"Did you wish to see a commissioner, sir?"
"Yes," said Mr. George. "I want to make some inquiries about going to Broek and to Saandam, to-morrow. I want to know what the best way is to go, and what the expenses will be."
So saying, Mr. George took out a pencil and a piece of paper from his pocket, in order to make a memorandum of what the commissioner should say.
"In the first place," asked Mr. George, "what is your name? I shall want to know what to call you."
"My name is James," said the commissioner.
"Well, now, James," said Mr. George, "I want you to tell me what the best way is to go, and what all the expenses will be. I want to know every thing beforehand."
"Well, sir," said James, "we shall go first by the ferry boat across to the Y,[7] and there we shall take the trekschuyt for a short distance on the canal."
"And how much will that cost?" asked Mr. George.
"For the three, forty-five cents," said James.
He meant, of course, Dutch cents. It takes two and a half Dutch cents to make one American cent.