“Captain Tew,” I said in the course of my narrative, “was for helping me, and, as I was bound for New York, he put me ashore near Gravesoon, telling me to come to you. He assured me that you and the previous governor, Colonel Fletcher, were well acquainted with him, and that you were always on the lookout for a good blade and a faithful servant.” I paused as if I had said all that I was going to say. The patroon, I thought, did not relish my story. He sat silent, still drumming his finger tips. From time to time he looked sullenly at me, then he would drop his eyes to his pattering fingers again. For several minutes he continued in this state of agitation. “I admit that I have seen this fellow Tew,” he said at last. “I had forgotten the name, but now he comes back to me. His dealings with Fletcher and me were before he took to the seas for a livelihood.” He fell silent. Evidently I had touched him deeply. I could make a fair guess of what was in his mind. Would it be safer for him to let me go free, or to keep me at his side where he could watch me? If I were really a spy, I must possess some dangerous information concerning his dealings with the buccaneers. On the other hand, if I were what I said I was, he could make good use of me in the Red Band. As we sat silent I heard a distant bell toll. “Our evening service,” said the patroon. “Will you attend?” Patroon Van Volkenberg was a Catholic. At that moment, when he asked me to attend a Roman service, I had more ado to preserve my self-control than I had had for many a day. So violent was my anger, and so difficult to suppress, that I resolved on the instant to make a desperate move in order to protect myself against similar temptations in the future. “Mynheer,” I said, “I see by your face that you trust me. I must be plain spoken with you if I expect the same from you. I cannot attend your service because I am a Protestant. I am not only that, but a refugee, and I despise—” “Softly, softly,” he returned, lifting his hand as if to calm me. “I understand your feelings, but you will not find them shared. I’ll trust a Protestant as well as a Catholic. Curse their religion, but they are honest men. King Louis broke the best bone in his body when he sent you away. But I am not a fool. The devil himself may serve me if he serves me well. I respect you for that.” I rose from my chair and he rose likewise. For a moment we stood fronting each other. I saw by the look of his eye that he was still in doubt. The moment had come for me to play my last card. “This button,” said I, handing it to him. “This button was given me by Captain Tew as an introduction.” While he was examining the button with great interest, I continued to dwell on what I thought were significant details.