“Yes, it is indeed disgraceful!” chimed in van Beneden.
“But, my friends,” objected van Rheijn, “are you not rather one-sided in your view of the matter and rather too hasty in forming an opinion? May there not be some truth in what the Government alleges and might not these pills, under the pretence of being a cure, only be another means for extending the illicit traffic in opium?”
“Oh, Edward!” exclaimed van Nerekool, “how can you bring yourself to suspect William Verstork of illicit traffic?”
“And the Netherland’s Missionary Society?” added Grashuis.
“Pardon me, my friends,” cried van Rheijn as he passionately jumped up from his chair. “You misunderstand me entirely, I never meant to suggest anything of the kind. I am just as much convinced as any of you can be that both William Verstork and our missionaries are acting in this matter with the most perfect good faith and honour. I was not for an instant thinking of them when I spoke. But might not men without principle and without honour, under cover of these wholesome pills, introduce others made of pure opium and thus defraud the revenue?”
“Well,” said Grenits doubtfully, “such a thing might perhaps come to pass.”
“And is it not then right and proper,” continued van Rheijn, “that the Government should guard against possible fraud? Under cover of these pills the opium plague might conceivably attain to altogether extravagant dimensions.”
“Without the treasury being one penny the better for it,” hastily interposed Grashuis. “So long as the revenue is kept up they are not so over squeamish in Government circles about the abuse of opium. Quite the contrary.”
“And then Verstork’s proposal to admit only the pills sent out by the Missionary Society was fair enough,” added Grenits. “It would not be very difficult to protect and encourage the use of the medicine and at the same time guard against adulteration or fraud. But no,” he continued, “that is evidently not what the Government wants. Not one poor scruple must be taken from the dose of poison which is, in a measure, forced upon the people, and every effort to mitigate the evil must, in spite of the twaddle and cant at the Hague, be sternly repressed. My friends, you all recollect our discussions on that subject. In the face of what we have heard and seen can anyone deny or doubt that opium lies as a curse upon our poor Indian possessions?”
For a few moments the young men sat silently gazing on the floor before them. Alas no! that plain fact could not be denied—all were equally convinced of its truth.