Just as Guy was about to acknowledge the goodwill and confidence of the citizens with words of gratitude, the door of the hall was opened, and every eye was fixed with astonishment on a monk, who entered boldly and uninvited, and drew near to the Dean. A robe of thick brown cloth was confined by a girdle around his loins; a black hood overhung his face, and so concealed his features as to render it impossible to recognize him. He seemed very old; for his body was bent, and a long beard floated on his breast. With hasty and furtive glances, he regarded the knights who were present; and his keen eye seemed to pierce the lowest depth of their hearts. Adolf van Nieuwland recognized in him the same monk who had brought him the letter of Robert de Bethune, and was about to greet him with a loud voice; but the gestures of the monk were so extraordinary that the words died away on the lips of the young man. All who were present began to kindle with anger; the daring looks which the unknown bent on them were such as they would not willingly endure; yet they gave no indication of their displeasure, for they saw that the riddle would soon be solved.
When the monk had well scrutinized each of those who were present, he loosed his girdle from his loins, threw his robe and his hood on the ground, and remained standing in the middle of the hall. He raised his head proudly; he was a man of about thirty years of age, tall and of noble frame; he looked round upon the knights as though he said, "Do you not recognize me?"
The answer did not come quickly enough, and he cried out: "You are astonished, messires, to find a fox under this coat; yet he has lain concealed in it for two years."
"Welcome, welcome, dear Diederik, good friend!" exclaimed the nobles all at once; "we thought you had been long since dead."
"Then you may thank God that I have risen again," continued Diederik. "No, I was not dead; our captive brother and Adolf van Nieuwland can bear testimony to that. I have been able to console all; for as an itinerant priest I had access to the prisons; and may God forgive me the vile Latin I have uttered. Yes, you may laugh, messires, but I have spoken Latin. I bring you, moreover, news from all our hapless countrymen for their relatives and friends."
Some of the knights wished to make more particular inquiry concerning the fate of the prisoners; but he put them aside, and continued: "For God's sake, cease these questions; I have far more important tidings to announce to you. Hear, and tremble not; for I bring you evil news. You have shaken off the yoke, and have fought and won the battle of your freedom; I grieve that I could not share this joy with you. Honor to you, brave knights and trusty citizens; honor to you that you have freed your fatherland. I assure you that if the Flemings do not wear new chains within fourteen days, not all the devils in hell will be able to rob them of their liberty; but the new chains that are preparing make me anxious and sad."
"Explain yourself more clearly, Messire Diederik," cried Guy; "explain your meaning, and do not torture us with enigmatical hints."
"Well, then, I tell you plainly that sixty-two thousand Frenchmen are encamped before Lille."
"Sixty-two thousand!" repeated the knights, gazing in alarm on one another.
"Sixty-two thousand!" echoed Breydel, rubbing his hands for joy; "what a fine flock!"
Deconinck's head sank on his breast, and he was lost in deep thought. Soon, however, he had estimated the greatness of the danger, and considered the means to avert it.
"I assure you, messires," continued Diederik die Vos, "that they number more than thirty-two thousand horse, and at least as many foot. They plunder and burn as though they were thereby rendering an acceptable service to Heaven."
"Are these evil tidings well founded?" asked Guy anxiously; "has not he who told you this deceived you, Messire Diederik?"
"No, no, noble Count, I saw it with my own eyes; and last evening I ate my supper in the tent of the Seneschal Robert d'Artois. He swore on his honor, in my presence, that the last Fleming should die by his hand. Consider now what it behooves you to do. For myself, I shall buckle on my armor without delay; and if I stand alone against these two-and-sixty thousand accursed Frenchmen, I will not yield an inch of ground; I, at least, will no longer witness the slavery of Flanders!"
Jan Breydel could not keep himself still a moment; his feet were in perpetual motion, and he swung his arms in angry impatience. Could he but dare to speak; but reverence for the lords who stood around restrained him. Guy and the other nobles looked at one another in helpless dismay. Two-and-thirty thousand well-equipped and warlike horsemen! It was altogether impossible that they could hope to ofTer a successful resistance to a force like this. In the Flemish army there were only the five hundred horsemen of Namur, whom Guy had brought with him; and what could this handful avail against the frightful number of the foe?
"What is to be done?" asked Guy. "Speak; how is our fatherland to be delivered?"
Some were of opinion that they should throw themselves into Bruges, and there await the dispersion of the French army from want of provisions. Others wished to be let loose upon the enemy, and to fall upon them that very night. Many projects were discussed, of which the greater part were rejected as dishonorable, and the remainder as impracticable.
Deconinck stood with his head still bowed in deep thought; he heard, indeed, every
