"You must excuse us, but we must search the house."
"You have his Majesty's warrant so to do, and no excuse is necessary."
After a diligent search of half an hour, nobody was found in the house, and the officers began to suspect that the government had been imposed upon. Mynheer Krause, with every mark of attention and respect, was then walked off to the Hotel de Ville, where he remained in custody, for it was not considered right by the authorities, that the syndic should be thrown into the common prison upon suspicion only. When he arrived there, Mynheer Krause surprised them all by the philosophy with which he smoked his pipe.
But, although there was nobody to be found, except the syndic in the syndic's house, and not a soul at the house inhabited by the Jesuit, there was one more person included in the warrant, which was the widow Vandersloosh; for Lord Albemarle, although convinced in his own mind of her innocence, could not take upon himself to interfere with the decisions of the council; so, about one o'clock, there was a loud knocking at the widow's door, which was repeated again and again before it awoke the widow, who was fatigued with her long and hot journey to the Hague. As for Babette, she made a rule never to wake at anything, but the magical No. 6, sounded by the church clock, or by her mistress's voice.
"Babette," cried the widow Vandersloosh, "Babette."
"Yes, ma'am."
"There's a knock at the door, Babette."
"Only some drunken sailors, ma'am--they go away when they find they cannot get in."
Here the peals were redoubled.
"Babette, get up, Babette--and threaten them with the watch."