of which, he and his unhappy passion was the cause, though innocently: yet could not the dire reflection of that, nor the loss of so tender a parent as was _Sebastian_, lessen one spark of that fire for _Sylvia_, whose unfortunate flame had been so fatal. While they were safe out of danger, the servants of _Sebastian_ admired when ten, eleven and twelve o’clock was come, they saw neither the old lord, nor any of the new guests. But when the coachman missed his coach and horses, he was in a greater maze, and thought some body had stolen them, and accusing himself of sluggishness and debauchery, that made him not able to hear, when the coach went out, he forswore all drinking: but when the house-keeper and he met, and discoursed about the lady and the rest, they concluded, that the old gentleman and she were agreed upon the matter; and being got to bed together had quite forgot themselves; and made a thousand roguish remarks upon them. They believed the maid and the page too, were as well employed, since they saw neither. But when dinner was ready, she went up to the maid’s chamber and found it empty, as also that of the page; her heart then presaging something, she ventures to knock at her lord’s chamber-door, but finding it locked, and none answer, they broke it open; and after doing the same by that of _Sylvia_, they found the poor _Sebastian_ stretched on the floor, and shot in the head, the toilet pulled almost down, and the lock of the pistol hanging in the point of the toilet entangled, and the muzzle of it just against the wound. At first, when they saw him, they fancied _Sylvia_ might kill him, for either offering to come to bed to her in the night, or some other malicious end. But when they saw how the pistol lay, they fancied it accident in the dark; ‘For,’ said the woman--’I and my daughter have been up ever since day-break, and I am sure no such thing happened then, nor could they since escape:’ and it being natural in _Holland_ to cry, ‘Loop Schellum’, that is, ‘Run rogue’, to him that is alive, and who has killed another; and for every man to set a helping hand to bear him out of danger, thinking it too much that one is already dead: I say, this being the nature of the people, they never pursued the murderers, or fled persons, but suffered _Sebastian_ to lie till the coroner sat upon him, who found it, or at least thought it accident; and there was all for that time. But this, with all the reasonable circumstances, did not satisfy the _States_. Here is one of their high and mighties killed, a fair lady fled, and upon inquiry a fine young fellow too, the nephew: all knew they were rivals in this fair lady; all knew there were animosities between them; all knew _Octavio_ was absconded some days before; so that, upon consideration, they concluded he was murdered by compact; and the rather, because they wished it so in spite of _Octavio_; and because both he and _Sylvia_ were fled like guilty persons.