Part 20 (1/2)
”What?”
”If it is something ... suppose it is something that we can't explain?”
”But I don't believe in it!”
”Nor I.... Only....”
”What?”
”If it's something ... if it's something that we can't explain, then....”
”Then what?”
”Then ... it's not because of us!” he whispered, almost inaudibly. ”Why, Oorip said so herself! It's because of papa!”
”Oh, but it's too silly!”
”I don't believe in that nonsense either.”
”The moaning ... of those animals.”
”And that stone ... must have been thrown by some wretched fellow ... one of the servants, a beggar who is putting himself forward ... or who has been bribed....”
”Bribed? By whom?”
”By ... by the regent....”
”Why, Theo!”
”Oorip said the moaning came from the palace....”
”What do you mean?”
”And that they wanted to torment papa from there....”
”To torment him?”
”Because the Regent of Ngadjiwa has been dismissed.”
”Does Oorip say that?”
”No, I do. Oorip said that the regent had occult powers. That's nonsense, of course. The fellow's a scoundrel. He has bribed people ... to worry papa.”
”But papa notices none of it....”
”No.... We mustn't tell him either.... That's the best thing to do.... We must ignore it.”
”And the white hadji, Theo, whom Doddie saw twice.... And, when they do table-turning at Van Helderen's, Ida sees him too....”
”Oh, another tool of the regent's, of course!”