"And but for that same rascal, father," she continued softly, "you would at this moment be mourning a dead daughter and Holland a hideous act of treachery."
"Hush, my dear!" cried the old man impulsively, as he put his kind protecting arms round the child whom he loved so dearly.
"I would never have followed the Lord of Stoutenburg while I lived," she said simply.
"Please God," he said earnestly, "I would sooner have seen you in the crypt beside your mother."
"Then, father, hath not the rascal you speak of deserved well of us? Can we not guess that even originally he took me away from Haarlem, only because he knew that if he refused the bargain, proposed to him by mine own brother, Stoutenburg would have found some other means of ensuring my silence."
"You are a good advocate, my girl," rejoined Cornelius with a sly wink which brought the colour rushing up to Gilda's cheeks. "I think, by your leave, I'll go and shake that vervloekte Keerl once more by the hand.... And ... shall I tell him that you bear him no ill-will?" he added roguishly.
"Yes, father dear, tell him that," she said gently.
"Then will you go to bed, dear?" he asked, "you are overwrought and tired."
"I will sit by the window quietly for a quarter of an hour," she said, "after that I promise you that I will go peaceably to bed."
He kissed her tenderly, for she was very dear to him, but being a man of vast understanding and profound knowledge of men and things, the humorous twinkle did not altogether fade from his eyes as he finally bade his daughter "Good night," and then quietly went out of the room.