A WOMAN'S TREACHERY
According to the agreement with Heideck, Brandelaar, on his return from Dover, was to put in at Flushing, and the Major had instructed the guardships at the mouth of the West Schelde to allow the smack to pass unmolested without detention.But he waited for the skipper from day to day in vain.The weather could not have been the cause of his delay; certainly it had not been too bad for a man of Brandelaar's daring.A moderate north wind had been blowing nearly the whole time, so that a clever sailor could have easily made the passage from Dover to Flushing in a day.
Consequently, other reasons must have kept him in England.Heideck began to fear that either his knowledge of men, so often tried, had deceived him on this occasion, or that Brandelaar had fallen a victim to some act of imprudence in England.
A whole week having passed since Brandelaar had started, Heideck at least hoped for his return to-day.The north wind had increased towards evening; there was almost a storm, and the blast rattled violently at the windows of the room in the hotel, in which Heideck sat still writing at midnight.
A gentle knock at the door made him look up from his work.Who could have come to see him at this late hour? It was certainly not an orderly from his office, which was open day and night, for soldiers' fingers as a rule knocked harder.
"Come in!" he said.The door opened slowly, and Heideck saw, in the dimly-lighted corridor, a slender form in a long oilskin cape and a large sailor's hat, the brim of which was pressed down over the forehead.
A wild idea flashed through Heideck's mind.He sprang up, and at the same moment the pretended young man tore off his hat and held out his arms with a cry of joy.
"My dear--my beloved friend!"
"Edith!"
At this moment all other thoughts and feelings were forgotten by Heideck in the overpowering joy of seeing her again.He rushed to Edith and drew her to his breast.For a long time they remained silent in a long embrace, looking into each other's eyes and laughing like merry children.
At last, slowly freeing herself from his arms, Edith said--"You are not angry with me, then, for coming to you, although you forbade it? You will not send me away from you again?"Her voice penetrated his ear like sweet, soothing music.What man could have resisted that seductive voice?
"I should like to be angry with you, my dear, but I cannot--Heaven knows I cannot!""I could not have lived any longer without you, whispered the young woman."I was obliged to see you again, or I should have died of longing.""My sweet, my only love! But what is the meaning of this disguise?
And how did you manage to cross the Channel?""I took the way you showed me.And is my disguise so very displeasing to you?"She had thrown off the ugly, disfiguring cape and stood before him in a dark blue sailor's dress.Even in her dress as an Indian rajah he had not thought her more enchanting.
"The only thing that displeases me is that other eyes than mine have been allowed to see you in it.But you still owe me an explanation how you got here?""With your messenger of love, your postillon d'amour, who was certainly rather uncouth and awkward for so delicate a mission.""What! did you come with Brandelaar?" cried Heideck, in surprise.
"Yes.The moment I received your letter from his clumsy sailor's fist, my mind was made up.I asked him whether he was returning to Flushing, and when he said yes, I declared he must take me with him, cost what it would.I would have paid him all I possessed, without hesitation, to take me across.But the good fellow did it for much less.""You foolish girl!" said Heideck reprovingly.But pride in his beautiful, fearless darling shone brightly from his eyes."I shall have to take Brandelaar seriously to task for playing so reckless a game.But what made him so long in returning?""I believe he had all kinds of private business to see after.And he was not the only one--I had my business too.I did not want to come to you empty-handed, my friend.""Empty-handed? I don't understand."
"I puzzled my brains how I could please you, and appease your anger at my sudden appearance--that terrible anger, of which I felt so afraid.And as I heard from Brandelaar that it is your duty to discover military secrets--""The worthy Brandelaar is a chatterer.It seems as if your beautiful eyes have tempted him to open his whole heart to you.""And if it had been the case," she asked, with a roguish smile, "would you not have every reason to be grateful to him as well as myself? But really--you don't even know what I have brought for you.Aren't you the least curious?""No military secret, I suppose?"
He spoke jestingly, but she nodded seriously.
"Yes--a great secret.Chance helped me, or I should hardly have got hold of it.There it is! But be sure I shall claim an adequate reward for it."She handed him a sealed envelope, which she had kept concealed under her dress.When Heideck, with growing excitement, spread out the paper it contained, he recognised at the first glance the blue stamped paper of the English Admiralty.
No sooner had he read the first lines than he started up in the most violent excitement.His face had become dark red, a deep furrow showed itself between his eyebrows.
"What is this?" he ejaculated."For God's sake, Edith, how did you come by this paper?""How did I come by it? Oh, that's quite a secondary consideration.
The chief thing is, whether it is of any value to you or not.But aren't you pleased with it?"Heideck was still staring like one hypnotised at the paper covered with the regularly formed writing of a practised clerk's hand.
"Incomprehensible!" he murmured.Then, suddenly looking at Edith almost threateningly, he repeated--"How did you come by it?"
