But that hurried him only the more swiftly down those steep stairs; and I was sincerely glad to observe that the landlady, like a good goal-keeper, had stopped him at the door, where they entered into earnest colloquy.
I had won this conversational contest; and half my ammunition was not yet expended!
Eight polite sentences and about a dozen 'algemeene opmerkingen' remained unused, besides two general topics--'boomkweekerij' and Rembrandt.
But what did he mean by 'Ik zal het U zenden?' What was it that he meant to send? I devoutly hoped there would be no further difficulty about my address, and was just trusting I had escaped, when the landlady entered with the words, "Hij moet zijn hoed hebbe." Then, as she took it in her hand, she added "Mijnheer zegt, dat het niet veilig in huis is--niet veilig, zegt mijnheer!"
"Hij vraagt ook wat de groote letter is vóór O'Neill? Of het een J of een I of een T of een F of een Y is, niemand op het kantoor kan het uitmaken, Uw handschrift is zoo onduidelijk, zegt mijnheer."
Relieved to see there was nothing worse, I went to some old copies of the 'Nieuws van den Dag,' which were lying carefully folded up on the side-table, and with a pair of scissors cut out a J from the word Juli, pasted it hastily on a sheet of notepaper and wrote underneath it, 'Met veel complimenten--en de groeten.'
Yes; the interview was decidedly successful.
Yet it pales before the fame I once got by a single sentence, just outside de Beurs-station, in Rotterdam.
I was pounced upon by an army of porters; they had seized me and my bag, and were quarrelling loudly. I said "Hush" to the worst of them, but one brawny rascal was inclined to be insolent, and I was put upon my mettle.
"Ik bid U--houd Uwen bek," I said--"anders,"--and here I glanced round for a policeman, "anders--roep ik--de Openbare Macht."
I pride myself that there was dignity and firmness, courtesy and local colour all in that one sentence.
And I find that it is still much admired.
DIERBARE HOOGEDELGESTRENGE.--HET BY MIJ EENE VISITE AFLEGGEN.--VERTROUWELIJK OR WAARACHTIG.--THE FINISHED PRODUCT.--EENIGE BEOORDEELINGEN
The gentleman from the Bevolkings Register Bureau had left his umbrella behind him in his hurried departure that Thursday morning, so I sent it back to him with a polite note. It would have been easy to write the polite note in English, but that would never do. After my success in carrying on a long conversation in Dutch I felt that a lapse into English would be a confession of weakness.