J. S. Le Fanus Ghostly Tales, Volume 1 | Page 4

soiled, and nearly white with age. This having
been partially removed, there appeared beneath a box of some hard
wood; which also they forced open and after the removal of two or
three folds of linen, they discovered its contents to be a mass of golden
ingots, closely packed, and, as the Jew declared, of the most perfect
quality. Every ingot underwent the scrutiny of the little Jew, who
seemed to feel an epicurean delight in touching and testing these
morsels of the glorious metal; and each one of them was replaced in its
berth with the exclamation: "Mein Gott, how very perfect! not one
grain of alloy--beautiful, beautiful!" The task was at length finished,
and the Jew certified under his hand the value of the ingots submitted
to his examination, to amount to many thousand rix-dollars. With the
desired document in his pocket, and the rich box of gold carefully
pressed under his arm, and concealed by his cloak, he retraced his way,
and entering the studio, found his master and the stranger in close
conference. Schalken had no sooner left the room, in order to execute
the commission he had taken in charge, than Vanderhausen addressed

Gerard Douw in the following terms:----
"I cannot tarry with you to-night more than a few minutes, and so I
shall shortly tell you the matter upon which I come. You visited the
town of Rotterdam some four months ago, and then I saw in the church
of St. Lawrence your niece, Rose Velderkaust. I desire to marry her;
and if I satisfy you that I am wealthier than any husband you can dream
of for her, I expect that you will forward my suit with your authority. If
you approve my proposal, you must close with it here and now, for I
cannot wait for calculations and delays."
Gerard Douw was hugely astonished by the nature of Minheer
Vanderhausen's communication, but he did not venture to express
surprise; for besides the motives supplied by prudence and politeness,
the painter experienced a kind of chill and oppression like that which is
said to intervene when one is placed in unconscious proximity with the
object of a natural antipathy--an undefined but overpowering sensation,
while standing in the presence of the eccentric stranger, which made
him very unwilling to say anything which might reasonably offend
him.
"I have no doubt," said Gerard, after two or three prefatory hems, "that
the alliance which you propose would prove alike advantageous and
honourable to my niece; but you must be aware that she has a will of
her own, and may not acquiesce in what we may design for her
advantage."
"Do not seek to deceive me, sir painter," said Vanderhausen; "you are
her guardian--she is your ward--she is mine if you like to make her so."
The man of Rotterdam moved forward a little as he spoke, and Gerard
Douw, he scarce knew why, inwardly prayed for the speedy return of
Schalken.
"I desire," said the mysterious gentleman, "to place in your hands at
once an evidence of my wealth, and a security for my liberal dealing
with your niece. The lad will return in a minute or two with a sum in
value five times the fortune which she has a right to expect from her

husband. This shall lie in your hands, together with her dowry, and you
may apply the united sum as suits her interest best; it shall be all
exclusively hers while she lives: is that liberal?"
Douw assented, and inwardly acknowledged that fortune had been
extraordinarily kind to his niece; the stranger, he thought, must be both
wealthy and generous, and such an offer was not to be despised, though
made by a humourist, and one of no very prepossessing presence. Rose
had no very high pretensions for she had but a modest dowry, which
she owed entirely to the generosity of her uncle; neither had she any
right to raise exceptions on the score of birth, for her own origin was
far from splendid, and as the other objections, Gerald resolved, and
indeed, by the usages of the time, was warranted in resolving, not to
listen to them for a moment.
"Sir" said he, addressing the stranger, "your offer is liberal, and
whatever hesitation I may feel in closing with it immediately, arises
solely from my not having the honour of knowing anything of your
family or station. Upon these points you can, of course, satisfy me
without difficulty?'
"As to my respectability," said the stranger, drily, "you must take that
for granted at present; pester me with no inquiries; you can discover
nothing more about me than I choose to make known. You shall have
sufficient security for my respectability--my word, if you are
honourable: if you are sordid, my