Marken and its people : being some account written from time to time both during and after visits covering some considerable space of time ... . s busily washing down decks and arrangingthe tackle for the departure on the afternoontide. Screams and laughter came from throngs ofchildren playing on the dike, and long lines ofwhite ducks and ducklings walked solemnly upand down at the waters edge. Beyond the lines of houses stretched the fairgreen meadows where the cows grazed withtinkling bells on their necks, and afar off I couldhear the softened notes of a hand organ played bya wandering strol
Marken and its people : being some account written from time to time both during and after visits covering some considerable space of time ... . s busily washing down decks and arrangingthe tackle for the departure on the afternoontide. Screams and laughter came from throngs ofchildren playing on the dike, and long lines ofwhite ducks and ducklings walked solemnly upand down at the waters edge. Beyond the lines of houses stretched the fairgreen meadows where the cows grazed withtinkling bells on their necks, and afar off I couldhear the softened notes of a hand organ played bya wandering stroller and the shouts of the boyswho surrounded him. I leaned against the heavywooden white-topped piling waiting for the boatwhich was to bear me away from this quaint peo-ple who had so hospitably received me, and fromwhom I was parting with a real and deep feelingof regret. I had come to know them so well dur-ing these weeks of my stay among them, indeedto feel a real affection for some of them, rude anduncouth as they are. There was old Lisbeth withher daughter, a phenomenally fat baby on herarm, come to bid me good-by, which said, halt-. ^ 1,1 A DAILY TASK TOT JVEERSIENS 173 ingly and shyly, she lingered to see me go, pre-tending to be interested in the men salting theirnets. Suddenly she came to me saying, I wouldlike to ask Mynheer a question. I want to knowhas Mynheer ever seen the Pope*? I answered that I had not, and she seemed dis-appointed. Has the Pope a very large family? Has hea wife and many children? The Pope is not allowed to marry, I an-swered. But that is not right, she said. I dont likethat. Of course he is not happy, is he? Hij lacht niet. Hij dansen niet. Hij Be-mint niet. (He laughs not. He dances loves not.) What then can he live for? I shook my head at her. I could think of noreply. So shifting the fat child to her othershoulder she made me a curtsy of farewell, andtook herself off down the dike. These people are so strange and so unlike anythat I
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1912
