Only men were invited, no women
being present, so that free scope was given for the gluttony and
drunkenness which usually prevailed at such entertainments. Great
joints of beef and venison vanished like melting snow before the
keen-set appetites of the diners, and goblets of wine disappeared down
thirsty throats until all present were more or less under the influence
of liquor. Toward the end of the entertainment, some horse-play was
indulged in by the younger guests, among whom Count Hendrick Luitken
was conspicuous. I could see he was the worse for liquor, and as often
happens to those under the influence of strong drink, his veneer gave
place to a quarrelsome arrogance in which his true disposition was
displayed. Accompanied by some of his friends as boisterous as himself,
he came over to where I was sitting, and, planting himself in a vacant
chair on the other side of the table in front of me, he asked rudely
how the fishing trade prospered at Urk.
I felt the blood mount to my face as I answered that for all I knew to
the contrary it prospered well enough, although I had for some years
past been away from Urk, and could therefore not answer the question as
fully as I might otherwise have done.
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