33
written, but the world decrees otherwise. Men will
say—Look, there goes the boy whose father brought
misfortune on us. Berkenrode has no family, there-
fore the child belongs to us, and it is our responsi-
bility to cleanse from him the stains of fraud and
dishonour. That is our duty. Is there anyone
who does not agree ? 5
He looked at each in turn ; all were silent. Then
he took a paper out of his pocket, unfolded it and
told them, as quietly as though he were speaking
to a customer across the counter, that the debts left
by their brother-in-law, most of them owed to people
who were now in want, amounted to fifty thousand
guilders. He had made up his mind to lay aside
all he could save to pay off these debts, and he
asked which of them was ready to do the same.
* Well, brother-in-law,' said the husband of his'
eldest sister, c doing your duty is going to lay a
superhuman task on your shoulders. Have you
calculated that, with the profit you make, you will
have to be paying all your life long ? And, suppos-
ing we all contribute our share, how long is it going
to take, even then ? We are people of moderate
means, and the sum you mention is a fortune.'
c How long it will take I cannot say, nor even
whether we shall ever accomplish it, life is not in
our hands. But if I did not do it, my sister would
be the widow of a dishonoured man, of a trans-
gressor of the law, her child would suffer the con-