“No!” cried the latter firmly.  “And if anybody else—­”

“You can quarrel afterward,” said Adrian Van der Werff, interrupting his excited companions, then good-naturedly picking up the books Baersdorp had flung down, and handing them to him, continued resolutely, “I’ll be a Spaniard to-day.  Who else?”

“I, I, I too, for aught I care,” shouted several of the scholars, and the forming of the two parties would have been carried on in the best order to the end, if the boys’ attention had not been diverted by a fresh incident.

A young gentleman, followed by a black servant, came up the street directly towards them.  He too was a Netherlander, but had little in common with the school-boys except his age, a red and white complexion, fair hair, and clear blue eyes, eyes that looked arrogantly out upon the world.  Every step showed that he considered himself an important personage, and the gaily-costumed negro, who carried a few recently purchased articles behind him, imitated this bearing in a most comical way.  The negro’s head was held still farther back than the young noble’s, whose stiff Spanish ruff prevented him from moving his handsome head as freely as other mortals.

“That ape, Wibisma,” said one of the school-boys, pointing to the approaching nobleman.

All eyes turned towards him, scornfully scanning his little velvet hat decked with a long plume, the quilted red satin garment padded in the breast and sleeves, the huge puffs of his short brown breeches, and the brilliant scarlet silk stockings that closely fitted his well-formed limbs.

“The ape,” repeated Paul Van Swieten.  “He wants to be a cardinal, that’s why he wears so much red.”

“And looks as Spanish as if he came straight from Madrid,” cried another lad, while a third added: 

“The Wibismas certainly were not to be found here, so long as bread was short with us.”

The Wibismas are all Glippers.

“And he struts about on week-days, dressed in velvet and silk,” said Adrian.  “Just look at the black boy the red-legged stork has brought with him to Leyden.”

The scholars burst into a loud laugh, and as soon as the youth had reached them, Paul Van Swieten snarled in a nasal tone: 

“How did deserting suit you?  How are affairs in Spain, master Glipper?”

The young noble raised his head still higher, the negro did the same, and both walked quietly on, even when Adrian shouted in his ear: 

“Little Glipper, tell me, for how many pieces of silver did Judas sell the Saviour?”

Young Matanesse Van Wibisma made an indignant gesture, but controlled himself until Jan Mulder stepped in front of him, holding his little cloth cap, into which he had thrust a hen’s feather, under his chin like a beggar, and saying humbly: 

“Give me a little shrove-money for our tom-cat, Sir Grandee; he stole a leg of veal from the butcher yesterday.”