New York - The Novel

was.
    “Hmm,” he said. “It won’t do him much good, though.”
    “How’s that, Boss?” I asked. But he didn’t say.
    Soon enough, however, you could see what the trouble was. For Meinheer Leisler started putting ordinary folk into city offices and giving them power. Even the big Dutch merchants didn’t like that. Some of the dominies started complaining about him too.
    The Mistress took no account of this complaining. She spoke up for Leisler all the time. “He is Dutch, and we have a Dutch king now,” she would say.
    “But he is also an English king,” I heard the Master warn her once, “and his court is in London. The big merchants have friends in the English court, which Leisler does not.” He told her to be careful what she said.
    Well, as the months went by, there was so much opposition from the leading men that Meinheer Leisler started to strike at them. He arrested Meinheer Bayard; and he had warrants out for van Cortlandt and severalothers. The ordinary Dutch folk who loved Meinheer Leisler even attacked some of those big men’s houses. Because he was rich, the Boss was even afraid they might come and burn his. One evening he came home saying there was going to be trouble in the streets, and when I told him the Mistress was out, he said, “Come with me, Quash. We’d better make sure she’s safe.” So we went round the town. And we were just coming along Beaver Street to the bottom of Broadway when we saw more than a hundred women marching to the fort to show their support for Meinheer Leisler. And there in the front row was the Mistress. For a moment the Boss looked so angry that I thought he was going to drag her out. But then he suddenly laughed. “Well, Quash,” he said, “I reckon this means they won’t be attacking our house.”
    In the end, though, it all turned out as the Boss had warned. A ship arrived from London with troops to take over the city. Meinheer Leisler, knowing about all his enemies, held out in the fort saying he wouldn’t give over the city without direction from King William himself. But finally that came too. And then they arrested him, because the king had been told he was a dangerous rebel. “It’s your friends who engineered this,” the Mistress told the Boss.
    “Just be glad they haven’t arrested you too,” he answered. Though when he heard the city fathers were asking King William if they could execute Meinheer Leisler, he said that would be a shame.

    Just after this, the Boss and Mr. Master’s privateer came home. It had taken a small prize, but not enough to show much profit. They also had some slaves. But I didn’t like the look of those slaves.
    “I don’t think they’re healthy,” Mr. Master said. “We’d better sell ’em quick.” And he sold them the next day.
    All this time, poor Meinheer Leisler was locked up waiting to know his fate. Most of the people in the city were shocked. In our house, there was a terrible gloom. The Mistress was hardly speaking to anyone. Early in May, when one of the women that had been marching with the Mistress asked to borrow Naomi for a few days to do some needlework at her farm, the Mistress lent her; and I think Naomi was glad to get out. The house was so sad that I told her, “Take little Martha too.” So they went to that bouwerie, which was just a couple of miles north of the city, and they stayed there ten days.
    During that time, the weather became very changeable. Some days it was hot and sultry, and the dung from the horses and the other animals was stinking in the streets; then there would be a day of cold and rain. Everybody seemed to feel it. My spirits are usually even, but I felt down. I could hardly do my work. Finally Naomi and little Martha returned late one evening. We didn’t talk much. They were so tired that they both went straight to sleep.
    The next morning, I went out with the Boss to the waterfront. Mr. Master and the other merchants were settling accounts on the privateer, and discussing whether to send out another one. After that, we went by the fort, because the Boss and Mr. Master wanted news of Meinheer Leisler. When they came out, the Boss was shaking his head.
    “Bayard’s determined to destroy him,” he said to Mr. Master. “I don’t believe they’ll even wait for King William.”
    And they were just going into an inn, when we saw young Hudson running toward us.
    “What is it, boy?” says the Boss.
    “It’s Martha, sir,” he cried. “I think she’s