ng at all, for he was a sensible man, who knew
the habits of well-bred people and how to behave in their presence.
After five minutes or so the lawyer grew impatient, and said something
in a sharp voice, to which the interpreter answered, "Wait."

So they waited till, just as the young man was beginning to go to sleep
before my very eyes, Suzanne came onto the verandah, whereupon he woke
up in a hurry, and, jumping off the bench, began to bow and scrape and
to offer her his seat, for there was no other.

"Suzanne," I said, taking no notice of his bad manners, "get coffee,"
and she went, looking less displeased at his grimaces than I would have
had her do.

In time the coffee came, and they drank it, or pretended to, after
which the lawyer began to grow impatient once more, and spoke to the
interpreter, who said to me that they had come to visit us on a matter
of business.

"Then tell him that it can wait till after we have eaten," I answered.
"It is not my habit to talk business in the afternoon. Why is the lawyer
man so impatient, seeing that doubtless he is paid by the day?"

This was translated, and the lawyer asked how I knew his trade.

"In the same way that I know a weasel by its face and a stink-cat by its
smell," I replied, for every minute I hated that advocate more.

At this answer the lawyer grew white with anger, and the young lord
burst into a roar of laughter, for, as I have said, these English people
have no manners. However, they settled themselves down again on the
yellow-wood bench and looked at me; while I, folding my hands, sat
opposite, and looked at them for somewhere about another hour, as the
interpreter told them that if they moved I should be offended, and,
for my part, I was determined that I would not speak to them of their
business until Suzanne had gone to bed.

At last, when I saw that they would bear it no longer, for they were
becoming very wrathful, and saying words that sounded like oaths, I
called for supper and we went in and ate it. Here again I noticed the
resemblance between the young man and Ralph, for he had the same tricks
of eating and drinking, and I saw that when he had done his meat he
turned himself a little sideways from the table, crossing his legs in a
peculiar fashion just as it always had been Ralph's habit to do.

"The two had one grandfather, or one grandmother," I said to myself, and
grew afraid at the thought.

CHAPTER VII

THE SIN OF VROUW BOTMAR