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going to the Fair, and he asked Floris to go with
them. e Or won't your uncle allow you to ? * he
added with a laugh. In the evening, when the
music of the merry-go-rounds could be heard on the
Gracht, he took two guilders out of the handkerchief,
while Stien was downstairs, singing at her work.
He met Kolk with three others at the Butter
Market outside the menagerie tent; there were two
girls with them as well, and they went in. From
there they went on to other tents, they ate doughnuts
and waffles, they drank beer at Koppen's stall, and
got rowdier and rowdier. Floris lent some money
to someone, and when he had no more left himself,
he borrowed from someone else. Then they linked
arms and rolled along, accosting and jostling the
people, and shouting : * We won't, go home : we
won't go home.3 When they had spent everything,
Kolk said he'd go and ask for some more money,
and they all went with him. While they were
waiting under a tree by the Forest Bridge, one of the
boys said they ought to give Floris a cheer because he
wasn't a muff after all. He yelled with them, and
he hurried on in front, back to the lights and the
music of the merry-go-rounds, his cheeks glowing red.
They grew wild, threw doughnuts in each other's
faces, and pushed each other through the crowd.
Floris heard the Tower clock strike eleven and crept
quietly away.
When he got home Wereudonk looked up from his