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                            Walter Pieterse
                           A Story of Holland

                                  By
                               Multatuli
                         (Eduard Douwes Dekker)

                             Translated by
                          Hubert Evans, Ph. D.



                                New York
                           Friderici & Gareis
                       6 East Seventeenth Street






                            Copyright, 1904,
                                   By
                           Friderici & Gareis







PREFACE


Most of us know that The Hague is somewhere in Holland; and we all
know that Queen Wilhelmina takes a beautiful picture; but to how many
of us has it occurred that the land of Spinoza and Rembrandt is still
running a literary shop?

How many of us have ever heard of Eduard Douwes Dekker? Very few,
I fear, except professional critics. And yet, the man who, forty
years ago, became famous as Multatuli (I have borne much), was not
only the greatest figure in the modern literature of the Netherlands,
but one of the most powerful and original writers in the literature
of the world. An English critic has called him the Heine of Holland;
Anatole France calls him the Voltaire of the Netherlands.

Eduard Douwes Dekker was born in 1820, at Amsterdam, his father being
the captain of a merchantman trading in the Dutch colonies. At the age
of eighteen Dekker sailed on his father's vessel for the East Indies,
determined to abandon the business career that had been mapped out for
him and enter the colonial service. In 1839 he received a clerkship
in the civil service at Batavia. He now remained in the employ of
the government for seventeen years, being promoted from one grade to
another until he was made Assistant Resident of Lebak in 1856.

In this important position he used his influence to better the
condition of the natives; but, to his sorrow, he soon found that he
did not have the support of his superiors. What he conceived to be
right clashed with the line of conduct he was expected to follow. In
a rash moment of "righteous indignation" he handed in his resignation;
and it was accepted.

This hasty step put an end to a brilliant political career and entailed
upon Dekker years of disappointment and hardship. Seeing that he was
pursuing the wrong method to help either the Javanese, or himself,
he immediately tried to get reinstated, but without success. In 1857
he returned to Holland and applied to the home government, hoping to
be vindicated and restored to his post. Again he was disappointed. The
government offered him another desirable position; but, as it was a
matter of principle with Dekker, he declined it.

When he saw that it was useless to importune the government further,
Dekker made his appeal to the people in "Max Havelaar" (1860). The book
was an instant success and made the name of Multatuli famous. Through
the perfidy of a supposed friend, however, Dekker failed to get very
substantial material rewards from this work. For ten years yet he
was struggling with poverty.

The Bohemian life that Dekker was now compelled to live--his family
was on the sufferance of friends--estranged him from his wife and
strengthened what some might call an unfortunate--or, at least, an
untimely--literary friendship that Dekker had formed with a certain
Miss Mimi Schepel, of The Hague. The spiritual affinity between the
two soon developed a passion that neither could resist. This estimable
lady, who afterwards became Dekker's second wife, is still living,
and has edited Dekker's letters in nine volumes. Dekker died in
February, 1887, at his home in Nieder-Ingelheim, where he had lived
for several years.

The "Woutertje Pieterse" story was first published in Dekker's
seven volume work entitled "Ideen." Here it is sandwiched in between
miscellaneous sketches, essays and treatises, being scattered all
the way from Vol. I to Vol. VII. The story falls naturally into two
parts, of which the present volume is the first part. The second part,
written in a different key, deals with "Walter's Apprenticeship."

A good deal of the flax, or silk, of his Chinaman's pigtail, to use
Dekker's form of expression, I have unraveled as being extraneous
matter. However, despite these omissions, it is quite possible that
some very sensitive person may still find objectionable allusions in
the book. If so, I must refer that one to the shade of Multatuli. From
his own admission his shoulders were evidently broad; and, no doubt,
they will be able to bear the additional strain.


                                                        Hubert Evans.

New York City,
    November, 1904.








CONTENTS


                                                                   Page

Chapter I

    The origin of the story: regarding poetry, incurable love,
    false hair, and the hero of the story--The dangers of fame and
    the advantage of the upper shelf--The Chinaman's pigtail, and
    the collar of humanity                                            1

Chapter II

    An Italian robber on the "Buitensingel" in Amsterdam--The bitter
    suffering of the virtuous Amalia--Wax candles, the palisades of
    morality--The cunning of the little Hallemans--The limitations
    of space                                                          9

Chapter III

    The difference between a sugar bowl and a Bible--Leentje's virtues
    and defects--An unfounded suspicion against Pennewip's honor     18

Chapter IV

    The profound silence of Juffrouw Laps--Stoffel's sermon--Walter's
    fidelity to Glorioso--The last king of Athens--Ruined stomachs
    and bursted ear-drums                                            24

Chapter V

    How one may become a great man--The cleverness of
    M'sieu Millaire--Versifying and the art of classifying
    everything--Hobby-horses                                         27

Chapter VI

    Preparations for a party--The assignment of roles--The conflict
    between wishing and being--Some tricks of fancy--The two
    sawmills--Amalia and the ducks                                   34

Chapter VII

    Poetry and wigs--The vexation and despair of the latter          42

Chapter VIII

    A tea-evening, and how it began--Some gaps in the author's
    knowledge--Stoffel's zoological joke--The cause of the last Punic
    war--And the advantage of smoking                                48

Chapter IX

    Echoes of the last Punic war--The defeat of Hannibal (Laps)
    by Scipio (Pennewip)                                             61

Chapter X

    Causes of the tedious peace in Europe, showing the value
    of a "tea-evening" as a study--Specimens of school-verse
    concluded--Suitable for society poets and clever children        68

Chapter XI

    Report on the condition of the leading characters after the
    catastrophe--Walter again: a character-study                     75

Chapter XII

    Leentje as a comforter and questioner--Prince Walter and his
    dominions                                                        80

Chapter XIII

    Convincing proofs of Walter's improvement--His first invitation--A
    study in love--Paradise and Peri                                 87

Chapter XIV

    Great changes in the Pieterse family--Walter becomes poet-laureate
    at the court of Juffrouw Laps--The mountains of Asia--The bridge,
    Glorioso, and love--again                                       102

Chapter XV

    Walter's dream--A swell coachman--Juffrouw Laps's difficulties
                                                                    117

Chapter XVI

    Femke hunts for Walter, and finds him under peculiar
    circumstances--Her adventures by the way                        125

Chapter XVII

    The widower's birthday--Klaasje's poem, and how a surprise may
    involve further surprises                                       132

Chapter XVIII

    Walter's recovery--The doctor's pictures--Amsterdam dramaturgy
                                                                    138

Chapter XIX

    Pastors, sermons, and Juffrouw Laps--Chocolate, timidity, and
    love--The fire that didn't break out--Some details of religious
    belief                                                          150

Chapter XX

    Our hero calls on the doctor--Some strange happenings--How Walter
    delivered his present                                           161

Chapter XXI

    Ophelia reaches her destination, and Femke becomes a
    queen--Walter's first experience "proposing"--Choosing a
    profession                                                      170

Chapter XXII

    Walter enters the real world--The firm Motto, Business & Co.--The
    technique of the novel--And the snuff of the Romans             180

Chapter XXIII

    How one may become a "prodigal" by studying the story of the
    Prodigal Son                                                    194

Chapter XXIV

    Why Walter did not see Femke--The worldliness of a servant of
    the church--The secret of Father Jansen's deafness in his left
    ear                                                             201

Chapter XXV

    Kings and doughnuts--How the masses soar and fall--Walter's
    cowardice and remorse of conscience--A good remedy for the
    blues                                                           211

Chapter XXVI

    Our hero retires thinking of Princess Erika, to be aroused
    by robbers and murderers, who are in collusion with Juffrouw
    Laps                                                            225

Chapter XXVII

    Walter alone with a pious lady, or Juffrouw Laps on the war-path
                                                                    240

Chapter XXVIII

    A midnight kiss--A wonderful statue in the "Juniper Berry"--
    Republicans and True Dutch hearts--A sailor with--Femke?        245

Chapter XXIX

    Sunrise on the "Dam"--An exciting encounter with a water-nymph--A
    letter from heaven--America, a haven for prodigal sons          260

Chapter XXX

    A message from Femke, which Walter fails to understand--Dr. Holsma
    to the rescue--Femke and family portraits--Femke, and once more
    Femke                                                           270

Chapter XXXI

    Stoffel's view of the matter--Juffrouw Laps's distress, and
    Juffrouw Pieterse's elation--Elephants and butterflies, and
    Kaatje's conception of heredity                                 279

Chapter XXXII

    A theatrical performance under difficulties--The contest between
    Napoleon and King Minos of Crete--A Goddess on Mt. Olympus--Kisses
    and rosebuds                                                    286

Chapter XXXIII

    Conclusion                                                      298









WALTER PIETERSE




CHAPTER I


I don't know the year; but, since the reader will be interested to
know the time when this story begins, I will give him a few facts to
serve as landmarks.

My mother complained that provisions were dear, and fuel as well. So
it must have been before the discovery of Political Economy. Our
servant-girl married the barber's assistant, who had only one
leg. "Such a saving of shoe-leather," the good little soul argued. But
from this fact one might infer that the science of Political Economy
had already been discovered.

At all events, it was a long time ago. Amsterdam had no sidewalks,
import duties were still levied, in some civilized countries there were
still gallows, and people didn't die every day of nervousness. Yes,
it was a long time ago.

The Hartenstraat! I have never comprehended why this street should
be called thus. Perhaps it is an error, and one ought to write
Hertenstraat, or something else. I have never found more "heartiness"
there than elsewhere; besides, "harts" were not particularly plentiful,
although the place could boast of a poulterer and dealer in venison.

I haven't been there for a long time, and I only remember that the
Straat connects two main canal-streets, canals that I would fill up
if I had the power to make Amsterdam one of the most beautiful cities
of Europe.

My predilection for Amsterdam, our metropolis, does not make me
blind to her faults. Among these I would mention first her complete
inability to serve as the scene of things romantic. One finds here
no masked Dominos on the street, the common people are everywhere
open to inspection, no Ghetto, no Templebar, no Chinese quarter,
no mysterious courtyard. Whoever commits murder is hanged; and the
girls are called "Mietje" and "Jansje"--everything prose.

It requires courage to begin a story in a place ending with
"dam." There it is difficult to have "Emeranties" and "Heloises";
but even these would be of little use, since all of these belles have
already been profaned.

How do the French authors manage, though, to dress up their "Margots"
and "Marions" as ideals and protect their "Henris" and "Ernestes"
from the trite and trivial? These last remind one of M'sieu Henri or
M'sieu Erneste just about like our castle embankments remind one of
filthy water.

Goethe was a courageous man: Gretchen, Klaerchen----

But I, in the Hartenstraat!

However, I am not writing a romance; and even if I should write one,
I don't see why I shouldn't publish it as a true story. For it is
a true story, the story of one who in his youth was in love with a
sawmill and had to endure this torture for a long time.

For love is torture, even if it is only love for a sawmill.

It will be seen that the story is going to be quite simple