The difficulty was:  How could the situation be created?  How could the interesting Dirk be brought to a pass that would give the lady an opportunity of exercising her finer feelings on his behalf?  If only he were a heretic now!  Well, by the Pope why shouldn’t he be a heretic?  If ever a fellow had the heretical cut this fellow had; flat-faced, sanctimonious-looking, and with a fancy for dark-coloured stockings—­he had observed that all heretics, male and female, wore dark-coloured stockings, perhaps by way of mortifying the flesh.  He could think of only one thing against it, the young man had drunk too much last night.  But there were certain breeds of heretics who did not mind drinking too much.  Also the best could slip sometimes, for, as he had learned from the old Castilian priest who taught him Latin, humanum est, etc.

This, then, was the summary of his reflections. (1) That to save the situation, within three months or so he must be united in holy matrimony with Lysbeth van Hout. (2) That if it proved impossible to remove the young man, Dirk van Goorl, from his path by overmatching him in the lady’s affections, or by playing on her jealousy (Query:  Could a woman be egged into becoming jealous of that flounder of a fellow and into marrying some one else out of pique?), stronger measures must be adopted. (3) That such stronger measures should consist of inducing the lady to save her lover from death by uniting herself in marriage with one who for her sake would do violence to his conscience and manipulate the business. (4) That this plan would be best put into execution by proving the lover to be a heretic, but if unhappily this could not be proved because he was not, still he must figure in that capacity for this occasion only. (5) That meanwhile it would be well to cultivate the society of Mynheer van Goorl as much as possible, first because he was a person with whom, under the circumstances, he, Montalvo, would naturally wish to become intimate, and secondly, because he was quite certain to be an individual with cash to lend.

Now, these researches after heretics invariably cost money, for they involved the services of spies.  Obviously, therefore, friend Dirk, the Dutch Flounder, was a man to provide the butter in which he was going to be fried.  Why, if any Hollander had a spark of humour he would see the joke of it himself—­and Montalvo ended his reflections as he had begun them, with a merry peal of laughter, after which he rose and ate a most excellent breakfast.

It was about half-past five o’clock that afternoon before the Captain and Acting-Commandant Montalvo returned from some duty to which he had been attending, for it may be explained that he was a zealous officer and a master of detail.  As he entered his lodgings the soldier who acted as his servant, a man selected for silence and discretion, saluted and stood at attention.

“Is the woman here?” he asked.