“Wat spreekt mijnheer nouw makkelijk Hollandsch!” she exclaimed.
“Gunst, ja”, was my retort. “Ik heb zoo’n pret gehad! Onbetaalbaar!”
But I caught Jaap’s eye; it was critical; so to pay back the youth for his terrier-story I took out my pencil, sharpened it in full view of them all and said, “Sliep uit, Jaap; je bent een schelm”.
With that they all cheered, young and old, saying “Net, Mijnheer, net!”
“Tot weerziens!” laughed the grandmother shaking hands again. “Kom spoedig terug”.
“Ja hoor; dat spreekt.”
“Belooft u?” she repeated, before she let me go.
I pulled myself together, and gave a parting salvo: “Ja, zeker—Stellig—Och kom!—Reken er op!—Of ik!!”
We drove away in a perfect tornado of applause.