The Argosy — page 230: what you’re looking at

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

Caterina. 211 deep slumber seemed to fall upon her. Caterina turned to the little altar with the crucifix, which was such an offence to her neighbours, and fell upon her knees, passing the beads of a rosary through her fingers. She had hitherto had little sense of religion, and had been Roman Catholic but in name, yet in this strait she felt the need of calling upon God, and she used the form of words she had learnt in childhood. lV. TuaT evening Mynheer Heemskerk speculated as usual upon his son’s whereabouts. ‘* That idiot of ours—that ridiculous rover who scorns a good roof over him, and a warm bed to lie in—where is he now ? Eh, daughter-in-law, what thinkest thou ? ” Caterina was at his elbow, mixing his after-supper punch. She was all dutifulness to Jacob’s querulous old father, and often spent an hour in gently rubbing his feet, tender from incipient gout. “Our crack-brained sailor is perchance near home: we shall hear soon that his ship has been sighted in the Slie.” No answer from Caterina, whose graceful head bent lower over the brew. “We'll welcome the rascal: we'll kill the fatted calf for him. Thou shalt wear thy new brocade, the claret-coloured, to do him honour—though how he could bring himself to leave such a wife beats me! What sayest thou? Will he return to-morrow ?” But his daughter, knowing so well that there could be no good news to-morrow, said little. She had prudence sufficient to keep her knowledge to herself—strange knowledge, strangely acquired. Teresa, the medium, was not so reticent. She had other and weightier things to think of than her mother’s sharp tongue, and she bore her scolding for the morning’s escapade very meekly. She sat in the background brooding over Jan’s hardships. “Come near the fire, child, thou must freeze with cold over there,” called her father. ‘‘ Come and hear of the bales we sent off to the rich London merchant to-day.” “JT am not as cold as Jan, stuck in the ice,” she returned languidly. “Jan, girl? Ill warrant he is on his way home.” “ Ay,” said Van Rennen, who had just. come in—‘ we'll see your Jan and my Van very soon now. The mother is always expecting our boy to walk in.” | “Tell her he cannot come.” | “No? Why so, Teresa?” “He is living on the ice, and cold, so cold—horribly cold—and those bears that were eating their meat—they looked so fierce—so hungry.” The neighbour started up and dragged Teresa unceremoniously out of her dark corner into the circle of light near the stove. ‘ Now, GomiilGcaooks (S©) mM