This was so unexpected a query that it threw me off my guard and I answered in English.
“Do I hate her? Oh no. On the contrary, I am sincerely attached to her. But why do you ask?”
He said “Exkuseer” and called another ambtenaar—one who talked English. This new functionary opened fire at once, “Sir, is your name Rebecca O’Neill?”
“Bless my heart”, I said; “Not at all. That’s my aunt.”
“In that case, sir, you have sent the package to yourself, and filled in the declarations all wrongly”.
OF NO VALUE.
“Is there no way,” I said in despair, “to send this thing off? I have been all morning labouring at it, and I can’t get rid of it. Would you mind accepting it as a gift—just a little friendly gift, you know, as a token of my appreciation of the post-office arrangements? Or would there be any objection to my leaving it here lying on your desk? It’s quite harmless; perhaps even elegant—that depends on taste—but I don’t care for it any more! It’s no further use to me. Will you have it?”
“Oh hé! you mean it is of no value?”
“No value—not the least”, I said, glad to see a chance of disposing of it.
“Then you can send it off as, well—what we call—Monster zonder waarde—monster—monster—I remember not your English word?”