The Argosy — page 225: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

206 Caterina. Il. JAN TrROONK, Captain Heemskerk’s loyal follower, was making his way to a house in the Haagstraat, running parallel with the enormous block of buildings called Heemskerk’s Fabriek, but well to the rear of the warehouses. In that street lived Teresa, Jan’s betrothed, the girl to whom Caterina had taken such a fancy. Jan was to sail next day in the Orange to the Polar seas, and he expected piteous up- braidings to be brought to bear upon him; but he was determined to withstand them, being as firmly resolved as his Captain to win fame and fortune. He paused in the low doorway, beneath the dense shadow of its overhanging eaves, to glance into the kitchen. Vrow Steen was cooking, her ample face bathed in perspiration, for it was the 17th of May, and unusually warm for the season. She stirred her soup, and then turned, the spoon in her hand, to remon- strate with her daughter, who was knitting near the open door. “A fine lady, spoilt by her grand friend,” she grumbled; ‘‘ she sees me hot and weary, and never offers to relieve me. No, forsooth, not she! she sits there at her ease.” ‘Dear mother,” replied Teresa languidly, “‘ I did not see that thou wert cooking, and I did not feel the heat, for I was thinking of my poor Jan going to the Polar seas.” The vrow laughed harshly. ‘‘Thou didst not see—thou didst not feel! Jan is only thy excuse. ‘Thou wert dreaming of thy .popish sorceress, I'll be bound. Always mooning and neglecting thy work ! Hussy!” The lover in the doorway was on the point of entering, when a short stout man hurried past him. Hans Steen had heard his wife scolding, and hastened to protect Teresa with his presence. It was not that he approved of her moping ways, but he doted upon her, and could not bear to see her grieved. “Gently, vrow, gently,” he said. ‘‘ Go on with thy soup making ; I want my supper.” ‘“‘ Ay, ay, I am to slave while the girl may spend her time with madame, or idle as she pleases,” and darting past him she dealt Teresa a blow on the cheek with her dripping spoon. In return she received an angry push from Hans’ arm, which sent her spinning against the wall, and she sank on the floor in a sitting posture, gasping with heat and rage. The dreamy ‘Teresa, agitated for once, started to her feet, rubbing her cheek as she looked from father to mother. Jan Troonk hurried to her. ‘‘ Too bad, mother,” he said; “‘ why art thou angry with my poor girl for her friendship with our noble Skipper’s wife ? The lady is a grand lady too, and I am well pleased she should be- frien Teregu:” A torrent of abuse would have rewarded this speech if the father Gomicbooks.com