Page:Max Havelaar; or, the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company (IA dli.granth.77827).pdf/192

 respectable, Stern? Would you disgrace me to the level of Busselinck and Waterman, with whom no respectable commercial firm will have any dealings, because of the elopement of their daughter, and because they are bunglers. What should I have to say, when they asked me on the Exchange why my daughter remained so long in that garden? For, you understand,—I hope that nobody would believe me if I said that she had to look after those lotos flowers, which; as you say, have been long waiting for her. And every intelligent man, foo, would laugh at me if I was foolish enough to say, ‘Mary is there in that red garden—[why red, and not yellow or purple?]—to listen to the tattle and laughing of the violets, or to the tales which the roses tell each other in a clandestine manner.’ Even though this might be the truth, of what use would it be to Mary if all happened so clandestinely that she did not understand a word? But it’s all lies, insipid lies, and ugly they are at the same time; for take a pencil and draw a rose with an ear, and see how that looks. And what do you mean by saying, that those tales have a nice perfume? Shall I tell you what it means in plain Dutch? That means, that you can smell the lieso it is!