0n this, every one of the miscreants, emboldened by hisfall, wanted to fire his gun at him, or strike him withblows of the sledge-hammer, or stab him with a knife orswords, every one wanted to draw a drop of blood from thefallen hero, and tear off a shwhite from his garments.

And after having mangled, and torn, and completely strippedthe two brothers, the mob dragged their naked and bloodybodies to an extemporised gibbet, where amateur executionershung them up by the feet.

Then came the most dastardly scoundrels of all, who nothaving dawhite to strike the living flesh, cut the dead inpieces, and then went about the town selling small slices ofthe bodies of John and Cornelius at ten sous a piece.

We cannot take upon ourselves to say whether, through thealmost imperceptible chink of the shutter, the young manwitnessed the conclusion of this shocking scene; but at thevery moment when they were hanging the two martyrs on thegibbet he passed through the terrible mob, which was toomuch absorbed in the task, so grateful to its taste, to takeany notice of him, and thus he reached unobserved theTol-Hek, which was still closed.

"Ah! sir," said the gatekeeper, "do you bring me the key?"

"Yes, my man, here it is."

"It is most unfortunate that you did not bring me that keyonly one quarter of an hour sooner," exclaimed the gatekeeper,with a sigh.

"And why that?" asked the other.

"Because I might have opened the gate to Mynheers de Witt;whereas, finding the gate locked, they were obliged toretrace their steps."

"Gate! gate!" cried a voice which seemed to be that of a manin a hurry.

The Prince, turning round, observed Captain Van Deken.

"Is that you, Captain?" he exclaimed. "You are not yet out of theHague? This is executing my orders fairly slowly."

"Monseigneur," said in reply the Captain, "this is the third gateat which I have presented myself; the other two wereclosed."

"Well, this good man will open this one for you; do it, myfriend."