CHAPTER VIII.

TRINITY CHURCH.

At length--it was near the hour of four--they came to the head of Wall street once more, and paused in front of the portals of unfinished Trinity.

"Here you must leave me," cried Barnhurst, in a tone of desperation, "I have an appointment in this church at the hour of four. Leave me,--at least for a little while--"

But Arthur held fast the false clergyman's arm.

"I will never leave you," he said. "Keep your appointment, I will witness it. It will be very interesting to know what business it is, that can bring you to this unfinished church at the hour of four in the morning."

Barnhurst set his teeth together in silent rage.

"You cannot,--cannot,--" he began.

"Not a word," sternly interrupted Dermoyne. "Go in and keep your appointment like a man of your word."

Barnhurst led the way, and they passed under heavy piles of scaffolding into the dark church. Dark indeed, and unenlivened by a single ray of light. All around was silent as the grave. The profound stillness was well calculated to strike the heart with awe, and Arthur and Barnhurst, as they groped their way along, did not utter a word.

"Here, near the third pillar, I am to meet him," whispered Barnhurst.

"Give me your left hand, then; I will conceal myself behind the pillar, and hold you firmly, while you converse with your friend."

Herman, in the thick darkness, placed himself against the pillar, and Dermoyne, firmly grasping his left hand, crept behind it.

Thus they stood for many minutes, awaiting the approach of Herman's friend. In the dark and stillness those moments seemed so many ages.

A bell, striking the hour of four, resounded over the city.

At length a step was heard, and then a faint cough,--

"Are you here?" said a voice; and Dermoyne, from his place of concealment, beheld a dimly-defined figure approach the third pillar.

"I am," answered Barnhurst.

"Who are you?" said the voice of the unknown.

"I am Herman Barnhurst."--His voice was low but distinct.

"How shall I know that you are the Barnhurst whom I seek?" asked the unknown.

There was a pause. Barnhurst seemed to hesitate:

"'_The Night of the Tenth of November,_ 1842,'" he said, and his voice trembled.

"Right; you are the man," said the unknown. "Did you receive a letter last evening?"

"I did,"--and Barnhurst's voice was very faint.

"How was that letter signed, and to what did it refer?"

Again Barnhurst hesitated. Arthur felt the hand which he held grow hot and cold by turns.

"It was signed by 'THE THREE,"' he replied in a faltering voice--"and referred to an event which _it assumes_ took place on the night of the tenth of November, 1842."

"'_Assumes_!'" echoed the unknown, with a faint laugh. "You think it an _assumption_, do you? Well, I like that. And the letter requested you to meet one of the 'Three,' at this place, at the hour of four this morning; and it concluded by stating that you would hear something of great interest to yourself in regard to the _events of that night_."

"It did," faintly responded Barnhurst. "I am here, and--"

"We will have a little private conversation together. First of all, you must know that I am one of three persons who take a great interest in your affairs, and desire to save you from a great deal of trouble. We watch over you with fraternal anxiety, and do all we can to keep you out of harm. And on the part of the Three, (whose names you will know in good time, in case you prove reasonable,) I am deputed to give you a little good counsel."

"Good counsel?"

"Good counsel, was the word. Now, in order to understand this good counsel, you will understand that the Three are in possession of all the facts connected with the remarkable event of the _night of the tenth of November_, 1842. Facts, certified by proof--you comprehend?"

Herman gave a start, but did not reply.

"You will, therefore, listen to the good counsel with patience, I doubt not. To come to the point, then:--You know that the immense property of Trinity Church, comprising, at a rough guess, one eighth of the greatest city on the American continent, has been threatened at various periods by a series of conspiracies, who have given THE CORPORATION much trouble, and who, more than once, have nearly accomplished its ruin?"

"I do," answered Herman; "and these conspiracies have all sprung from a band of persons, widely dispersed through the United States, and calling themselves the heirs of Anreke Jans Bogardus."

"Right," continued the unknown. "Anreke Jans, said to be the natural daughter of a king of Holland, lived on this island about two hundred years ago. At her death she bequeathed to her children a certain farm--a farm which at the present time forms the very heart of New York, and constitutes a great part of the wealth of Trinity Church, for it is worth countless millions of dollars. Now you are well aware that it is alleged by the descendants of Anreke Jans, that this farm was juggled out of the hands of one of their ancestors by a gross fraud--a fraud worthy of that curse which Scripture pronounces upon the man who removes his neighbor's land-mark--and that Trinity Church has only one right to the ownership of said farm, to wit: the right of the thief and robber?"

"I am aware of this," responded Herman; "and so powerful have been the proofs of this fraud, that the Church has, on various occasions, come near losing the very jewel of all its immense possessions. Only one course of action has saved it from the heirs of Anreke Jans Bogardus--"

"It has, when nearly driven to the wall, consented to compromise with the heirs for their claim,--has simply desired in return, a release, signed by all the heirs,--and then, on the very eve of settlement, it has managed to buy off one or two of the most prominent heirs. For instance, Aaron Burr, (who acted for the heirs, some thirty years ago,) was lulled into silence by the generosity of the Church. She gave him several valuable tracts of land, which he sold to Astor--"

The unknown paused for a moment, and then resumed:

"At the present time, these heirs are preparing a conspiracy, more desperately energetic than any previous effort. It is certainly the interest of the Church to foil this conspiracy at all hazards. And we 'THREE' persons, not directly connected with the corporation, think that we can make it our interest to assist the Church in the final overthrow of the conspirators. To do this effectually, we require the assistance of one of the heirs, who will wind himself into the plans of the conspirators, help the plot to ripen, and help us to _gather it_ when it is ripe."

"'One of the heirs?'" muttered Herman.

"Ay, one of the heirs,--and he must be a man of sense, shrewdness and undoubted respectability. Now--do you hear me?--you, Herman Barnhurst, are one of the heirs of Anreke Jans Bogardus."

There was a pause of profound silence. You might have heard a pin drop, in the deep stillness of that vast edifice.

"I am one of the heirs of Anreke Jans," said Herman; "and what then?"

The voice of the unknown was deep, distinct and imperative:

"You will assist us in foiling these conspirators. You will assist us willingly, faithfully, and without reserve. This is the good counsel which I am deputed to give you."

"And if I decline?" said Herman, drawing a long breath.

"You will not decline when you remember the event of the night of the tenth of November, 1842."

Dermoyne felt the hand which he clasped tremble in his grasp.

"Ah!" and Herman drew another long breath.

"As the Third of the Three, I beg your opinion of my good counsel," said the unknown.

"I accept," said Herman, in a husky voice.

"But we must have some pledge for your fidelity--"

"Have you not pledge enough," said Herman, bitterly, "if you know the events of that night--"

"True; but we require some other little pledge in the way of collateral--as the money lenders say"--said the unknown, who had designated himself as "THE THIRD _of the Three_." "In the event of a certain contingency--a very improbable contingency,--you will inherit one seventh of the Van Huyden estate--"

Herman gave a start;--he moved forward suddenly, but was drawn back against the pillar by the strong grip of Dermoyne:

"The Van Huyden estate!" he ejaculated in a tone of utter astonishment.

"I said the Van Huyden estate," continued the Third of the Three,--"and that should satisfy you that I know all about it. In witness of your good faith, you will to-morrow make over to us, by our own proper names, and over your own proper signature, all your right, title and interest in the Van Huyden estate. The final settlement, you know, takes place the day after to-morrow. In case you act faithfully to us, we will restore you your right on the day when, by your assistance, we have foiled the heirs of Anreke Jans. The good counsel which I have for you is this:--accept this proposition at once, if you know what is good for your health, your reputation, your liberty."

The words of the Third of the Three were succeeded by a dead pause. It was dark, and the changes of Herman's face could not be seen. A sound was heard, like a half-suppressed groan.

"And if I refuse?" he faltered--"if I cast your absurd proposition to the winds?"

"Then the _revelation_ of the event of that night, may cast you to the devil," was the calm reply.

"At least give me some hours for reflection; let me consider your proposal."

"We had thought of this," answered the unknown. "The time is short. The 25th of December will soon be here. I am authorized to give you until to-day at mid-day,--that is, you have nearly eight hours for calm reflection."

Herman said, after a moment's hesitation, in a low and scarce perceptible voice,--

"Be it so."

"In case your answer is Yes, you will signify it in this manner"--and he whispered in the ear of his victim,--whispered a few brief words, which Herman drank in with all his soul. "Remember, before mid-day, some seven and a half hours hence."

"You shall have my answer in the manner specified," said Herman, in an accent of utter bewilderment.

"Our interview is at an end," said the Third of the Three. "As we must not by any chance be seen leaving this place together, I will pass through the graveyard, while you go out at the main door. Good night."

And leaving the miserable man, who sank back against the pillar for support, the Third of the Three passed from the shadows, out into the graveyard, where white tombstones appeared in the starlight, mingled with piles of lumber and heaps of building stone.

As he came into the starlight, it might be seen that he was a short thick-set man, clad in a dark over-coat, whose upturned collar hid the low part of his visage, while his hat, drawn low over his brows, masked the upper portion of his face. He chuckled to himself as he picked his way among the heaps of lumber and scattered masses of building stone:

"It is a nice game, any how you choose to look at it. The heirs of Anreke Jans can be played against the Church; this man Herman can be played against the heirs, and the Three can dictate terms to both parties, and decide the game. And when the Three have won, why then the Third of the Three can hold the First and Second in his power; especially, if this man's chance of the seventh of the Van Huyden estate is transferred to the Third, by his own proper name. Well, well; law, properly understood, is the science of pulling wool over other people's eyes: eloquent speeches in court, and the name of a big practice, may do for some people; but give me one of these nice little cases, which lie sequestered from the public view, quiet as an oyster in his bed, and as juicy!"

Thus you see that the Third of the Three was a philosopher. He paused before a marble slab, over which he bent, tracing with difficulty the inscription, which was in quaint characters, much worn by time--"VAN HUYDEN."

"Strange enough! Just as we were about to search the tomb last night,[1] to be interrupted and scared from our object by a circumstance so unusual! The snug sum of $200,000, in plate, buried in a coffin!--an odd kind of sub-treasury! Wonder if there's any truth in the legend?"

[1] See Episode, page 114 of the Empire City.

As the gentleman thus soliloquized he fixed his eyes attentively upon the slab; but he did not see the approach of a man, wrapped in the thick folds of a cloak, and with a broad-brimmed hat over his brow,--a man who came noiselessly from the shadows and took his place at the opposite extremity of the slab, quietly folding his arms, as he fixed his gaze upon the Third of the Three.

A wild sort of picture this: The gloomy church-yard, with its leafless trees, and tombstones half hidden among heaps of timber and of stone. Yonder, the church, looking like the grotesque creation of an enchanter's power, as hidden among uncouth scaffolding, it rises vague and shapeless into the sky. And here, by the tomb of the Van Huydens, two figures,--the Third of Three, who, in a deep revery, fixes his eyes upon the inscription--and the cloaked figure, whose steady gaze is centered upon the absent-minded gentleman.

"Two hundred thousand buried in a coffin,"--soliloquized "the Third,"--"I wonder if I could not make a little search. The place is quiet,--no watchman near--"

"Liar!" said a voice, in tones deep as the sound of an organ. "Learn that the Watcher always guards the vault of the Van Huydens:--learn that it is sacrilege to rob the dead."