tried to make the lower one touch
his nose. Let the reader try the same; then he will know how Stoffel
answered, and what his answer meant.

Juffrouw Laps pretended to believe that he had said "yes."

"Don't you see, Stoffel says so too! The city is full of thieves and
murderers, and--a respectable person is afraid to go to bed alone
any more. It's just that way."

"But--Juffrouw!"

"The police? Nonsense! What good do the police do, when people
don't believe in God? That's the truth. Whoever doesn't do that is
lost. Human help--I cannot understand at all why Laurens goes to bed so
early. You surely know that so much sleep isn't good for anybody. What
does the Bible say? Watch and pray! But--everyone according to his
notion. I swear before God that I don't dare to go home alone and----"

Walter's curiosity was at high tension. In order to hear better he
was leaning over, supporting himself with the chair. The point of
support was unsteady. The chair slipped and rattled across the floor,
crashing into another piece of furniture.

"Heaven and earth! What are they up to now," groaned the
mother. "Laurens, is that you?"

Walter peeped in, "It was me." The result was that he was soon in the
midst of the interesting conversation that he had been trying to hear
from above.

His entrance took place under unfavorable circumstances. He was blamed
for not having been undressed.

"Do you always put on your nightcap before you undress?" cried
the mother.

The boy had actually forgotten to take off his nightcap. He was so
ashamed that he felt he would like to fall through the floor. He
would rather have neglected anything else.

"And--what have you there?"

Alas, our hero looked more ridiculous than anyone could look by simply
putting on a nightcap. He had armed himself with an old rusty knife
that his father had used in prehistoric times for cutting leather!

During the whole of the Laps recital, which progressed so slowly,
he had thought and hoped and intended--yes, he heard something that
sounded like, "Where is Walter?" The speaker really did not say it--no,
on the contrary, those were the very words she wished to avoid--still,
he thought he heard her say them. On this Friday he had acted mean
and cowardly; but he was still Walter.

Murderers? Thieves? A lady in danger? What other answer could there
be but: "I am here, I, Walter!"

Oh, fate, why did you put that sword in his hand and let him forget
to remove