midnight
Get the key from my desk , son , and let us set to work , for our task is likely to be long . '' Foy obeyed , returning presently with an old Testament of a very scarce edition . With the help of this book and an added vocabulary by slow degrees they deciphered the long epistle , Foy writing it down sentence by sentence as they learned their significance . When at length the task was finished , which was not till well after midnight , Dirk read the translation aloud to Lysbeth and his son . It ran thus : `` Well-beloved cousin and old friend , you will be astonished to see my dear child Elsa , who brings you this paper sewn in her saddle , where I trust none will seek it , and wonder why she comes to you without warning . I will tell you . `` You know that here the axe and the stake are very busy , for at The Hague the devil walks loose ; yes , he is the master in this land .