24*5
donk, for then another face would rise and gaze at
him. Mrs. Sanne's shop-girl kept lifting a corner
of the blind, there was only one peeping eye there.
And at Thijs's, farther along, it was his wife, busy
dusting, who looked out of the window every minute
—through the top pane she could just see as far as
this counter. There had always been this peeping
into each other's windows; it went without saying
that neighbours, who knew all about each other's
joys and sorrows, should want to know what was
going on, but he felt that this was not ordinary
curiosity. The faces had a questioning expression,
he couldn't help looking up at them all the time.
Towards dusk it struck him that Minke and Nuyl
kept walking by, as though they were only doing it
in order to look at him. At first they were talking
together, then they were silent and kept craning
their necks. Warner stood still, as though he had
suddenly been struck by something out of the
ordinary ; he lifted his round face to the shop-
window where the name was painted, then walked
on. In the evening, before closing-time, Wouters
came in and said : * I was meaning to come in and
have a chat with you, but I remember now this is
the time your nephew comes, so I'll come tomorrow ;
we see so little of each other lately.'—c Yes,' said
Werendonk,c that's true.' He felt too tired to talk.
But Wouters didn't go ; he lingered, looking at the
bags, the scale, the litre-measures, and Werendonk,