“If I marry not him, then will I stay with thee always.”

“Nonsense that is.  Thou must marry, like other women.  But not him; I would never forgive thee; I would never see thy face again.”

“Very hard art thou to me.  I love Richard; can I love this one and then that one?  If I were so light-of-love, contempt I should have from all, even from thee.”

“Now, I have something to say.  I have heard that some one,—­very like to thee,—­some one went twice or three times with Mrs. Gordon to see the man when he lay ill at the ‘King’s Arms.’  To such talk, my anger and my scorn soon put an end; and I will not ask of thee whether it be true, or whether it be false.  For a young girl I can feel.”

“O father, if for me thou could feel!”

“See, now, if I thought this man would be to thee a good husband, I would say, ‘God made him, and God does not make all his men Dutchmen;’ and I would forgive him his light, loose life, and his wicked wasting of gold and substance, and give thee to him, with thy fortune and with my blessing.  But I think he will be to thee a careless husband.  He will get tired of thy beauty; thy goodness he will not value; thy money he will soon spend.  Three sweethearts had he in New York before thee.  Their very names, I dare say, he hath forgotten ere this.”

“If Richard could make you sure, father, that he would be a good husband, would you then be content that we should be married?”

“That he cannot do.  Can the night make me sure it is the day?  Once very much I respected Batavius.  I said, ’He is a strict man of business; honourable, careful, and always apt to make a good bargain.  He does not drink nor swear, and he is a firm member of the true Church.  He will make my Joanna a good husband.’  That was what I thought.  Now I see that he is a very small, envious, greedy man; and like himself he quickly made thy sister.  This is what I fear:  if thou marry that soldier, either thou must grow like him, or else he will hate thee, and make thee miserable.”

“Just eighteen I am.  Let us not talk of husbands.  Why are you so hurried, father, to give me to this strange dominie?  Little is known of him but what he says.  It is easy for him to speak well of Lambertus Van Linden.”

“The committee from the Great Consistory have examined his testimonials.  They are very good.  And I am not in a hurry to give thee away.  What I fear is, that thou wilt be a foolish woman, and give thyself away.”

Katherine stood with dropped head, looking apparently at the brown earth, and the green box borders, and the shoots of white and purple and gold.  But what she really saw, was the pale, handsome face of her sick husband, its pathetic entreaty for her love, its joyful flush, when with bridal kisses he whispered, “Wife, wife, wife!”

Joris watched her curiously.  The expression on her face he could not understand.  “So happy she looks!” he thought, “and for what reason?” Katherine was the first to speak.