# Mynheer Ben Isaje — The Laughing Cavalier character guide

> Mynheer Ben Isaje in The Laughing Cavalier by Baroness Orczy.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Ben Isaje, the Jewish Mynheer, Isaje

**First appearance:** 0009-vii-three-philosophers-and-their-friends

## Snapshot

A Rotterdam jeweller and moneylender whose hooked nose and cautious dealings make him the discreet keeper of other men's secrets.

## Who they are

Ben Isaje receives Nicolaes Beresteyn's letters and, for a fee, agrees to hold the abducted Gilda in comfort at his private house outside the city. Wary and deliberate, he reads each document twice and asks pointed questions before committing himself, a man accustomed to weighing risk against guilders. His quiet complicity gives the conspiracy its respectable facade, and his household becomes the unlikely stage where Diogenes must decide whether to honour his bond or break it.

## Relationships

### [Gilda Beresteyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/gilda_beresteyn)

_social_

Gilda and Mynheer Ben Isaje are acquaintances, possibly with a business or social connection in their community.

### [Diogenes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/diogenes)

_rivalry_

Diogenes and Mynheer Ben Isaje are adversaries, with Ben Isaje often opposing Diogenes's actions.

### [Diogenes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/diogenes)

_rivalry_

Diogenes and Mynheer Ben Isaje are adversaries, with Ben Isaje often opposing Diogenes's actions.

### [Gilda Beresteyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/gilda_beresteyn)

_social_

Gilda and Mynheer Ben Isaje are acquaintances, possibly with a business or social connection in their community.

### [Gilda Beresteyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/gilda_beresteyn)

_social_

Gilda and Mynheer Ben Isaje are acquaintances, possibly with a business or social connection in their community.

### [Diogenes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/diogenes)

_rivalry_

Diogenes and Mynheer Ben Isaje are adversaries, with Ben Isaje often opposing Diogenes's actions.

## In the story

### [XI: The Bargain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xi-the-bargain)

Mentioned as the Rotterdam banker who will receive Gilda and pay the balance of 3,000 guilders.

### [The Halt at Bennebrock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xv-the-halt-at-bennebrock)

Mentioned in a whispered exchange about a letter to Ben Isaje, indicating his involvement in the conspiracy.

### [Thence to Rotterdam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xxvii-thence-to-rotterdam)

Resides in Rotterdam; initially refuses entry but is compelled by Diogenes to open his door.

### [Check](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xxviii-check)

Receives the letter, agrees to take Gilda into his custody, and arranges for her stay with a guard of ten men.

### [Check Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xxix-check-again)

The Jewish banker who welcomes Gilda and Diogenes, but delays payment until the next day due to business protocols.

### [A Nocturne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xxx-a-nocturne)

Mentioned as the holder of Gilda's monies; Diogenes recalls the ale he offered.

### [XXXI: The Molens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xxxi-the-molens)

The Rotterdam banker entrusted with Gilda's custody; Beresteyn promises him two thousand guilders for his loyalty.

### [A Run Through the Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/chapters/xxxii-a-run-through-the-night)

Ben Isaje acts obsequiously but evasively, lying about Gilda's destination and leaving her to be taken away without accompanying her.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters/mynheer_ben_isaje
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_laughing_cavalier_se/characters