, 1882-06-02
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The Inner Man,

the table. | cannot say like it, Nc
Dutch people live in as good style as
we do. | only know two houses
where the table is pleasant to look at
one. that of an enormously wealthy
ship at Rotterdam, and the
other, that of a very wealthy professor
The wife of the latter once said tC
me: Il do like to see you eat. i
like to see you at my table. You dc
eat so prettily.' l laughed, and dis
claimed the compliment. But she
was right-the English are more
elegant eaters than the Dutch. /
never saw a Dutch man or woman
not even one who was a countess in
her own right, and ought to have
been a good example eat straight
away with knife and fork, as we do
They first cut the whole plateful into
pieces--a most disagreeable process
then lay the knife on the edge
of the plate, farthest away from the
eater, and resting the left hand,
loosely folded, on the table beside the
plate, eat all with the fork, shovel
fashion. Why, using the fork, it is
not proper to lay the left hand on
the knee, 1 do not know. l noticed
many points of that kind which they
could not explain beyond that such
thing is etiquette | never saw food
eaten otherwise. Sometimes glass
rests are provided for each person,
and very, very necessary they are, for
never is change of cover provided.
Inever saw such thing at friendly
dinner, and once | was at large
evening party, where met some very
grand people, and saw a supper of
thirteen courses served with one
knife and fork and two spoons for
each person. If you receive a gen
eral invitation to or pay long visit
in Dutch house, you certainly have
the satisfaction of knowing that the
hostess does not put herself out OF
the way on your account. She comes
down to breakfast with her hair in
eurl-papers or crimping-pins, accord
ing to the fashion of her coiffure,
and her person garbed in an old fan
mel dressing gown. The first time /
dined at the house of the lady l have
Just mentioned, she said: If you
will make a mark in your serviette l
will have it put aside to be ready
when you come again l thanked
her, and turned down the corner of
my dinner napkin, wondering little
that people who had a dinner en-
famille of five courses and a lavish
dessert should be so saving as to
retain a guests serviette for another
time. On my return to the house
where / was staying, mentioned the
circumstance, and then it was ex-
planned. 1t was merely a delicate
way of telling me that she meant
frequently to invite me again. /
dined there many times, but l never
saw the serviette with the folded
corner any more. This lady copied
my method of eating my dinner from
the first time l dined there, and made
her children do the same. The last
time / was in Holland l found they
still kept up the custom. AS regards
the other meals, they consist of
breakfast, koti, and supper. They
are prepared entirely by the ladies of
the house, and are exactly alike,
except that there is tea at two meals
breakfast and supper-and coffee
at the one which bears its name.
Breakfast is early-from eight to nine
and often visitors are privileged to
have it in bed. They always ask if
you prefer it so. AS / have said, the
minor meals are prepared by the
ladies'; they are precisely alike. The
tea-things, often of valuable china,
are kept in a cupboard, usually con-
cealed in the wall, and with several
pictures hung on the papered door,
which, to your horror, suddenly
swings forward. In the huis kamer
one of the ladies first fetches white
cloth about a yard square, which she
places in the center of the table.
For dinner a large one is used as
with us. Then she brings out very
small tray, bearing cups, saucers,
plates and knives-these last black
handled putting one for each person.
She sets the slop-basin and cups in
order, and brings out little spirit
lamp with silver stand, on which tC
set the teapot or cafetiere, whichever
is to be used, and a box of matches
She sets the a-caddy handy, or il
it must be coffee, grinds up with g
little hand-mill sufficient quantity
for the meal. Then she gets the
butter-pot, which is deep round poi
of common delf, with lid 1t is
filed to the brim with butter, and
emptied, not by cutting, as we do,
but by each person scraping out, with
his own knife, as much as he wishes
to use for each piece of bread he
takes. 1t is not pretty fashion, by
any means. Then appears an oblons
basket, with long roll of bread, o.
which she cuts several slices abou
an inch thick, usually allotting two
for each person. They remain in thu
basket with the bread, and no d oytel
is used. Near the basket stands {