Rollo in Holland | Page 4

he might observe in the street, till his uncle George
should be ready to talk with him.
He saw the fountains in the square, and a great many children playing
about the basins. He saw a poor boy at a crossing brushing the
pavement industriously with an old broom, and then holding out his
hand to the people passing by, in hopes that some of them would give
him a halfpenny. He saw a policeman walking slowly up and down on
the sidewalk, wearing a glazed hat, and a uniform of blue broadcloth,
with his letter and number embroidered on the collar. He saw an
elegant carriage drive by, with a postilion riding upon one of the horses,
and two footmen in very splendid liveries behind. There was a lady in
the carriage, but she appeared old, and though she was splendidly
dressed, her face was very plain.
"I wonder," said Rollo to himself, "how much she would give of her
riches and finery if she could be as young and as pretty as my cousin
Lucy."
"Now, Rollo," said Mr. George, interrupting Rollo's reflections, "what
is the question?"
"Why, I want to know," said Rollo, "whether you think we had better
go to Holland in the winter or in the summer."
"Is it left to you to decide?" asked Mr. George.
"Why, no," said Rollo, "not exactly. But mother asked me to consider
which I thought was best, and so I want to know your opinion."
"Very well," said Mr. George, "go on and argue the case. After I have
heard it argued I will decide."
Rollo then proceeded to explain to his uncle the advantages,
respectively, of going in the summer and in the winter. After hearing
him, Mr. George thought it would be decidedly better to go in the
summer.

"You see," said he, "that the only advantage of going in the winter is to
see the skating. That is very important, I know. I should like to see the
Dutch women skating to market myself, very much. But then, in the
winter you could see very little of the canals, and the wind mills, and
all the other hydraulic operations of the country. Every thing would be
frozen up solid."
"Father says that he can't go now very well," continued Rollo, "but that
I may go with you if you would like to go."
Mr. George was just in the act of sealing his letter as Rollo spoke these
words; but he paused in the operation, holding the stick of sealing wax
in one hand and the letter in the other, as if he was reflecting on what
Rollo had said.
"If we only had some one else to go with us," said Mr. George.
"Should not we two be enough?" asked Rollo.
"Why, you see," said Mr. George, "when we get into Holland we shall
not understand one word of the language."
"What language do they speak?" asked Rollo.
"Dutch," said Mr. George, "and I do not know any Dutch."
"Not a word?" asked Rollo.
"No," said Mr. George, "not a word. Ah, yes! I know one word. I know
that dampschiff means steamboat. Damp, I suppose, means steam."
Then Rollo laughed outright. Dampskiff, he said, was the funniest
name for steamboat that he ever heard.
"Now, when we don't know a word of the language," added Mr. George,
"we cannot have any communication with the people of the country,
but shall be confined entirely to each other. Now, do you think that you
could get along with having nobody but me to talk to you for a whole
fortnight?"

"Yes, indeed!" said Rollo. "But then, uncle George," he continued,
"how are you going to get along at the hotels without knowing how to
speak to the people at all?"
"By signs and gestures," said Mr. George, laughing. "Could not you
make a sign for something to eat?"
"O, yes," said Rollo; and he immediately began to make believe eat,
moving his hands as if he had a knife and fork in them.
"And what sign would you make for going to bed?" asked Mr. George.
Here Rollo laid his head down to one side, and placed his hand under it,
as if it were a pillow, and then shut his eyes.
"That is the sign for going to bed," said Rollo. "A deaf and dumb boy
taught it to me."
"I wish he had taught you some more signs," said Mr. George. "Or I
wish we had a deaf and dumb boy here to go with us. Deaf and dumb
people can get along excellently well where they do not understand the
language, because they know how to make so many signs."
"O, we can make up the signs as we go along," said Rollo.
"Yes,"