The next morning taking many of the crew who had gone with him to Antwerp before, and the Dover Lass accompanying him as far as Krom Vliet and anchoring there, just off the South Beveland shore, Guy [[209]]proceeds to Antwerp, passes the guard boat off Lillo, and hauls up to the city docks, more impatient to get at Alva’s daughter than Alva’s treasure.
He knows he must make quick work of this. During his fights and skirmishes his face has become known to many Spanish soldiers, and though most of these are up in Holland, a few are here on sick leave. Fortunately these are mostly confined to bed and chamber, as only the desperately wounded come from the front, Spain having need of every man to carry on the siege of Haarlem—but still with ten thousand crowns upon his head, “The First of the English” is now in fearful jeopardy.
Letting no time pass Chester, disguised as completely as possible as Captain Andrea Blanco, goes up to the merchant’s house to make arrangements for unloading his cargo. They are in earnest conversation, Guy charging Bodé Volcker, who has now gone into this business of stealing Alva’s treasure with heart and soul, to discover all about the house of the Spanish woman, Señora Sebastian, when great and sudden joy comes to his soul.
He hears the voice of the Countess de Pariza in the salesroom just off the little counting room where he is holding converse with the merchant. This voice he has always before considered harsh, unpleasant and uninviting, but now it seems to him as sweet as an angel’s, as it says: “I have called to price and buy some white French muslin for my charge, Doña de Alva. You need not measure many yards, the lady Hermoine soon goes to Spain to enter a religious house.”
“Shall I deliver the goods at the Citadel for your ladyship?” asks the obsequious clerk.
“No, I’ll take them with me. The weather has been so pleasant that Doña Hermoine and I are now located for the summer at the country house near Sandvliet. Be quick, young man, the State barge is waiting.”
These words knock all thought of Alva’s treasure out of Guy’s mind.
“Give me some further details,” whispers the merchant, “about the house of the Spanish woman.”
“I’ve told you where it is. To-morrow I’ll talk with you. Which is the quickest way to Sandvliet?” [[210]]
“The quickest way is on horseback, but it is not the safest.”