While Egmont had been, thus busied in Flanders, and Orange at Antwerp, Count Horn had been doing his best in the important city of Tournay.  The Admiral was not especially gifted with intellect, nor with the power of managing men, but he went there with an honest purpose of seeing the Accord executed, intending, if it should prove practicable, rather to favor the Government than the Reformers.  At the same time, for the purpose of giving satisfaction to the members of “the religion,” and of manifesting his sincere desire for a pacification, he accepted lodgings which had been prepared for him at the house of a Calvinist merchant in the city, rather, than, take up his quarters with fierce old governor Moulbais, in the citadel.  This gave much offence to the Catholics; and inspired the Reformers, with the hope of having their preaching inside the town.  To this privilege they were entitled, for the practice had already been established there, previously to the 24th October.  Nevertheless, at first he was disposed to limit them, in accordance with the wishes of the Duchess, to extra-mural exercises.

Upon his arrival, by a somewhat ominous conjuncture, he had supped with some of the leading citizens in the hall of the “gehenna” or torture room, certainly not a locality calculated to inspire a healthy appetite.  On the following Sunday he had been entertained with a great banquet, at which all the principal burghers were present, held in a house on the market-place.  The festivities had been interrupted by a quarrel, which had been taking place in the cathedral.  Beneath the vaults of that edifice, tradition said that a vast treasure was hidden, and the canons had been known to boast that this buried wealth would be sufficient to rebuild their temple more magnificently than ever, in case of its total destruction.  The Admiral had accordingly placed a strong guard in the church as soon as he arrived, and commenced very extensive excavations in search of this imaginary mine.  The Regent informed her brother that the Count was prosecuting this work with the view of appropriating whatever might be found to his own benefit.  As she knew that he was a ruined man, there seemed no more satisfactory mode of accounting for these proceedings.  Horn had, however, expressly stated to her that every penny which should come into his possession from that or any other source would carefully be restored to the rightful owners.  Nothing of consequence was ever found to justify the golden legends of the monks, but in the mean time the money-diggers gave great offence.  The canons, naturally alarmed for the safety of their fabulous treasure, had forced the guard, by surreptitiously obtaining the countersign from a certain official of the town.  A quarrel ensued which ended in the appearance of this personage, together with the commander of the military force on guard in the cathedral, before the banqueting company.  The Count, in the rough way habitual with him, gave