"There shall be, in England, seven half-penny loaves sold for a penny.
The three-hooped pot shall have ten hoops; and I will make it felony,
to drink small beer."--Jack Cade.
Had Alderman Van Beverout been a party in the preceding dialogue, he could
not have uttered words more apposite, than the exclamation with which he
first saluted the ears of those in the pavilion.
"Gales and climates!" exclaimed the merchant, entering with an open letter
in his hand. "Here are advices received, by way of Curaçoa, and the coast
of Africa, that the good ship Musk-Rat met with foul winds off the Azores,
which lengthened her passage home to seventeen weeks--this is too much
precious time wasted between markets, Captain Cornelius Ludlow, and 'twill
do discredit to the good character of the ship, which has hitherto always
maintained a sound reputation, never needing more than the regular seven
months to make the voyage home and out again. If our vessels fall into
this lazy train, we shall never get a skin to Bristol, till it is past
use. What have we here, niece? Merchandise! and of a suspicious
fabric!--who has the invoice of these goods, and in what vessel were they
shipped?"
"These are questions that may be better answered by their owner;" returned
la Belle, pointing gravely, and not without tremor in her voice, towards
the dealer in contraband, who, at the approach of the Alderman, had shrunk
back as far as possible from view.
Myndert cast an uneasy glance at the unmoved countenance of the commander
of the royal cruiser, after having bestowed a brief but understanding look
at the contents of the bale. "Captain Ludlow, the chaser is chased!" he
said. "After sailing about the Atlantic, for a week or more, like a Jew
broker's clerk running up and down the Boom Key at Rotterdam, to get off a
consignment of damaged tea, we are fairly caught ourselves! To what fall
in prices, or change in the sentiments of the Board of Trade, am I
indebted for the honor of this visit, Master a--a--a--gay dealer in green
ladies and bright tissues?"
The confident and gallant manner of the free-trader had vanished. In its
place, there appeared a hesitating and embarrassed air, that the
individual was not wont to exhibit, blended with some apparent indecision,
on the subject of his reply.
"It is the business of those who hazard much, in order to minister to the
wants of life," he said, after a pause that was sufficiently expressive of
the entire change in his demeanor, "to seek customers where there is a
reputation for liberality. I hope my boldness will be overlooked, on
account of its motive, and that you will aid the lady in judging of the
value of my articles, and of their reasonableness as to price, with your
own superior experience."
Myndert was quite as much astonished, by this language, and the subdued
manner of the smuggler, as Ludlow himself. When he expected the heaviest
demand on his address, in order to check the usual forward and reckless
familiarity of Seadrift, in order that his connexion with the 'Skimmer of
the Seas' might be as much as possible involved in ambiguity, to his own
amazement, he found his purpose more than aided by the sudden and
extraordinary respect with which he was treated. Emboldened, and perhaps a
little elevated in his own esteem, by this unexpected deference, which the
worthy Alderman, shrewd as he was in common, did not fail, like other men,
to impute to some inherent quality of his own, he answered with a greater
depth of voice, and a more protecting air, than he might otherwise have
deemed it prudent to assume to one who had so frequently given him proofs
of his own fearless manner of viewing things.
"This is being more eager as a trader, than prudent as one who should know
the value of credit;" he said, making, at the same time, a lofty gesture
to betoken indulgence for so venial an error. "We must overlook the
mistake, Captain Ludlow; since, as the young man truly observes in his
defence, gain acquired in honest traffic is a commendable and wholesome
pursuit. One who appears as if he might not be ignorant of the laws,
should know that our virtuous Queen and her wise counsellors have decided
that Mother England can produce most that a colonist can consume! Ay! and
that she can consume, too, most that the colonist can produce!"
"I pretend not to this ignorance, Sir; but, in pursuing my humble barter, I
merely follow a principle of nature, by endeavoring to provide for my own
interests. We of the contraband do but play at hazard with the
authorities. When we pass the gauntlet unharmed, we gain; and when we
lose, the servants of the crown find their profit. The stakes are equal,
and the game should not be stigmatized as unfair. Would the rulers of the
world once remove the unnecessary shackles they impose on commerce, our
calling would disappear, and the name of free-trader would then belong to
the richest and most esteemed houses."
The Alderman drew a long, low whistle. Motioning to his companions to be
seated, he placed his own compact person in a chair, crossed his legs with
an air of self-complacency, and resumed the discourse.
"These are very pretty sentiments, Master--a--a--a--, you bear a worthy
name, no doubt, my ingenious commentator on commerce?"
"They call me Seadrift, when they spare a harsher term;" returned the
other, meekly declining to be seated.
"These are pretty sentiments, Master Seadrift, and they much become a
gentleman who lives by practical comments on the revenue-laws. This is a
wise world, Captain Cornelius Ludlow, and in it there are many men whose
heads are tilled, like bales of goods, with a general assortment of
ideas.--Hornbooks and primers! Here have Van Bummel, Schoenbroeck, and Van
der Donck, just sent me a very neatly-folded pamphlet, written in good
Leyden Dutch, to prove that trade is an exchange of what the author calls
equivalents, and that nations have nothing to do but to throw open their
ports, in order to make a millennium among the merchants!"
"There are many ingenious men who entertain the same opinions;" observed
Ludlow, steady in his resolution to be merely a quiet observer of all that
passed.
"What cannot a cunning head devise, to spoil paper with! Trade is a racer,
gentlemen, and merchants the jockeys who ride. He who carries most weight
may lose; but then nature does not give all men the same dimensions, and
judges are as necessary to the struggles of the mart as to those of the
course. Go, mount your gelding, if you are lucky enough to have one that
has not been melted into a weasel by the heartless blacks, and ride out to
Harlaem Flats, on a fine October day, and witness the manner in which the
trial of speed is made. The rogues of riders cut in here, and over there;
now the whip and now the spur; and though they start fair, which is more
than can always be said of trade, some one is sure to win. When it is neck
and neck, then the neat is to be gone over, until the best bottom gains
the prize."
"Why is it then that men of deep reflection so often think that commerce
flourishes most when least encumbered?"
"Why is one man born to make laws, and another to break them?--Does not
the horse run faster with his four legs free, than when in hopples? But in
trade, Master Seadrift, and Captain Cornelius Ludlow, each of us is his
own jockey; and putting the aid of custom-house laws out of the question,
just as nature has happened to make him. Fat or lean, big bones or fine
bones, he must get to the goal as well as he can. Therefore your heavy
weights call out for sandbags and belts, to make all even. That the steed
may be crushed with his load, is no proof that his chance of winning will
not be better by bringing all the riders to the same level."
"But to quit these similies," continued Ludlow, "if trade be but an
exchange of equivalents----"
"Beggary and stoppages!" interrupted the Alder man, who was far more
dogmatical than courteous in argument. "This is the language of men who
have read all sorts of books, but legers. Here have advices from Tongue
and Twaddle, of London, which state the nett proceeds of a little
adventure, shipped by the brig Moose, that reached the river on the 16th
of April, ultimo. The history of the whole transaction can be put in a
child's muff--you are a discreet youth, Captain Cornelius; and as to you,
Master Seadrift, the affair is altogether out of your line--therefore, as
I was observing, here are the items, made out only a fortnight since, in
the shape of a memorandum;" while speaking, the Alderman had placed his
spectacles and drawn his tablets from a pocket. Adjusting himself to the
light, he continued: "Paid bill of Sand, Furnace, and Glass, for beads, L.
3. 2. 6.--Package and box, 1. 10½--Shipping charges, and freight, 11.
4.--Insurance, averaged at, 1. 5.--Freight, charges, and commission of
agent among Mohawks, L. 10.--Do. do. do. of shipment and sale of furs, in
England, L. 7. 2 Total of costs and charges, L. 20. 18. 8½, all in
sterling money. Note, sale of furs, to Frost and Rich, nett avails, L.
196. 11. 3.--Balance, as per contra, L. 175. 12. 5½.--a very satisfactory
equivalent this, Master Cornelius, to appear on the books of Tongue and
Twaddle, where I stand charged with the original investment of L. 20. 19.
8½! How much the Empress of Germany may pay the firm of Frost and Rich for
the articles, does not appear."
"Nor does it appear that more was got for your beads, in the Mohawk
country, than they were valued at there, or was paid for the skins than
they were worth where they were produced."
"Whe--w--w--w!" whistled the merchant, as he returned the tablets to his
pocket.
"One would think that thou hadst been studying the Leyden pamphleteer, son
of my old friend! If the savage thinks so little of his skins, and so much
of my beads, I shall never take, the pains to set him right; else, always
by permission of the Board of Trade, we shall see him, one day, turning
his bark canoe into a good ship, and going in quest of his own ornaments.
Enterprise and voyages! Who knows but that the rogue would see fit to stop
at London, even; in which case the Mother Country might lose the profit
of the sale at Vienna, and the Mohawk set up his carriage, on the
difference in the value of markets! Thus, you see, in order to run a fair
race, the horses must start even, carry equal weights, and, after all, one
commonly wins. Your metaphysics are no better than so much philosophical
gold leaf, which a cunning reasoner beats out into a sheet as large as the
broadest American lake, to make dunces believe the earth can be transmuted
into the precious material; while a plain practical man puts the value of
the metal into his pocket, in good current coin."
"And yet I hear you complain that Parliament has legislated more than is
good for trade, and speak in a manner of the proceedings at home, that,
you will excuse me for saying, would better become a Hollander than a
subject of the crown."
"Have I not told you, that the horse will run faster without a rider, than
with a pack-saddle on his back? Give your own jockey as little, and your
adversary's as much weight as you can, if you wish to win. I complain of
the borough-men, because they make laws for us, and not for themselves. As
I often tell my worthy friend, Alderman Gulp, eating is good for life, but
a surfeit makes a will necessary."
"From all which I infer, that the opinions of your Leyden correspondent
are not those of Mr. Van Beverout."
The Alderman laid a finger on his nose, and looked at his companions, for
a moment, without answering.
"Those Leydeners are a sagacious breed! If the United Provinces had but
ground to stand on, they would, like the philosopher who boasted of his
lever, move the world! The sly rogues think that the Amsterdammers have
naturally an easy seat, and they wish to persuade all others to ride
bare-back. I shall send the pamphlet up into the Indian country, and pay
some scholar to have it translated into the Mohawk tongue, in order that
the famous chief Schendoh, when the missionaries shall have taught him to
read, may entertain right views of equivalents! I am not certain that I
may not make the worthy divines a present, to help the good fruits to
ripen."
The Alderman leered round upon his auditors, and, folding his hands meekly
on his breast, he appeared to leave his eloquence to work its own effects.
"These opinions favor but little the occupation of the--the gentleman--who
now honors us with his company," said Ludlow, regarding the gay-looking
smuggler with an eye that showed how much he was embarrassed to find a
suitable appellation for one whose appearance was so much at variance with
his pursuits. "If restrictions are necessary to commerce, the lawless
trader is surely left without an excuse for his calling."
"I as much admire your discretion in practice, as the justice of your
sentiments in theory, Captain Ludlow;" returned the Alderman. "In a
rencontre on the high seas, it would be your duty to render captive the
brigantine of this person; but, in what may be called the privacy of
domestic retirement, you are content to ease your mind in moralities! I
feel it my duty, too, to speak on this point, and shall take so favorable
an occasion, when all is pacific, to disburthen myself of some sentiments
that suggest themselves, very naturally, under the circumstances." Myndert
then turned himself towards the dealer in contraband, and continued, much
in the manner of a city magistrate, reading a lesson of propriety to some
disturber of the peace of society. "You appear here, Master Seadrift," he
said, "under what, to borrow a figure from your profession, may be called
false colors. You bear the countenance of one who might be a useful
subject, and yet are you suspected of being addicted to certain practices
which--I will not say they are dishonest, or even discreditable--for on
that head the opinions of men are much divided, but which certainly have
no tendency to assist Her Majesty, in bringing her wars to a glorious
issue, by securing to her European dominions that monopoly of trade, by
which it is her greatest desire to ease us of the colonies of looking any
further after our particular interests, than beyond the doors of her own
custom-houses. This is an indiscretion, to give the act its gentlest
appellation; and I regret to add, it is accompanied by certain
circumstances which rather heighten than lessen the delinquency." The
Alderman paused a moment, to observe the effect of his admonition, and to
judge, by the eye of the free-trader, how much farther he might push his
artifice; but perceiving, to his own surprise, that the other bent his
face to the floor, and stood like one rebuked, he took courage to proceed.
"You have introduced into this portion of my dwelling, which is
exclusively inhabited by my niece, who is neither of a sex nor of years to
be legally arraigned for any oversight of this nature, sundries of which
it is the pleasure of the Queen's advisers that her subjects in the
colonies should not know the use, since, in the nature of fabrications,
they cannot be submitted to the supervising care of the ingenious artisans
of the mother island. Woman, Master Seadrift, is a creature liable to the
influence of temptation, and in few things is she weaker than in her
efforts to resist the allurements of articles which may aid in adorning
her person. My niece, the daughter of Etienne Barbérie, may also have an
hereditary weakness on this head, since the females of France study these
inventions more than those of some other countries. It is not my
intention, however, to manifest any unreasonable severity; since, if old
Etienne has communicated any hereditary feebleness on the subject of
fancy, he has also left his daughter the means of paying for it. Hand in
your account, therefore, and the debt shall be discharged, if debt has
been incurred. And this brings me to the last and the gravest of your
offences.
"Capital is no doubt the foundation on which a merchant builds his edifice
of character," continued Myndert, after taking another jealous survey of
the countenance of him he addressed; "but credit is the ornament of its
front. This is a corner-stone; that the pilasters and carvings, by which
the building is rendered pleasant; sometimes, when age has undermined the
basement, it is the columns on which the superstructure rests, or even the
roof by which the occupant is sheltered. It renders the rich man safe, the
dealer of moderate means active and respectable, and it causes even the
poor man to hold up his head in hope: though I admit that buyer and seller
need both be wary, when it stands unsupported by any substantial base.
This being the value of credit, Master Seadrift, none should assail it
without sufficient cause, for its quality is of a nature too tender for
rude treatment. I learned, when a youth, in my travels in Holland, through
which country, by means of the Trekschuyts, I passed with sufficient
deliberation to profit by what was seen, the importance of avoiding, on
all occasions, bringing credit into disrepute. As one event that occurred
offers an apposite parallel to what I have now to advance, I shall make a
tender of the facts in the way of illustration. The circumstances show the
awful uncertainty of things in this transitory life, Captain Ludlow, and
forewarn the most vigorous and youthful, that the strong of arm may be cut
down, in his pride, like the tender plant of the fields! The banking-house
of Van Gelt and Van Stopper, in Amsterdam, had dealt largely in securities
issued by the Emperor for the support of his wars. It happened, at the
time, that Fortune had favored the Ottoman, who was then pressing the city
of Belgrade, with some prospects of success. Well, Sirs, a headstrong and
ill-advised laundress had taken possession of an elevated terrace in the
centre of the town, in order to dry her clothes. This woman was in the act
of commencing the distribution of her linens and muslins, with the break
of day, when the Mussulmans awoke the garrison by a rude assault. Some,
who had been posted in a position that permitted of retreat, having seen
certain bundles of crimson, and green, and yellow, on an elevated parapet,
mistook them for the heads of so many Turks; and they spread the report,
far and near, that a countless band of the Infidels, led on by a vast
number of sherriffes in green turbans, had gained the heart of the place,
before they were induced to retire. The rumor soon took the shape of a
circumstantial detail, and, having reached Amsterdam, it caused the funds
of the Imperialists to look down. There was much question, on the
Exchange, concerning the probable loss of Van Gelt and Van Stopper in
consequence. Just as speculation was at its greatest height on this head,
the monkey of a Savoyard escaped from its string, and concealed himself in
a nut-shop, a few doors distant from the banking-house of the firm, where
a crowd of Jew boys collected to witness its antics. Men of reflection,
seeing what they mistook for a demonstration on the part of the children
of the Israelites, began to feel uneasiness for their own property. Drafts
multiplied; and the worthy bankers, in order to prove their solidity,
disdained to shut their doors at the usual hour. Money was paid throughout
the night; and before noon, on the following day, Van Gelt had cut his
throat, in a summer-house that stood on the banks of the Utrecht canal;
and Van Stopper was seen smoking a pipe, among strong boxes that were
entirely empty. At two o'clock, the post brought the intelligence that
the Mussulmans were repulsed, and that the laundress was hanged; though I
never knew exactly for what crime, as she certainly was not a debtor of
the unhappy firm. These are some of the warning events of life, gentlemen;
and as I feel sure of addressing those who are capable of making the
application, I shall now conclude by advising all who hear me to great
discretion of speech on every matter connected with commercial character."
When Myndert ceased speaking, he threw another glance around him, in order
to note the effect his words had produced, and more particularly to
ascertain whether he had not drawn a draft on the forbearance of the
free-trader, which might still meet with a protest. He was at a loss to
account for the marked and unusual deference with which he was treated, by
one who, while he was never coarse, seldom exhibited much complaisance for
the opinions of a man he was in the habit of meeting so familiarly, on
matters of pecuniary interest. During the whole of the foregoing harangue,
the young mariner of the brigantine had maintained the same attitude of
modest attention; and when his eyes were permitted to rise, it was only to
steal uneasy looks at the face of Alida. La belle Barbérie had also
listened to her uncle's eloquence, with a more thoughtful air than common.
She met the occasional glances of the dealer in contraband, with answering
sympathy; and, in short, the most indifferent observer of their deportment
might have seen that circumstances had created between them a confidence
and intelligence which, if it were not absolutely of the most tender, was
unequivocally of the most intimate, character. Ail this Ludlow plainly
saw, though the burgher had been too much engrossed with the ideas he had
so complacently dealt out, to note the fact.
"Now that my mind is so well stored with maxims on commerce, which I
shall esteem as so many commentaries on the instructions of my Lords of
the Admiralty," observed the Captain, after a brief interval of silence,
"it may be permitted to turn our attention to things less metaphysical.
The present occasion is favorable to inquire after the fate of the
shipmate we lost in the last cruise; and it ought not to be neglected."
"You speak truth, Mr. Cornelius--The Patroon of Kinderhook is not a man to
fall into the sea, like an anker of forbidden liquor, and no questions
asked. Leave this matter to my discretion, Sir; and trust me, the tenants
of the third best estate in the colony shall not long be without tidings
of their landlord. If you will accompany Master Seadrift into the other
part of the villa for a reasonable time, I shall possess myself of all the
facts that are at all pertinent to the right understanding of the case."
The commander of the royal cruiser, and the young mariner of the
brigantine, appeared to think that a compliance with this invitation would
bring about a singular association. The hesitation of the latter, however,
was far the most visible, since Ludlow had coolly determined to maintain
his neutral character, until a proper moment to act, as a faithful
servitor of his royal mistress, should arrive. He knew, or firmly
believed, that the Water-Witch again lay in the Cove, concealed by the
shadows of the surrounding wood; and as he had once before suffered by the
superior address of the smugglers, he was now resolved to act with so much
caution, as to enable him to return to his ship in time to proceed against
her with decision, and, as he hoped, with effect. In addition to this
motive for artifice, there was that in the manner and language of the
contraband dealer to place him altogether above the ordinary men of his
pursuit, and indeed to create in his favor a certain degree of interest,
which the officer of the crown was compelled to admit. He therefore bowed
with sufficient courtesy, and professed his readiness to follow the
suggestions of the Alderman.
"We have met on neutral ground, Master Seadrift," said Ludlow to his gay
companion, as they quitted the saloon of la Cour des Fées; "and though
bent on different objects, we may discourse amicably of the past. The
'Skimmer of the Seas' has a reputation in his way, that almost raises him
to the level of a seaman distinguished in a better service. I will ever
testify to his skill and coolness as a mariner, however much I may lament
that those fine qualities have received so unhappy a direction."
"This is speaking with a becoming reservation for the rights of the crown,
and with meet respect for die Barons of the Exchequer!" retorted Seadrift,
whose former, and we may say natural, spirit seemed to return, as he left
the presence of the burgher. "We follow the pursuit, Captain Ludlow, in
which accident has cast our fortunes. You serve a Queen you never saw, and
a nation who will use you in her need and despise you in her prosperity;
and I serve myself. Let reason decide between us."
"I admire this frankness, Sir, and have hopes of a better understanding
between us, now that you have done with the mystifications of your
sea-green woman. The farce has been well enacted; though, with the
exception of Oloff Van Staats and those enlightened spirits you lead about
the ocean, it has not made many converts to necromancy."
The free-trader permitted his handsome mouth to relax in a smile.
"We have our mistress, too," he said; "but she exacts no tribute. All that
is gained goes to enrich her subjects, while all that she knows is
cheerfully imparted for their use. If we are obedient, it is because we
have experienced her justice and wisdom I hope Queen Anne deals as kindly
by those who risk life and limb in her cause?"
"Is it part of the policy of her you follow, to reveal the fate of the
Patroon; for though rivals in one dear object--or rather I should say,
once rivals in that object--I cannot see a guest quit my ship with so
little ceremony, without an interest in his welfare."
"You make a just distinction," returned Seadrift, smiling still more
meaningly--"Once rivals is indeed the better expression. Mr. Van Staats is
a brave man, however ignorant he may be of the seaman's art. One who has
showed so much spirit will be certain of protection from personal injury,
in the care of the 'Skimmer of the Seas.'"
"I do not constitute myself the keeper of Mr. Van Staats; still, as the
commander of the ship whence he has been--what shall I term the manner of
his abduction?--for I would not willingly use, at this moment, a term that
may prove disagreeable--"
"Speak freely, Sir, and fear not to offend. We of the brigantine are
accustomed to divers epithets that might startle less practised ears. We
are not to learn, at this late hour, that, in order to become respectable,
roguery must have the sanction of government. You were pleased, Captain
Ludlow, to name the mystifications of the Water-Witch; but you seem
indifferent to those that are hourly practised near you in the world, and
which, without the pleasantry of this of ours, have not half its
innocence."
"There is little novelty in the expedient of seeking to justify the
delinquency of individuals, by the failings of society."
"I confess it is rather just than original. Triteness and Truth appear to
be sisters! And yet do we find ourselves driven to this apology, since the
refinement of us of the brigantine has not yet attained to the point of
understanding all the excellence of novelty in morals."
"I believe there is a mandate of sufficient antiquity, which bids us to
render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's."
"A mandate which our modern Cæsars have most liberally construed! I am a
poor casuist, Sir; nor do I think the loyal commander of the Coquette
would wish to uphold all that sophistry can invent on such a subject. If
we begin with potentates, for instance, we shall find the Most Christian
King bent on appropriating as many of his neighbors' goods to his own use,
as ambition, under the name of glory, can covet; the Most Catholic,
covering with the mantle of his Catholicity, a greater multitude of
enormities on this very continent, than even charity itself could conceal;
and our own gracious Sovereign, whose virtues and whose mildness are
celebrated in verse and prose, causing rivers of blood to run, in order
that the little island over which she rules may swell out, like the frog
in the fable, to dimensions that nature has denied, and which will one day
inflict the unfortunate death that befell the ambitious inhabitant of the
pool. The gallows awaits the pickpocket; but your robber under a pennant
is dubbed a knight! The man who amasses wealth by gainful industry is
ashamed of his origin; while he who has stolen from churches, laid
villages under contribution, and cut throats by thousands, to divide the
spoils of a galleon or a military chest, has gained gold on the highway of
glory! Europe has reached an exceeding pass of civilization, it may not be
denied; but before society inflicts so severe censure on the acts of
individuals, notwithstanding the triteness of the opinion, I must say it
is bound to look more closely to the example it sets, in its collective
character."
"These are points on which our difference of opinion is likely to be
lasting;" said Ludlow, assuming the severe air of one who had the world
on his side "We will defer the discussion to a moment of greater leisure,
Sir. Am I to learn more of Mr. Van Staats, or is the question of his fate
to become the subject of a serious official inquiry?"
"The Patroon of Kinderhook is a bold boarder!" returned the free-trader,
laughing. "He has carried the residence of the lady of the brigantine by a
coup-de-main; and he reposes on his laurels! We of the contraband are
merrier in our privacy than is thought, and those who join our mess seldom
wish to quit it."
"There may be occasion to look further into its mysteries--until when, I
wish you adieu."
"Hold!" gaily cried the other, observing that Ludlow was about to quit the
room--"Let the time of our uncertainty be short, I pray thee. Our mistress
is like the insect, which takes the color of the leaf on which it dwells.
You have seen her in her sea-green robe, which she never fails to wear
when roving over the soundings of your American coast: but in the deep
waters, her mantle vies with the blue of the ocean's depths. Symptoms of a
change, which always denote an intended excursion far beyond the influence
of the land, have been seen!"
"Harkee, Master Seadrift! This foolery may do while you possess the power
to maintain it. But remember, that though the law only punishes the
illegal trader by confiscation of his goods when taken, it punishes the
kidnapper with personal pains, and sometimes with--death!--And,
more--remember that the line which divides smuggling from piracy is easily
past, while the return becomes impossible."
"For this generous counsel, in my mistress's name I thank thee;" the gay
mariner replied, bowing with a gravity that rather heightened than
concealed his irony--"Your Coquette is broad in the reach of her booms,
and swift on the water, Captain Ludlow, but let her be capricious,
wilful, deceitful, nay powerful, as she may, she shall find a woman in the
brigantine equal to all her arts, and far superior to all her threats!"
With this prophetic warning on the part of the Queen's officer, and cool
reply on that of the dealer in contraband, the two sailors separated. The
latter took a book, and threw himself into a chair, with a well-maintained
indifference; while the other left the house, in a haste that was not
disguised.
In the mean time, the interview between Alderman Van Beverout and his
niece still continued. Minute passed after minute, and yet there was no
summons to the pavilion. The gay young seaman of the brigantine had
continued his studies for some time after the disappearance of Ludlow, and
he now evidently awaited an intimation that his presence was required in
la Cour des Fées. During these moments of anxiety, the air of the
free-trader was sorrowful rather than impatient; and when a footstep was
heard at the door of the room, he betrayed symptoms of strong and
uncontrollable agitation. It was the female attendant of Alida, who
entered, presented a slip of paper, and retired. The eager expectant read
the following words, hastily written in pencil:--
"I have evaded all his questions, and he is more than half-disposed to
believe in necromancy. This is not the moment to confess the truth, for he
is not in a condition to hear it, being already much disturbed by the
uncertainty of what may follow the appearance of the brigantine on the
coast, and so near his own villa. But, be assured, he shall and will
acknowledge claims that I know how to support, and which, should I fail of
establishing, he would not dare to refuse to the redoubtable 'Skimmer of
the Seas.' Come hither, the moment you hear his foot in the passage."
The last injunction was soon obeyed. The Alderman entered by one door, as
the active fugitive retreated by another; and where the weary burgher
expected to see his guests, he found an empty apartment. This last
circumstance, however, gave Myndert Van Beverout but little surprise and
no concern, as would appear by the indifference with which he noted the
circumstance.
"Vagaries and womanhood!" thought, rather than muttered, the Alderman.
"The jade turns like a fox in his tracks, and it would be easier to
convict a merchant who values his reputation, of a false invoice, than
this minx of nineteen of an indiscretion! There is so much of old Etienne
and his Norman blood in her eye, that one does not like to provoke
extremities; but here, when I expected Van Staats had profited by his
opportunity, the girl looks like a nun, at the mention of his name. The
Patroon is no Cupid, we must allow; or, in a week at sea, he would have
won the heart of a mermaid!--Ay--and here are more perplexities, by the
return of the Skimmer and his brig, and the notions that young Ludlow has
of his duty. Life and mortality! One must quit trade, at some time or
other, and begin to close the books of life. I must seriously think of
striking a final balance. If the sum-total was a little more in my favor
it should be gladly done to-morrow!"