“Very nice,” said Duclari, “but now you still owe us the proof that this little ‘Oepi’ ought to have been imponderable.”
“No, I did not promise to prove that. I only desired to tell you how I got acquainted with her. When I had done with my story, I asked: ‘And you, “Oepi,” what would you choose, if an angel from heaven came to ask you what you desired?’ ”
“Sir, I should pray him to take me with him to heaven.”
“Is not that beautiful?” said Tine to her guests, who perhaps thought it very foolish.
Havelaar stood upon his legs, and wiped away something from his forehead. [[202]]
[1] As Arles is renowned for its beautiful remains of Roman origin, the tower in question is probably also of Roman construction. True, the Saracens conquered this city in 730, yet soon afterwards they were beaten by Charles Martel, who took the city again. We are strengthened in our supposition by the communication of M. De Caumont, the celebrated French archæologist, that the Roman monuments are known by the French peasants of the different départements under the name of Sarrazin. Even M. Leroy de la Brière says that the workmen call the Roman coins pièces de Mahomet,—See Annales de la Société Française d’archéologie pour la description et la conservation des monuments, 1865 (Congrès Archéologique de France, XXXI. session à Fontenoy 1864) pag. 6 F.—Translator. [↑]
[3] This appears to refer to the confident looks of the Carthaginians, who knew their own strength. [↑]