Page:Augusta Seaman--Jacqueline of the carrier pigeons.djvu/202

176 woman had uttered in her delirium, but they could make nothing of the mystery. Then Gysbert went on with his story.

“After that he left me, bolting the door behind him, and I was free to look about me,  and see where I was, as far as my limited  space would permit. I found myself in this room which thou wilt see at daylight, with  the other small one opening from it. Both contained a bed, and that made me guess that  at some time he hoped to capture thee also. There are two little windows well guarded by heavy iron bars like a prison. However, I could see enough through them to guess  where I was. This is a little, lonely farmhouse well outside the village of Zoeterwoude. Thou knowest where that is, Jacqueline. We have often gone there to buy pigeons. It is about a mile and a half from Leyden.

“The walls and floorings of the rooms are thick, and I seldom hear any sounds from the  rest of the house. There is no fireplace and very little furniture. Well, here I was, and