What Wimpje really said I don't know. Mrs. Stotter's garment, which she had described as her "old one," was removed and placed on the foot of the bed in the back room. The children, who were piled together there like sardines, were duly admonished not to stretch out their feet, lest in doing so they injure Mrs. Stotter's "old" garment.

"And now, my dear, be seated--yes, that's for us, twice already. Leentje, where are you hiding now? Can't you hear that somebody is ringing?--It's probably Juffrouw Zipperman. Juffrouw Zipperman is coming, too, you know."

Again I am at a loss: I don't know whether it was Juffrouw Zipperman who had rung, or somebody else. But the reader need not scold me for writing a story that I don't know myself. I cannot be sure whether it was Juffrouw Zipperman this time or Juffrouw Mabbel, from the bakery, or Juffrouw Krummel, whose husband is at the bourse, or Juffrouw Laps--but she didn't need to ring, as she lived in the house. Anyway, by half past seven the entire company was a.s.sembled, and Stoffel was smoking his pipe as if his life depended upon it. Leentje had gone home without her piece of bread and b.u.t.ter. She "could get it to-morrow"; to-day there was "so much to do," and "one can't do everything at once, you know."

"And then she got another one right away--don't you know? One with a wart on her nose."

"Ah, it's an ordeal one has with girls," said Juffrouw Pieterse. "Take another piece, don't wait to be insisted upon; it's a cake from your own dough."

"Excusez," said the Juffrouw from the bakery, with a mouth like a rabbit, a style of mouth signifying graciousness and good breeding.

"You must eat more, or I shall think you don't like it." She had baked it herself.

"Then I cannot refuse, Juffrouw Pieterse. Oblige and many thanks."

"And you, Juffrouw Laps, what can I pa.s.s you?" Juffrouw Laps selected ginger cake.

"Fill the cups, Trudie! Yes, Mrs. Stotter, when you are here you must drink with us. You are welcome to anything we've got. Pietje, wipe off a table--such a girl! And now go and look after the baby, and tell her that I don't want to hear any more noise. Ah, Juffrouw Mabbel, children are a great deal of trouble. And your little Sientje--how is her cough now?"

"We've got a magnetisier, but that isn't enough. We must have the clairvoyange of the sonnebule."

"You don't say so! One can hardly believe it. And when is he coming, the cler--cleek--clar----"

"It's in the nerves, Juffrouw Zipperman. But he has the little nightcap and nightgown, in which she has sweated, you know; and he says that it will come all right now."

"Who would have thought it! What will you do now?"

"That's just it; the sonnebule must tell us what to do."

Juffrouw Laps could not agree to this.

"I wouldn't do it--I wouldn't do it--not for anything in the world! I tell you, what G.o.d does is all right. Just mark my words!"

"Yes, Juffrouw Laps; but the Juffrouw at the provision store did it, and her child is lots better."

"That's what you say, Juffrouw Mabbel, but I tell you there is something in her eye that I don't like."

"What then, Juffrouw Laps?"

"She has a look, a look--and it's sin--I tell you it is. It's wrong, it won't do. What G.o.d does is all right."

"Come, Stoffel, talk some. You sit there like a stone. Recite a poem, or tell us something about your school. Would you believe it, Juffrouw Mabbel, he knows a whole poem by heart. And he has memorized all the verbs of the feminine gender."

"Mother, what are you talking about?" said Stoffel, displeased. "Don't you see I'm smoking?"

"Yes, dear, I meant when you were through smoking. Then you can repeat the words. You will be surprised, Juffrouw Zipperman, and wonder where he learned it all. How does it go? 'I would have been drunk, he would have been drunk'--of course, you know, he was not drunk, it belongs with the verbs. You will kill yourself laughing when he begins. Fill the cups, Trudie, and blow in the spout; there's a leaf over it."

The reader will not take it amiss, I trust, if I pa.s.s over the subsequent history of this leaf, and, too, make some deviations from the text of the conversation during the further course of Juffrouw Pieterse's tea-evening. Stoffel spun off his conjugations and the ladies fairly shrieked when he related how "he had been drunk" and that "he would be drunk." Thereupon followed general and particular criticism of the neighbors. The Juffrouw below received her share, as a matter of course: She was absent.

Religion and faith play an important part. Juffrouw Laps was for organizing a prayer-cla.s.s. The preachers of to-day, she insisted, take their work too lightly and don't sweep out all the corners.

"I tell you, it's in the Bible that man is only man," she cried; "that's what I want to tell you. Man must not try to know better than G.o.d himself. Salvation comes through grace, and grace through faith; but if a man is not chosen, then he has no grace and can have no faith. That's the way he is d.a.m.ned, don't you see? I tell you, it's just as certain as twice two--understand? And for that reason I want to have a prayer-cla.s.s. Not for the sake of money or profit--G.o.d help me, no! At most just a trifle for the fair, or for New Year. What do you think of the plan, Juffrouw Mabbel?"

That lady expressed the opinion that her husband would be opposed to it, for he liked to go out of evenings, and then she must stay in the shop. Besides, it was so difficult to get through with the work. No one could imagine what a laborious occupation baking was.

"What do you say, Juffrouw Zipperman? Don't you think it would be a go? I would serve coffee; and the people could leave something on the saucers. Really, I am not doing it for the money. We would begin with the Old Testament--and then--exercise, you know; practice--understand?"

Juffrouw Zipperman thought it would be very nice; but her son-in-law had said that the preachers are paid to do this, and that any additional "exercise" was merely an unnecessary expense.

"What do you say to it, Juffrouw Krummel? Don't you think that such a cla.s.s--just a small cla.s.s----"

Juffrouw Krummel said she practiced with her husband when he came from the bourse.

Juffrouw Laps was now forced to turn to Mrs. Stotter, though she felt that she was letting herself down in appealing to a Vrouw.

"Ah, my dear Juffrouw Laps, if you had been a midwife as long as I have you'd take no interest in a prayer-cla.s.s. Now there is M'neer Littelman in Prince Street. I've been at his house--always in respectable houses--and he always said--it's a house with high steps, and in the hall there's a big clock about the wind and rain--and he always said: 'Vrouw Stotter,' said he, 'you're a good woman,' said he, 'and a faithful midwife. I always tell the people that,' said he, 'and,' said he, 'all of my connection must send for you,' said he, 'but,' said he, 'when people tell you this you must act as if you didn't hear it'--thank you, Juffrouw Pieterse, my cup is turned over. Just as I said: Everyone must know what he's doing."

"But just a little exercise like that, Mrs. Stotter!"

"It's possible, it's possible. But I've had so much experience in such things. I go my own way; and that's the best way, too. For I've been in the home of M'neer Witte, who has an uncle in congress--for I always go to respectable places--and he always said, because he's so funny: 'Child-woman, child-woman, you're nothing but a child-woman.' I was just going to say that I know what I'm doing, for I've seen a lot in my life. There's M'neer--what's his name? There in Prince Street--no, no, Market Square. Oh, what is his name!"

The reader will have noticed that Mrs. Stotter digressed from the theme. But other folk do the same.

"And Juffrouw Pieterse, what do you think of the idea? Just a little exercise."

"Ah, my dear, I have exercise enough with my children. You don't know what it means to bring up nine. I always worship with the children, for the Bible says--Trudie, go to the baby; I hear her again."

There was something n.o.ble in Trudie's gait as she walked into that back room. One could see that she felt flattered by the transmission to her of maternal dignity. Little Kee, the baby, was less flattered.

"What were we talking about? Yes, that is my religious service. The children keep me busy. You don't know anything about it; if I bring them up properly--run, Pietje, and straighten out Simon. He's pinching his sister again; he always does it when there's company."

Simon was straightened out.

"Whenever we have company the children behave so badly. There it goes again. Myntje, go and see what's the matter and tell them to go to sleep."

Myntje went, returning immediately with the report that they had "turned something over."

General indignation. Angry message from the Juffrouw below. It was unpleasant for the Juffrouw below when the children of the Juffrouw above turned over things and flooded the back room. Terrible excitement.

Finally the children were straightened out.

Juffrouw Zipperman again sat in the corner where there was such a "draft." This only goes to show that earthly greatness has its dark side, and that a son-in-law in the insurance business ent.i.tles one to rheumatism.

Juffrouw Laps was greatly pleased with the hearty manner in which punishment was meted out to the children. It was exactly according to Scripture, she said; and then she cited a text or two in which the rod was prescribed. It's in the Bible somewhere, I don't know where. The Bible mentions everything, and the "rod" especially.

"Now, Stoffel," said the hostess sweetly, "recite something for us." She wanted to show that her children could do something else besides pinch and turn things over.

"I don't know anything," said Stoffel, but without a trace of Socratic arrogance.