All this was spoken in Dutch, which the Regent did not understand. Either Duclari felt that it was not very polite to exclude him in this way from the conversation, or he had another object in view, because all at once he commenced speaking Malay, addressing the Regent:—
“Does the Adhipatti know that the Controller is acquainted with the new Assistant Resident?”
“No, I did not say so;—I don’t know him,” said Verbrugge, in Malay. “I have never seen him; he served in Sumatra some years before me. I only told you that I had there heard a good deal about him.”
“Now, that is the same thing; it is not necessary to see a person in order to know him——what does the Adhipatti think about it?”
The Adhipatti at that moment wanted to call a servant. Some time elapsed before he could say, “that he agreed with the Commandant, but that still it was often necessary to see a person before you could judge of him.”
“Generally speaking, that is perhaps true,” Duclari continued in Dutch, either because he knew that language better, and thought he had done enough for politeness’ sake, or because he wished to be understood by Verbrugge alone,[[81]]—“that may be true, generally speaking; but with regard to Havelaar you need no personal acquaintance——he is a fool.”
“I did not say so, Duclari.”
“No, you did not say so, but I say it, after all you have told me of him. I call any one who jumps into the water to save a dog from the sharks a fool.”
“Yes, it was foolish, but——”
“And recollect that——epigram on General Van Damme——that was not proper.”