such people want to wear embroidered pants? In a corner stood a travelling-trunk, not very heavy, which without thinking I half raised by one handle, and on the mantelpiece lay some books, which I just had a look at. A curious collection! A couple of volumes of Byron, Horatius, Bastiat, Béranger, and . . . just guess! A Bible, a complete Bible, with even the Apocrypha in it! That I certainly had not expected at Shawlman’s. And it seemed to have been read, too, for I found quite a number of notes on loose bits of paper, which related to the Scriptures—he says that Eve came into the world twice . . . the man is mad!—well, everything was in the same handwriting as the documents in that cursed bundle. He seemed to have made a special study of the Book of Job, for there the leaves were dog-eared. I suppose that he is beginning to feel the hand of the Lord, and that therefore he wants to reconcile himself with God by reading the holy books. I don’t object. But while I was still waiting, my glances lighted on a lady’s work-box which stood on the table. I looked at it unintentionally. There was in it a pair of child’s half-finished stockings, a lot of silly verses, and also a letter to Shawlman’s wife, as was evident from the superscription. The letter had been opened, and looked as if it had been crumpled up in anger. Now it is a fixed principle with me never to read anything that is not addressed to me, as I don’t think it good manners. So I never do it when I am not interested. But now I had an inspiration that it was my duty just to have a look at that letter, because the contents might perhaps enlighten me with regard to my humanitarian intention in visiting Shawlman. I reflected how surely the Lord is always with His own, as now He unexpectedly gave me the opportunity to get to know a little more about that man, and so protected me against the danger of doing a benefit to an immoral person. I pay scrupulous attention to such directions from the Lord, and it has often been of great use to me in business. To my amazement I saw that the wife of this Shawlman belonged to a very good family, at least the letter was signed by a relative whose name in Holland is most dis-
