he compartment for first-class
passengers there are cushioned seats, a little table with books, a
cupboard, a mirror; everything is neat and bright. In putting down my
valise I allowed some ashes from my cigar to fall under the table; a
minute later, when I returned, these had disappeared.

I was the only passenger, and did not have to wait long; the boatman
made a sign, the tow-boy mounted his horse, and the _trekschuit_ began
to glide gently down the canal.

It was about an hour past noon and the sun was shining brightly, but
the boat passed along in the shade. The canal is bordered by two rows
of linden trees, elms, willows, and high hedges on either side, which
hide the country. It seemed as though we were sailing across a forest.
At every curve we saw green enclosed views in the distance, with
windmills here and there on the bank. The water was covered with a
carpet of aquatic plants, and in some parts strewn with white flowers,
with iris, water-lilies, and the water-lentil. The high green hedge
bordering the canal was broken here and there, allowing a glimpse, as
if through a window, of the far-off horizon of the champaign; then the
walls would close again in an instant.

Every now and then we encountered a bridge. It was pleasant to see the
rapidity with which the man on horseback and another man, who was always
on guard, handled the cords to let the _trekschuit_ pass, and how the two
conductors made room for each other when two _trekschuiten_ met, the
one passing his rope under that of the other without speaking a word,
without greeting each other even with a smile, as if gravity and silence
were obligatory. All along the way the only sound to be heard was the
whirring of the arms of the windmills.

[Illustration: On the Canal, near Delft.]

We met barges laden with vegetables, peat, stones, and barrels, and
drawn with a long tow-rope by men, who were sometimes aided by large
dogs with cords round their necks. Some were towed by a man, a woman,
and a boy, one behind the other, with the rope tied to a sort of girth
made of leather or linen. All three would be leaning forward so far
that it was hard to understand how they managed to keep their feet,
even with the help of the rope. Other boats were towed by old women
alone. On many, a woman with a child at her breast would be seen at
the rudder; other children were grouped around, and one might see a
cat sitting on a sack, a dog, a hen, pots of flowers, and bi