Page:Max Havelaar; or, the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company (IA dli.granth.77827).pdf/99

 “Because you have not served in Sumatra: there it is common.”

“Let me have tea then—but not of coffee-leaves, or ginger.So, you have been at Sumatraand the new Assistant Resident, too, has he not?”

All this was spoken in Dutch, which the Regent did not understand. Either Duclari felt that it was not very polite to exclude him in this way from the conversation, or he had another object in view, because all at once he commenced speaking Malay, addressing the Regent:—

“Does the Adhipatti know that the Controller is acquainted with the new Assistant Resident?”

“No, I did not say so;—I don’t know him,” said Verbrugge, in Malay. “I have never seen him; he served in Sumatra some years before me. I only told you that I had there heard a good deal about him.”

“Now, that is the same thing; it is not necessary to see a person in order to know himwhat does the Adhipatti think about it?”

The Adhipatti at that moment wanted to call a servant. Some time elapsed before he could say, “that he agreed with the Commandant, but that still it was often necessary to see a person before you could judge of him.”

“Generally speaking, that is perhaps true,” Duclari continued in Dutch, either because he knew that language better, and thought he had done enough for politeness’ sake, or because he wished to be understood by Verbrugge alone,