Page:Max Havelaar Or The Coffee Sales of the Netherlands Trading Company Siebenhaar.djvu/255

 cause I have noticed that latterly—I don’t know whether this comes from Stern—she has taken ideas into her head that appear to me dangerous to morality, on which my wife and I are so specially keen. Amongst other things I have heard her sing a French song—by Béranger, I believe—in which a poor old beggar-woman who in her youth sang on the stage is pitied; and yesterday she came to breakfast without stays on—Marie, I mean—which surely is not respectable.

I also must admit that Frits has not brought home much good from the prayer-meeting. I was fairly satisfied with his quiet behaviour in sitting still in Church. He never stirred, never turned his eyes away from the pulpit; but I learnt afterwards that Betsy Rosemeyer was sitting in the chancel. I said nothing about it, for one must not be too severe with young people, and the Rosemeyers are a respectable firm. They gave their eldest daughter, when she married Bridgeman who is in drugs, a nice little bit, and I believe therefore that this kind of thing keeps Frits away from the Westermarket, which pleases me greatly, as I am so keen on morality.

But this does not prevent my being vexed at seeing Frits hardening his heart, like Pharaoh, who really was less guilty than he, as he had no father who was always showing him the right way, for the Scriptures say nothing about Pharaoh Senior. The Reverend Twaddler complains about his conceit—I mean Frits’s conceit—at the confirmation class, and the boy seems to have dug up, out of that bundle of Shawlman’s again!—an amount of wiseacredom that drives conscientious old Twaddler mad. It is quite touching how the worthy man, who often takes luncheon with us, tries to work on Frits’s feelings, and how the young rascal has always fresh questions ready, showing the refractoriness of his heart it all comes from that accursed bundle of Shawlman’s! With tears of feeling rolling down his cheeks, the zealous servant of the Evangels seeks to persuade him to renounce man-made wisdom, and to be introduced to the mysteries of God's wisdom. With gentle and tender language he beseeches him not to reject the bread of