“Come, Charles,” said Verstork, laying his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “come, Charles, you will come along with us, won’t you?”
The young lawyer started as if awakened out of a dream.
“Where are you going to?” asked he, with so genuine an air of surprise, as made it evident that he had not heard one word of what was going on around him.
Said Verstork, “We are off to the opium-den.”
“To the opium-den!” cried van Nerekool, in a tone of alarm, “to the opium-den, surely you are not going—”
“To smoke,” said Verstork. “No, no, my friend, you need not be alarmed, we are only going to have a look. But,” continued he, “gentlemen, you must make up your minds to see some very unpleasant sights, for, I think, to-night the den happens to be very full.
“But, wait a bit, if you intend really to gain some insight into these opium matters, we must—”
And, turning to one of the policemen who was always in attendance, he said:
“Sariman, run and call the two Chinamen of the opium-store—tell them I want to speak to them, at once.”
“Very well, kandjeng toean.”