idence, which prevented him from revealing his
true self. He usually seemed to comprehend more slowly than others;
but this was because he was less easily satisfied with the result of
his thinking. His mind was exacting of knowledge. During Walter's
sickness Holsma had remarked this peculiarity of the boy, and his
interest had been enlisted at once.

Walter's shyness was due in a great measure to the manner in which
he had been taught what little he knew. Everything his teachers
taught him was looked upon by them as something immutable and
irrefutable. Twice two is four, Prince so-and-so is a hero, good
children go to heaven, God is great, the Reform Church represents the
true faith, etc., etc. It was never hinted to him that there was any
room for doubt. Indeed, he was led to believe that his desire to know
more about things was improper and even sinful.

After all those extraordinary occurrences in the study, Walter was
prepared to expect almost anything in the way of the unusual, but
that William and Hermann, and even little Sietske, were allowed to
help their plates to whatever they wanted--that was more wonderful
to him than the aerial voyage of Elias. With Genevieve in the famous
wilderness--yes, even in Africa it couldn't be any more free and
easy. He was continually surprised and taken off his guard by the
unwonted and unexpected. In fact, his thoughts were so far away that
when during dessert the little girl passed him a saucer of cream----

Ye gods, it happened and--I must tell it. Oh, if like the
chroniclers of old, I might put the blame on some privy councilor,
"who unfortunately advised," etc.

But what privy councilor in the whole world could have advised Walter
to let that porcelain spoon tilt over the edge of the saucer and fall
into Sietske's lap! He did it, he!

Oh, how sad it was. He had just begun to pull himself up in his
chair. Another moment and he would have actually been sitting. Perhaps
he might have said something soon. The name of a certain country in
Africa, which Sietske could not remember a moment before, had occurred
to him. It was not that he might seem smarter than Sietske that he
was going to speak out. No, it was only that he might seem a little
less stupid than himself. But now--that miserable spoon!

Before he had time to wonder how his awkwardness would be received,
Sietske was talking along smoothly about something else--just as if
this little "catastrophe" was a matter of