The Greatest Novels of Charles Reade. Charles Reade Reade

so that their mouths watered.

      “But, Kate, when I came to the illuminated work from Ghent and Bruges, my heart sank. Mine was dirt by the side of it. For the first minute I could almost have cried; but I prayed for a better spirit, and presently I was able to enjoy them, and thank God for those lovely works, and for those skilful, patient craftsmen, whom I own my masters. Well, the coloured work was so beautiful I forgot all about the black and white. But next day, when all the other prizes had been given, they came to the writing, and whose name think you was called first?”

      “Yours,” said Kate.

      The others laughed her to scorn.

      “You may well laugh,” said Gerard, “but for all that, Gerard Eliassoen of Tergou was the name the herald shouted. I stood stupid; they thrust me forward. Everything swam before my eyes. I found myself kneeling on a cushion at the feet of the Duke. He said something to me, but I was so fluttered I could not answer him. So then he put his hand to his side, and did not draw a glaive and cut off my dull head, but gave me a gold medal, and there it is.” There was a yell and almost a scramble. “And then he gave me fifteen great bright golden angels. I had seen one before, but I never handled one. Here they are.”

      “Oh, Gerard! oh, Gerard!”

      “There is one for you, our eldest; and one for you, Sybrandt, and for you, Little Mischief; and two for thee, Little Lily, because God hath afflicted thee; and one for myself, to buy colours and vellum; and nine for her that nursed us all, and risked the two crowns upon poor Gerard's hand.”

      The gold drew out their characters. Cornelis and Sybrandt clutched each his coin with one glare of greediness and another glare of envy at Kate, who had got two pieces. Giles seized his and rolled it along the floor and gambolled after it. Kate put down her crutches and sat down, and held out her little arms to Gerard with a heavenly gesture of love and tenderness; and the mother, fairly benumbed at first by the shower of gold that fell on her apron, now cried out, “Leave kissing him, Kate; he is my son, not yours. Ah. Gerard! my boy! I have not loved you as you deserved.”

      Then Gerard threw himself on his knees beside her, and she flung her arms round him and wept for joy and pride upon his neck.

      “Good lad! good lad!” cried the hosier, with some emotion. “I must go and tell the neighbours. Lend me the medal, Gerard; I'll show it my good friend Peter Buyskens; he is ever regaling me with how his son Jorian won the tin mug a shooting at the butts.”

      “Ay, do, my man; and show Peter Buyskens one of the angels. Tell him there are fourteen more where that came from. Mind you bring it me back!”

      “Stay a minute, father; there is better news behind,” said Gerard, flushing with joy at the joy he caused.

      “Better! better than this?”

      Then Gerard told his interview with the Countess, and the house rang with joy.

      “Now, God bless the good lady, and bless the dame Van Eyck! A benefice? our son! My cares are at an end. Eli, my good friend and master, now we two can die happy whenever our time comes. This dear boy will take our place, and none of these loved ones will want a home or a friend.”

      From that hour Gerard was looked upon as the stay of the family. He was a son apart, but in another sense. He was always in the right, and nothing too good for him. Cornelis and Sybrandt became more and more jealous of him, and longed for the day he should go to his benefice; they would get rid of the favourite, and his reverence's purse would be open to them. With these views he co-operated. The wound love had given him throbbed duller and duller. His success and the affection and admiration of his parents made him think more highly of himself, and resent with more spirit Margaret's ingratitude and discourtesy. For all that, she had power to cool him towards the rest of her sex, and now for every reason he wished to be ordained priest as soon as he could pass the intermediate orders. He knew the Vulgate already better than most of the clergy, and studied the rubric and the dogmas of the Church with his friends the monks; and, the first time the bishop came that way, he applied to be admitted “exorcist,” the third step in holy orders. The bishop questioned him, and ordained him at once. He had to kneel, and, after a short prayer, the bishop delivered to him a little MS. full of exorcisms, and said: “Take this, Gerard, and have power to lay hands on the possessed, whether baptized or catechumens!” and he took it reverently, and went home invested by the Church with power to cast out demons.

      Returning home from the church, he was met by little Kate on her crutches.

      “Oh, Gerard! who, think you, hath sent to our house seeking you?—the burgomaster himself.”

      “Ghysbrecht Van Swieten! What would he with me?”

      “Nay, Gerard, I know not. But he seems urgent to see you. You are to go to his house on the instant.”

      “Well, he is the burgomaster: I will go; but it likes me not. Kate, I have seen him cast such a look on me as no friend casts. No matter; such looks forewarn the wise. To be sure, he knows.”

      “Knows what, Gerard?”

      “Nothing.”

      “Nothing?”

      “Kate, I'll go.”

      CHAPTER V

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      Ghysbrecht Van Swieten was an artful man. He opened on the novice with something quite wide of the mark he was really aiming at. “The town records,” said he, “are crabbedly written, and the ink rusty with age.” He offered Gerard the honour of transcribing them fair.

      Gerard inquired what he was to be paid.

      Ghysbrecht offered a sum that would have just purchased the pens, ink, and parchment.

      “But, burgomaster, my labour? Here is a year's work.”

      “Your labour? Call you marking parchment labour? Little sweat goes to that, I trow.”

      “'Tis labour, and skilled labour to boot; and that is better paid in all crafts than rude labour, sweat or no sweat. Besides, there's my time.”

      “Your time? Why, what is time to you, at two-and-twenty?” Then fixing his eyes keenly on Gerard, to mark the effect of his words, he said: “Say, rather, you are idle grown. You are in love. Your body is with these chanting monks, but your heart is with Peter Brandt and his red-haired girl.”

      “I know no Peter Brandt.”

      This denial confirmed Ghysbrecht's suspicion that the caster-out of demons was playing a deep game.

      “Ye lie!” he shouted. “Did I not find you at her elbow on the road to Rotterdam?”

      “Ah!”

      “Ah! And you were seen at Sevenbergen but t'other day.”

      “Was I?'

      “Ah and at Peter's house.”

      “At Sevenbergen?”

      “Ay, at Sevenbergen.”

      Now, this was what in modern days is called a draw. It was a guess, put boldly forth as fact, to elicit by the young man's answer whether he had been there lately or not.

      The result of the artifice surprised the crafty one. Gerard started up in a strange state of nervous excitement.

      “Burgomaster,” said he, with trembling voice, “I have not been at Sevenbergen these three years, and I know not the name of those you saw me with, nor where they dwelt; but, as my time is precious, though you value it not, give you good day.” And he darted out, with his eyes sparkling.

      Ghysbrecht started up in huge ire; but he sank into his chair again.

      “He fears me not. He knows something, if not all.”

      Then he called hastily to his