deputies will order Tilly's horse to quit their post?"

"Why not?" the young man quietly retorted.
"Because doing so would simply be signing the death warrant

of Cornelius and John de Witt."
"We shall see," his Highness replied, with the most perfect

coolness; "God alone knows what is going on within the
hearts of men."

The officer looked askance at the impassible figure of his
companion, and grew pale: he was an honest man as well as a

brave one.
From the spot where they stood, his Highness and his

attendant heard the tumult and the heavy tramp of the crowd
on the staircase of the Town-hall. The noise thereupon

sounded through the windows of the hall, on the balcony of
which Mynheers Bowelt and D'Asperen had presented

themselves. These two gentlemen had retired into the
building, very likely from fear of being forced over the

balustrade by the pressure of the crowd.
After this, fluctuating shadows in tumultuous confusion were

seen flitting to and fro across the windows: the council
hall was filling.

Suddenly the noise subsided, and as suddenly again it rose
with redoubled intensity, and at last reached such a pitch

that the old building shook to the very roof.
At length, the living stream poured back through the

galleries and stairs to the archedgateway, from which it
was seen issuing like waters from a spout.

At the head of the first group, man was flying rather than
running, his face hideously distorted with satanic glee:

this man was the surgeon Tyckelaer.
"We have it! we have it!" he cried, brandishing a paper in

the air.
"They have got the order!" muttered the officer in

amazement.
"Well, then," his Highness quietly remarked, "now I know

what to believe with regard to Mynheer Bowelt's honesty and
courage: he has neither the one nor the other."

Then, looking with a steady glance after the crowd which was
rushing along before him, he continued, --

"Let us now go to the Buytenhof, Captain; I expect we shall
see a very strange sight there."

The officer bowed, and, without making any reply, followed
in the steps of his master.

There was an immense crowd in the square and about the
neighbourhood of the prison. But the dragoons of Tilly still

kept it in check with the same success and with the same
firmness.

It was not long before the Count heard the increasing din of
the approaching multitude, the first ranks of which rushed

on with the rapidity of a cataract.
At the same time he observed the paper, which was waving

above the surface of clenched fists and glittering arms.
"Halloa!" he said, rising in his stirrups, and touching his

lieutenant with the knob of his sword; "I really believe
those rascals have got the order."

"Dastardly ruffians they are," cried the lieutenant.
It was indeed the order, which the burgher guard received

with a roar of triumph. They immediately sallied forth, with
lowered arms and fierce shouts, to meet Count Tilly's

dragoons.
But the Count was not the man to allow them to approach

within an inconvenient distance.
"Stop!" he cried, "stop, and keep off from my horse, or I

shall give the word of command to advance."
"Here is the order!" a hundred insolent voices answered at

once.
He took it in amazement, cast a rapid glance on it, and said

quite aloud, --
"Those who have signed this order are the real murderers of

Cornelius de Witt. I would rather have my two hands cut off
than have written one single letter of this infamous order."

And, pushing back with the hilt of his sword the man who
wanted to take it from him, he added, --

"Wait a minute, papers like this are of importance, and are
to be kept."

Saying this, he folded up the document, and carefully put it
in the pocket of his coat.

Then, turning round towards his troop, he gave the word of
command, --

"Tilly's dragoons, wheel to the right!"
After this, he added, in an undertone, yet loud enough for

his words to be not altogether lost to those about him, --
"And now, ye butchers, do your work!"

A savage yell, in which all the keen hatred and ferocious
triumph rife in the precincts of the prison simultaneously

burst forth, and accompanied the departure of the dragoons,
as they were quietly filing off.

The Count tarried behind, facing to the last the infuriated
populace, which advanced at the same rate as the Count

retired.
John de Witt, therefore, had by no means exaggerated the

danger, when, assisting his brother in getting up, he
hurried his departure. Cornelius, leaning on the arm of the

Ex-Grand Pensionary, descended the stairs which led to the
courtyard. At the bottom of the staircase he found little

Rosa, trembling all over.
"Oh, Mynheer John," she said, "what a misfortune!"

"What is it, my child?" asked De Witt.
"They say that they are gone to the Town-hall to fetch the

order for Tilly's horse to withdraw."
"You do not say so!" replied John. "Indeed, my dear child,

if the dragoons are off, we shall be in a very sad plight."
"I have some advice to give you," Rosa said, trembling even

more violently than before.
"Well, let us hear what you have to say, my child. Why

should not God speak by your mouth?"
"Now, then, Mynheer John, if I were in your place, I should

not go out through the main street."
"And why so, as the dragoons of Tilly are still at their

post?"
"Yes, but their order, as long as it is not revoked, enjoins

them to stop before the prison."
"Undoubtedly."

"Have you got an order for them to accompany you out of the
town?"

"We have not?"
"Well, then, in the very moment when you have passed the

ranks of the dragoons you will fall into the hands of the
people."

"But the burgher guard?"
"Alas! the burgher guard are the most enraged of all."

"What are we to do, then?"
"If I were in your place, Mynheer John," the young girl

timidly continued, "I should leave by the postern, which
leads into a deserted by-lane, whilst all the people are

waiting in the High Street to see you come out by the
principal entrance. From there I should try to reach the

gate by which you intend to leave the town."
"But my brother is not able to walk," said John.

"I shall try," Cornelius said, with an expression of most
sublime fortitude.

"But have you not got your carriage?" asked the girl.
"The carriage is down near the great entrance."

"Not so," she replied. "I considered your coachman to be a
faithful man, and I told him to wait for you at the

postern."
The two brothers looked first at each other, and then at

Rosa, with a glance full of the most tender gratitude.
"The question is now," said the Grand Pensionary, "whether

Gryphus will open this door for us."
"Indeed, he will do no such thing," said Rosa.

"Well, and how then?"
"I have foreseen his refusal, and just now whilst he was

talking from the window of the porter's lodge with a
dragoon, I took away the key from his bunch."

"And you have got it?"
"Here it is, Mynheer John."

"My child," said Cornelius, "I have nothing to give you in
exchange for the service you are rendering us but the Bible

which you will find in my room; it is the last gift of an
honest man; I hope it will bring you good luck."

"I thank you, Master Cornelius, it shall never leave me,"
replied Rosa.

And then, with a sigh, she said to herself, "What a pity
that I do not know how to read!"

"The shouts and cries are growing louder and louder," said
John; "there is not a moment to be lost."

"Come along, gentlemen," said the girl, who now led the two
brothers through an inner lobby to the back of the prison.

Guided by her, they descended a staircase of about a dozen
steps; traversed a small courtyard, which was surrounded by

castellated walls; and, the arched door having been opened
for them by Rosa, they emerged into a lonely street where

their carriage was ready to receive them.
"Quick, quick, my masters! do you hear them?" cried the

coachman, in a deadly fright.
Yet, after having made Cornelius get into the carriage

first, the Grand Pensionary turned round towards the girl,
to whom he said, --

"Good-bye, my child! words could never express our
gratitude. God will reward you for having saved the lives of

two men."
Rosa took the hand which John de Witt proffered to her, and

kissed it with every show of respect.
"Go! for Heaven's sake, go!" she said; "it seems they are

going to force the gate."
John de Witt hastily got in, sat himself down by the side of

his brother, and, fastening the apron of the carriage,
called out to the coachman, --

"To the Tol-Hek!"
The Tol-Hek was the iron gate leading to the harbor of

Schevening, in which a small vessel was waiting for the two
brothers.

The carriage drove off with the fugitives at the full speed
of a pair of spirited Flemish horses. Rosa followed them

with her eyes until they turned the corner of the street,
upon which, closing the door after her, she went back and

threw the key into a cell.
The noise which had made Rosa suppose that the people were

forcing the prison door was indeed owing to the mob
battering against it after the square had been left by the

military.
Solid as the gate was, and although Gryphus, to do him

justice, stoutly enough refused to open it, yet evidently it
could not resist much longer, and the jailer, growing very

pale, put to himself the question whether it would not be
better to open the door than to allow it to be forced, when

he felt some one gently pulling his coat.
He turned round and saw Rosa.

"Do you hear these madmen?" he said.
"I hear them so well, my father, that in your place ---- "

• pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对...施压力 (初中英语单词)
• confusion [kən´fju:ʒən] n.混乱(状态)；骚乱 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)
• multitude [´mʌltitju:d] n.大群(批)；众多 (初中英语单词)
• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)
• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)
• amazement [ə´meizmənt] n.惊愕；惊奇 (初中英语单词)
• altogether [,ɔ:ltə´geðə] ad.完全；总而言之 (初中英语单词)
• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)
• hatred [´heitrid] n.憎恨，敌意 (初中英语单词)
• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
• advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)
• lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)
• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)
• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)
• hastily [´heistili] ad.急速地；草率地 (初中英语单词)
• fastening [´fɑ:səniŋ] n.(门等)扣绊，拴扣物 (初中英语单词)
• vessel [´vesəl] n.容器；船；脉管 (初中英语单词)
• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)
• resist [ri´zist] v.抵抗；对抗；抵制 (初中英语单词)
• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
• highness [´hainis] n.高，高贵，高尚 (高中英语单词)
• tumult [´tju:mʌlt, ´tu:-] n.喧哗；激昂；烦乱 (高中英语单词)
• intensity [in´tensiti] a.激烈；强度；深度 (高中英语单词)
• gateway [´geit-wei] n.入口；通道；途径 (高中英语单词)
• surgeon [´sə:dʒən] n.外科医生；军医 (高中英语单词)
• honesty [´ɔnisti] n.诚实，老实 (高中英语单词)
• document [´dɔkjumənt] n.公文；文件；证件 (高中英语单词)
• violently [´vaiələntli] ad.强暴地；猛烈地 (高中英语单词)
• whilst [wailst] conj.当...时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)
• refusal [ri´fju:zəl] n.拒绝；优先取舍权 (高中英语单词)
• courtyard [´kɔ:tjɑ:d] n.院子，庭院 (高中英语单词)
• staircase [´steəkeis] n.楼梯 =stairway (英语四级单词)
• balcony [´bælkəni] n.阳台；(戏院的)楼厅 (英语四级单词)
• rapidity [rə´piditi] n.迅速；险峻；陡 (英语四级单词)
• touching [´tʌtʃiŋ] a.动人的 prep.提到 (英语四级单词)
• burgher [´bə:gə] n.市民，公民 (英语四级单词)
• coachman [´kəutʃmən] n.赶马车人 (英语四级单词)
• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)
• arched [´ɑ:tʃid] a.弓形(结构)的 (英语六级单词)
• inconvenient [,inkən´vi:niənt] a.不方便的 (英语六级单词)
• insolent [´insələnt] a.傲慢的；无礼的 (英语六级单词)
• infamous [´infəməs] a.声名狼藉的 (英语六级单词)
• foreseen [fɔ:´si:n] foresee的过去分词 (英语六级单词)