be not rash, and have a care for thy life. What would I do if thou wert taken from me, brother?”
“I will be most cautious, sister, never fear for that!”
“But how shall we keep it from Vrouw Voorhaas? She would lock thee in a room and never let thee out, did she but dream of thy decision!”
“Thou mayst tell her that I am out helping with the defence of the city, if I fail to come back for too long a period. That will be the strict truth, yet not enough to alarm her seriously,” answered Gysbert.
“How absurdly worried and careful she has been about us, since the day we told her of the King’s Pardon and Dirk Willumhoog! She turned deathly white at the mention of his name, and I thought she was going to faint when we told her what he said before he left the gate. Dost thou remember, Gysbert?”
“Aye, but let me tell thee something else,
