"Oho! 'twas a woman then who surprised those six men in their endeavour to do good to Holland and to uphold the Faith." "Rightly spoken, sir! To do good to Holland and to uphold the Faith! those are the two motives which guide six ardent patriots in their present actions and cause them to risk their lives and more, that they may bring about the sublime end. A woman has surprised their secret, a woman pure and good as the stars but a woman for all that, weak in matters of sentiment and like to be swayed by a mistaken sense of what she would call her duty. A woman now, sir, holds the future happiness of Holland, the triumph of Faith and the lives of six stalwart patriots in the hollow of her hand." "And 'tis with the lives of six stalwart patriots that we are most concerned at the moment, are we not?" asked Diogenes blandly. "Put it as you will, sir. I cannot expect you--a stranger--to take the welfare of Holland and of her Faith so earnestly as we Dutchmen do. Our present concern is with the woman." "Is she young?" "Yes." "Pretty?" "What matter?" "I don't know. The fact might influence mine actions. For of course you wish to put the woman out of the way." "Only for a time and from my soul I wish her no harm. I only want to place her out of the reach of doing us all a grievous wrong. Already she has half threatened to speak of it all to my father. The idea of it is unthinkable. I want her out of the way for a few days, not more than ten days at most. I want her taken out of Haarlem, to a place of safety which I will point out to you anon, and under the care of faithful dependents who would see that not a hair on her head be injured. You see, sir, that what I would ask of you would call forth your chivalry and need not shame it; it would call forth your daring and your recklessness of consequences and if you will undertake to do me service in this, my gratitude and that of my friends as well as the sum of 2,000 guilders will be yours to command." "About a tenth part of the money in fact which your father, sir, doth oft give for a bulb." "Call it 3,000, sir," said Nicolaes Beresteyn, "we would still be your debtors." "You are liberal, sir." "It means my life and that of my friends, and most of us are rich." "But the lady--I must know more about her. Ah sir! this is a hard matter for me--A lady--young--presumably fair--of a truth I care naught for women, but please God I have never hurt a woman yet." "Who spoke of hurting her, man?" queried Nicolaes haughtily. "This abduction--the State secret--the matter of life and death--the faithful dependent--how do I know, sir, that all this is true?" "On the word of honour of a gentleman!" retorted Beresteyn hotly. "A gentleman's honour is easily attenuated where a woman is concerned." "The lady is my own sister, sir." Diogenes gave a long, low whistle. "Your sister!" he exclaimed.