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children. Perhaps he had not learnt to lie from her,
but it was Fientje Wouters whom he had first seen
stealing, and she was cunning too, though you would
never have guessed it when she looked at you with
her limpid blue eyes. It was a long time since he
had associated with the Wouters children, but he
knew that Steven was the only honest one. And
their mother would smile at them, full of pride and
trust.
* You'll find wrong-doing in every house,' said
Jansje, c and there are more things hidden away
than you'd believe.' Mrs. Thijs, on the other
corner of Gortestraat, would never have to borrow,
for they had one of the busiest druggist's shops in the
district, if it weren't for Thijs spending so much
money in the ale-house. ' But, it's her own fault,'
said Stien, and Floris didn't understand that. As
for old Mrs. Sanne, they said that she was always
ready to help anyone, but you had to beware of her
tongue. It was she who started all the scandals,
everyone was very careful with her. At Warner's,
the baker, there was always a row going on in the
room behind the shop ; some said it was he who
was quarrelsome, others said it was his wife, but his
children were always fighting with one another too.
Briemen, the pork-butcher opposite, was a violent
man, his wife often ran screaming into the street and
the children were heard howling ; one of these fine
days there'd be an accident there with a knife.