation, then he said:
"Fetch the Jufvrouw. No, not you, Adrian; she would die rather than comewith you. You, Simon, and you, Meg. Swift, obey."
They departed on their errand.
"Men," went on Ramiro, "take this gentleman and lead him to the boat.Hold him if he tries to escape. I will follow with the lady. Go, youfool, go, there is not a second to be lost," and Adrian, hanging backand protesting, was dragged away by the boatmen.
Now Ramiro was alone, and though, as he had said, there was little timeto spare, again for a few moments he thought deeply. His face flushedand went pale; then entered into it a great resolve. "I don't like doingit, for it is against my vow, but the chance is good. She is safelymarried, and at best she would be very troublesome hereafter, and mightbring us to justice or to the galleys since others seek her wealth," hemuttered with a shiver, adding, "as for the spies, we are well rid ofthem and their evidence." Then, with swift resolution, stepping to thedoor at the foot of the stairs, Ramiro shut it and shot the great ironbolt!
He ran from the mill; the raised path was already three feet deep inwater; he could scarcely make his way along it. Ah! there lay the boat.Now he was in it, and now they were flying before the crest of a hugewave. The dam of the cutting had given altogether, and fed from sea andland at once, by snow, by rain, and by the inrush of the high tide, itswaters were pouring in a measureless volume over the doomed marshes.
"Where is Elsa?" screamed Adrian.
"I don't know. I couldn't find her," answered Ramiro. "Row, row for yourlives! We can take her off in the morning, and the priest too, if he wonback."