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As for their neighbours on either side, Tops was
untrustworthy, and made mischief out of every-
thing that came to his ears, and at Minke's not even
a child who went in to buy a slate-pencil or a sheet
of paper could be sure of getting what he wanted.
He imposed on his own wife and children, that was
why there was such a gloomy atmosphere there.
But the worst disorder was at the tin-smith's, for
both Nuyl and his wife were lazy and indolent; in
the muddle they could never find what a customer
asked for, and their seven children looked like
ragamuffins, untidy and unwashed. So you find
some wickedness wherever you look, in one house
lying or slandering or intemperance, in another
treachery, deceit, quarrelling or violence. The only
thing anyone could say about the Werendonks'
house was that they were too close about money,
but fortunately there was a good reason for that.
There was wickedness everywhere. c What else can
you expect ? * he had heard Jansje say. 6 If the
houses were pulled down, if you could see what lay
beneath them, you'd find nothing but the iniquities
of the forefathers, not only in this street, but every-
where in the town.5 In every house there dwelt
the ghost of past sins.
But Stien couldn't believe all that. There might
be some truth in it, she said, but a lot had been
atoned for in every house, too, and when the whole
town fell into ruins at the last trump and nothing