The young hero of this story of a group of exiles, who come from England to Leyden in 1609, is Andrew Brewster. His best friends are a Dutch boy, Rembrandt van Rijn, and his dog Pompey. How enemies try to spy out the secret of the Brewster Press and are defeated, how the forbidden books are distributed, the goings and comings of the refugee leaders, seeking freedom from intolerance and their final success in sailing for the New World, are all activities in which the boys help, with plenty of exciting action, the cause of freedom. There are delightful family scenes, both Dutch and English: of affection between brothers, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and of friends, Lysbet, Israel and Pieter from The Beggars' Penny appear again in this new book. The boys fish and train dogs; Rembrandt paints and dreams, and his art is called on for an unexpected part in the story as is Andrew's care for the printing press. The title of the book is from the tradition that when the bells of Leyden play with a high singing note the torch of liberty burns bright.

From the dust jacket