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?”