The Prince put spurs to his horse and galloped away along the dunes; in a moment he was a mere shadowy shape against the sea fog.
Jacob Van der Graef ran down the beach to where the old fisherman sat.
“The Prince of Orange!” he cried excitedly. “What was he doing here?…”
William, riding through the grey loneliness, was thinking of these hot-head conspirators.
“They are fools,” he said. “But there are times when fools may be useful.”
CHAPTER IV
THE DEFEAT OF M. DE WITT
Matthew Bromley was summoned to the great, formal audience chamber of the Palace. It was twilight, and the Prince not yet returned.
In the Palace and in the Hague a great excitement loomed and gathered. The Assembly had sat all day; fearful rumours were current as to the safety of the India fleet and the reason of de Ruyter’s silence.