He lived in the old windmill
which still is standing on the quay, with only little Christina to
wait upon him and keep house for him. Christina was an orphan whose
parents had died in debt. Nicholas, to Christina's everlasting
gratitude, had cleared their memory--it cost but a few hundred
florins--in consideration that Christina should work for him without
wages. Christina formed his entire household, and only one willing
visitor ever darkened his door, the widow Toelast. Dame Toelast was
rich and almost as great a miser as Nicholas himself. "Why should not
we two marry?" Nicholas had once croaked to the widow Toelast.
"Together we should be masters of all Zandam." Dame Toelast had
answered with a cackling laugh; but Nicholas was never in haste.
One afternoon Nicholas Snyders sat alone at his desk in the centre of
the great semi-circular room that took up half the ground floor of the
windmill, and that served him for an office, and there came a knocking
at the outer door.
"Come in!" cried Nicholas Snyders. He spoke in a tone quite kind for
Nicholas Snyders. He felt so sure it was Jan knocking at the
door--Jan Van der Voort, the young sailor, now master of his own ship,
come to demand of him the hand of little Christina.
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