95
€ Yes, just for a moment.' Then Floris realised
that he, too, simple though he was, had something
to hide.
He lay awake that night until he heard from the
footsteps on the stairs that Uncle Gerbrand had gone
to bed, and perpetually he had a vision of the queer
figure in the middle of the Church, with the two
ropes in his white hands. Even when he was dozing
off he could still see the ropes swinging in the Jiigh
arches.
The following morning he had found an old book
in a chest in the attic and was sitting on the floor
under the skylight reading. He heard someone
sweeping the stairs and, looking up, he saw across
the threshold on a level with the floor Jansje's black
cap, and her pale eyes looking at him. He was
startled and stood up. Now he knew for certain
that she was spying on him. Why ? He was close
to the door of Stien's room, perhaps she was
watching to see if he went in. That same day he
got another fright. He was standing alone in the
shop, ready to go out, deliberating where he should
go. He wanted to ask Kolk to go with him to
Overveen, but he had no money in his pocket, and
was wondering whether he could ask Uncle Gerbrand
for some. In the old days, if he had found no one in
the shop, he would have just slipped behind the
counter, but now he didn't even look in the direction
of the till. He thought he was a coward to be so