Near him stood Anthony Lalaing, Count Hoogstraaten, a chosen friend of the Prince of Orange despite his youth; he was short and very slender, and looked almost like a page as he offered the paste pot, his dark mantle wrapped from his eyes to his knees, his hat pulled over his brow, the only part of his festival attire visible being his rose-coloured silk hose.
Adolphus of Nassau also muffled himself in his cloak, and Floris de Montmorency, the Seigneur de Montigny, a dark splendid cavalier, kept watch at the turn of the street.
The yellow lights of the two oil lamps, flickering before a gaudy shrine to the Virgin set in the angle of the houses opposite the church, showed that the streets were empty, and that no one spied from the windows, alike all dark and shuttered. But as Brederode, with a laugh of enjoyment, was pasting a crude but effective likeness of the Cardinal rapidly journeying to hell in the company of the Devil next to the lampoon which he had already firmly affixed to the church door, Hoogstraaten and Montigny both gave a sound of warning—but too late; a carriage, singularly light and noiseless, swept round the corner, and the nobles, whose own reckless laughter had concealed the sound of the wheels, found the vehicle on them before they could fly.
One of them, at least, did not wish to do so; Brederode turned round, the paste-brush in his hand, ready for any defiance.
The other three crowded close to the door, hiding with their persons the distinct white squares of the still wet lampoons.
"What carriage in these streets at this hour?" whispered Montigny, who, as the most prudent, was also the most nervous and anxious.
His curiosity was not long in being satisfied, the blinds of the carriage were up, and from the window nearest the church looked out the serene smooth face of Cardinal Granvelle.
Even Brederode concealed the paste-brush, and the others lowered their faces into the folds of their mantles.
But the carriage stopped, and Granvelle looked straight at Brederode.
"Good evening," he said. "You enjoy the night air of Brussels?"