The Soul of Nicholas Snyders | Page 8

creature, laughing hideously, danced with its withered arms spread
out before the blaze, lest Jan should seek to rescue Christina's burning
dowry before it was destroyed.

Jan did not tell Christina. In spite of all Jan could say, she would go
back. Nicholas Snyders drove her from the door with curses. She could
not understand. The only thing clear was that Jan had come back to her.
"'Twas a strange madness that seized upon me," Jan explained. "Let the
good sea breezes bring us health."
So from the deck of Jan's ship they watched old Zandam till it vanished
into air.
Christina cried a little at the thought of never seeing it again; but Jan
comforted her and later new faces hid the old.
And old Nicholas married Dame Toelast, but, happily, lived to do evil
only for a few years longer.
Long after, Jan told Christina the whole story, but it sounded very
improbable, and Christina--though, of course, she did not say so--did
not quite believe it, but thought Jan was trying to explain away that
strange month of his life during which he had wooed Dame Toelast.
Yet it certainly was strange that Nicholas, for the same short month,
had been so different from his usual self.
"Perhaps," thought Christina, "if I had not told him I loved Jan, he
would not have gone back to his old ways. Poor old gentleman! No
doubt it was despair."
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