vanquished
Juffrouw Laps.

I wonder what the reader's idea is of the effect produced on the
company by this terrible sentence, against which there could be no
appeal. There was something pitiless in Pennewip's manner, and in
his contracted eyebrows there was no intimation of mercy.

CHAPTER X

The attentive reader who knows human nature will naturally wish to
know why I closed the last chapter so tamely, and why that zoological
problem which, only a short time before had caused such a violent
explosion, was now allowed to rest in peace.

There are three reasons for this.

Firstly, the women had been so wrought up that they were now exhausted.

Secondly, Juffrouw Laps, the shrewd leader of the fight, looked over
the battlefield and, without thinking of the famous battle between
the Horatii and the Curiatii, saw with innate tactical talent the
correctness of "divide and conquer." With the forces Stotter, Mabbel,
Krummel and Zipperman against the house of Pieterse--that was all
right. But now that the house was supported by Pennewip's powerful
hand, it was prudent to withdraw from the battle. For who could
guarantee her that she might depend upon her allies? What assurance
had she that the midwife, or even Juffrouw Zipperman would not go over
to the enemy?--if only out of deference to the versatile wig! No, no,
no! She wouldn't risk her rhetorical artillery in such a doubtful
engagement! She was content to say to herself, "I will get even
with you later." Imagining her, with all her relations to society,
multiplied by twenty or thirty millions, we would have read the next
day in this or that official Laps organ something like this:

"Our relations with the Pietersian empire are most cordial. The
recent friendly meeting between the two sovereigns was merely that
they might have the mutual pleasure of seeing one another, and had
no political significance whatever. It will be seen how unfounded
were those rumors of 'strained relations,' which were said to have
been brought about by a discussion of certain characteristics of our
popular princess. The reader will recall that we never gave credence
to those rumors, and reported them with great reserve."

Thirdly. The third and chief cause of the armistice
was--curiosity. Under the present changed circumstances whoever
betrayed any anger would have to leave; and whoever left would not
find out why Master Pennewip had come, or what new crime Walter had
committe