statement of a spy woman not on oath, is that no such words were spoken.
This being so, as the Senora is a good Catholic whom I have no reason to
disbelieve, I order the release of the prisoner, whom for my part I take
for nothing more than a crazy and harmless wanderer."

"At least you will detain her till I can prove that she is the heretic
who escaped from the stake near Brussels," shouted Black Meg.

"I will do nothing of the sort; the prison here is over-full already.
Untie her arms and let her go."

The soldiers obeyed, wondering somewhat, and the Mare scrambled to her
feet. For a moment she stood looking at her deliverer. Then crying, "We
shall met again, Lysbeth van Hout!" suddenly she turned and sped up a
dyke at extraordinary speed. In a few seconds there was nothing to be
seen of her but a black spot upon the white landscape, and presently she
had vanished altogether.

"Gallop as you will, Mare, I shall catch you yet," screamed Black Meg
after her. "And you too, my pretty little liar, who have cheated me out
of a dozen florins. Wait till you are up before the Inquisition as a
heretic--for that's where you'll end. No fine Spanish lover will save
you then. So you have gone to the Spanish, have you, and thrown over
your fat-faced burgher; well, you will have enough of Spaniards before
you have done with them, I can tell you."

Twice had Montalvo tried to stop this flood of furious eloquence, which
had become personal and might prove prejudicial to his interests, but
without avail. Now he adopted other measures.