The Chauffeur and the Chaperon | Page 9

thinking what a wonderful
caretaker Jan Paasma must be.
"Conscientious" hardly expressed him, because it's almost a year since
Captain Noble used "Lorelei," and we hadn't written that we were
coming to claim her; yet here she was, en fête for our reception. But
then, I thought, perhaps our dear old friend had left instructions to keep
the boat always ready. It would be rather like him: and, in any case, we
should soon know all, as Mr. Paasma's dwelling is a little green house
close to the miniature quay. We saw his name over the door, for
evidently he doesn't entirely depend upon his guardianship of boats for
a livelihood. He owns a shop, with indescribable things in the one
cramped but shining window--things which only those who go down to
the sea in ships could possibly wish to have.
For all we could tell he might be on board the boat, which floated a
yard or two from shore, moored by ropes; but it seemed more
professional to seek Mr. Paasma under his own roof, and we did so,
nearly falling over a stout child who was scrubbing the floor of the
shop.
"What a queer time of day to be cleaning--eleven o'clock," muttered
Phil, having just saved herself from a tumble. I thought so too; but then
we'd been in Holland only a few hours. We hadn't yet realized the
relative importance of certain affairs of life, according to a
Dutchwoman's point of view.
We glared reproachfully at the stout child, as much as to say, "Why
don't you finish your swabbing at a proper hour?" She glared at us as if

she would have demanded, "What the (Dutch) Dickens do you mean by
bouncing in and upsetting my arrangements?"
Little was accomplished on either side by this skirmishing; so I put my
pride in my pocket and inquired for her master.
"Boot," replied the creature. "Boot," pointing with her mop in the
direction whence we had come.
We understood by this that the caretaker was at his post, and we
returned to shout the name of Heer Paasma.
Nothing happened at first; but after several spasmodic repetitions a blue
silk curtain flickered at one of the cabin windows on "Lorelei," and a
little, old, brown face, with a fringe of fluff round the chin, appeared in
the aperture--a walnut of a face, with a pair of shrewd, twinkling eyes,
and a pipe in a slit of a mouth. Another call brought on deck a figure
which matched the face; and on deck Mr. Paasma (it looked like a
gnome, but it could be no other than the caretaker) evidently intended
to remain until he got a satisfactory explanation.

III
"Are you Heer Paasma?" I inquired from my distance.
The walnut nodded.
"Do you speak English?"
Out came the pipe. "Ja, a leetle."
"We're Miss Rivers and Miss Van Buren, from England. I'm Miss Van
Buren. You have heard about me, and that Captain Noble left me his
motor-boat in his will."
"No, I not heerd." A dark flush slowly turned the sharp little walnut
face to mahogany.

"How strange! I thought the solicitor would have written. But perhaps it
wasn't necessary. Anyway, I have all the papers to prove that the boat is
mine. You did know poor Captain Noble was dead, surely?"
"Ja, I hear that."
"Well, if you'll put a plank across, we'll come on board, and I'll show
you my papers and explain everything."
"I come on shore," said Mr. Paasma.
"No, we would rather----"
I might have saved my breath. Mr. Paasma was Dutch, and he had
made up his mind what would be best. The rest goes without saying.
He seized one of the ropes, hauled the boat closer to shore, and sprang
onto the bank.
There was a strange glitter in his eye. I supposed it to be the bleak glint
of suspicion, and hastened to reassure the excellent man by producing
my papers, pointing out paragraphs which I placed conspicuously under
his nose, in our copy of Captain Noble's will, and the letters I had
received from the solicitor.
"You see," I said at last, "everything is all right. You need have no
hesitation in giving the boat to me."
[Illustration: "You need have no hesitation in giving the boat to me"]
Mr. Paasma puffed at his pipe, which he held very tight between his
teeth, and stared at the papers without looking up.
"If you like, you can apply to your lawyer, if you have one," I went on,
seeing that he was far from easy in his mind. "I'm quite willing to meet
him. Besides"--I had suddenly a brilliant idea--"I have relations in
Rotterdam. Their name is the same as mine--van Buren. Perhaps you
have heard of Heer