As our friends were somewhat wearied with their morning's work, they remained in-doors from the time of the "rys-taffel" till three o'clock. Then they followed the custom of the country by taking a bath, and dressing for dinner; and after dinner they continued to be in fashion by taking another drive. We will let Fred tell the story of what they saw in the afternoon and evening.
"The fashionable hour for a promenade is after dinner, and all the ladies and gentlemen consider it their duty to come out and be seen. There are plenty of carriages on the streets, and also a goodly number of gentlemen on horseback; and it is rather a pretty sight to see the gentlemen riding along by the carriages and chatting with the ladies inside. Then there are many pedestrians—the ladies being in light walking-dresses, and the gentlemen in full evening costume. The odd thing about the promenades is that both sexes are bareheaded. This is all well enough for the ladies; but it is rather strange to see a gentleman in full dress, and carrying a cane along the street, with his head as bare as though he was in a parlor. I am told that the ladies never wear hats or bonnets, and that the only thing of that sort ever seen in Batavia is when foreigners first arrive here from other parts of the world. A ladies' hat-store in Batavia would not be a paying speculation.
"On certain evenings there is music on the King's Square; and at such times everybody goes there to hear it. The crowd is large but very fashionable, as it is the proper thing to go there; and no one who can get out will venture to miss the performance. The band stops playing a little after dark, and then the drive may be said to be at its prettiest. The footman of each carriage carries a torch made of some resinous plant tied into a bundle, like a wisp of straw, and, as the carriages move around and pass and repass each other, the scene is a curious one. All the houses are a blaze of light, as the wide verandas are hung with lamps, and the whole family is gathered there when not out for the drive. The veranda is the general sitting-room, as everybody prefers it to the parlor on account of its being so much cooler.
"Perhaps you are wondering when the men find time for business. Well, they transact most of it in the forenoon, but their offices are open in the afternoon in charge of the clerks. For the clerks there is no such resting-time as I have described, or at best, only a short one, in the middle of the day. When a young man comes out here to seek his fortune, he must do pretty much as he would at home for the first year or two; when he is fairly established, he can have his time in the middle of the day, and live like other people."
[CHAPTER XXVI.]
BATAVIA TO BUITENZORG.—TROPICAL SCENES.—BIRDS OF PARADISE.
As their time in Java was limited, our friends determined to cut short their stay in Batavia, and go at once to the interior. Accordingly, the morning following the day whose history was narrated in the last chapter saw them leaving the city by railway for Buitenzorg.
Buitenzorg is about forty miles from Batavia, and the summer residence of the Governor-general of Java; as it is summer all the year round in Java, he spends most of his time at this country-seat, and rarely visits Batavia except when business calls him there. The name is of Dutch origin, and signifies "without care," in imitation of the French Sans Souci. It is about one thousand feet above the level of the sea, and much cooler than Batavia; and the surrounding region is one of great natural beauty.