"Little Rascal" "All you do the entire day is wandering and begging." "You know how to steal and fight and be rude to me but helping out by babysitting your kid sister while I earn your meals at the coffee plant." "You are nothing but a big lazy ape!" "Work will do you good!" "Look out, you rascal!" "Look at what you did!" "Wretched boy!" "The rascal puts his parents to shame in front of the entire neighborhood." "You?" "You will come to no good!" "I will break your habit of wandering around!" "I will put you in the loo!" "And when your father gets home, he will whip you till you crawl!" "Come here!" "Get in there, move!" "No!" "And you will stay there!" "Open up!" "Open up!" "Lazy boy!" "Open up!" "Open up!" "I want out!" "You be quiet." "And don't burn your fingers on the stove." "I am going to buy some bread." "Open up!" "I want out!" "Stand aside, I am coming through." "Hi, Pietje!" "Is Jan around?" "Mother locked him up in the loo." "Tell Jan to climb onto the roof through the window loo." "I will be outside." "Through the window loo." "What is the meaning of this?" "Getting some fresh air?" "Mother locked me up." "But I did a runner." "Really?" "Did you see that?" "That fat woman almost got it in her face." "Having fun, bandit?" "Did you hear that?" "It's my friend Pietje Puk*." "See ya." "See ya. [*John Doe]" "Hurry up!" "Pietje!" "Pietje!" "Hurry up." "Do you hear that, Pietje?" "Hey!" "That stall with herring!" "What do you mean, herring?" "Don't you get it?" "The woman isn't paying attention." "She is looking at the marines." "Hey, boy!" "No, I don't need herrings." "I got a large shipment just yesterday." "You are almost getting them for free." "No." "In the summer with all these damn flies, they will be rotten the very next day." "These are fresh." "We caught them this morning in the Meuse." "Those?" "Those are Scottish herrings, kid." "Then they probably ate themselves on to a rope from a boat coming from Scotland and were carried away." "My uncle is a ship's captain." "He told me that herrings often do that." "I don't buy stolen merchandise." "They are not stolen!" "Cross my heart and hope to die." "Is that so, wicked boy?" "You are returning the herrings and quick!" "Jan, let's split." "This is a home for Christian youths." "You fool." "Return the fish or I will give you a beating you won't forget!" "He stole them of a fish woman!" "They should do it more often." "Those fish stalls cause us much damage." "Screw your damn herrings!" "You can have them!" "You are ruining my store!" "Thieves!" "Wicked boys!" "I will get you for this!" "Watch where you're going, fool." "Ben Morrison, Chicago's gang leader." "That must be a swell book." "I would like to have it." "Gang leader..." "That is what I would like to be." "Not here but in America." "And diamonds on your fingers." "And a girl on each arm." "That's nice too." "We just need to get some money." "I'd buy a trumpet if I had two guilders." "I'd play on the street and make lots of money." "I would buy a gun with two guilders." "You just can't do without one." "I will rummage though the rag bins for things worth selling." "Heck, that is petty cash." "We need to strike it big." "Hey, watch it!" "Keep that junk with you!" "Beat it, hoodlums!" "Pietje, I found some nice rags." "Heck..." "Look." "Ben Morrison!" "It's a disgrace." "I long for some peace and quiet after a hard day's work." "The boy is not to blame but you were born with a temper." "And then that constant whining." "The key!" "That Judas makes me shake in my shoes." "How does a boy get to be so mean?" "I sometimes wonder if it's because he was born on a Friday?" "That's possible." "But I told him that he would get a good beating when you got back home." "He's gone!" "Come and see, come and see!" "In the swamps of Rignoricon, the famous professor Mac found the last remaining descendant of the noble Waki Waki tribe." "Waki!" "Waki waki." "Waki waki." "Waki waki." "Silence, ladies and gentlemen!" "Silence, please!" "Coming from America, he and the Indian king are en route to Constantinople where they will meet the sultan." "We managed at great expense, to hire this Indian king for our performance." "He doesn't understand our language and will need an interpreter to talk with the sultan of Constantinople." "One who has learned the language of the Waki Waki natives in America." "Come on in, ladies and gentlemen!" "Come and see, come and see!" "Come and see, just one dime." "Go and take a look!" "America is the place for us." "Shall I ask the Indian how much a trip to America costs?" "He will know." "Sir, how much for a trip to America?" "Is it very expensive?" "Waki waki ho." "Come again?" "Waki waki ho." "I don't understand him but he reeks of gin." "Go to hell!" "I'll be..." "He knows Dutch." "All aboard!" "Look!" "That carousel has some gorgeous broads." "The long-maned horses are much prettier." "They can ride the whole day for free." "Isn't that swell." "They won't run away." "Thank you." "May I collect?" "Two cents." "Thank you, thank you." "Pietje!" "I know how we can get hold of some money." "Two cents, please." "Thank you." "Miss, two cents." "Thank you." "Two cents, please." "Thank you." "Hey, lover." "Two cents." "Two cents, please." "Hey, what is the meaning of that!" "?" "How much did you make?" "One, two..." "Three nickels for this wallet!" "Made of real leather." "I know this because I knew the cow personally." "A price so low I might as well give it away." "But I won't because telling your girl or mother:" ""I bought you this fancy wallet" would be a lie." "And we can't have that!" "Just three nickels." "The chance of a lifetime." "Young man, look at see the quality." "Leather on the inside and out." "I am getting my mom the wallet." "A nice wallet of genuine leather." "Are you crazy?" "We need that money to buy Ben Morrison." "Just three nickels, young man." "Just three nick..." "Just think of what you can buy if you have money." "And here you have Ben Morrison." "The gang leader of Chicago." "Ten sequels." "And this?" "The Secrets of the Nanny." "Nanny?" "About love?" "Love and love only." "I've read it myself." "We will take it!" "How much?" "One dime." "Here you go." "Anything else, young gentlemen?" "No." "Good Shabbos." "Good Shabbos." "Let's go to the railroad car!" "Sure, my mother has company." "She doesn't need me around." "Me, I'm not going back home." "My father just whips me and my mother is always tired." "The countess led Ben Morrison with passionate glances to her sensually lit... boudoir." "Boudoir?" "Come on, let's read it." "If only I had never married..." "Hey, watch were you're going, you nutter!" "Likewise." "Just let go." "I will break your legs!" "If only I had never married..." "Get away from the window." "Haven't you waited long enough for that boy?" "Go to sleep, woman." "I wish he would never return, I'd sleep better." "Well, you can't sleep either." "I have a splitting headache." "I can't sleep anyhow." "A cold towel to your head should help." "It is all out of fear for that miserable boy." "I keep imagining the worst things." "Him laying under a train or being pulled up out of the canal." "Dear, oh dear..." "The state his clothes will be in." "I bet he will only turn up tomorrow morning, covered in rags." "And I have to pay for it." "Those seven guilders a week don't come by themselves." "Is he there?" "What?" "Are you there?" "No." "Who goes there?" "It is a cop going after a drunk guy." "The police officers stormed into the street and ran towards the bank." "With Morrison inside!" "Ben Morrison seized a pile of banknotes with his left hand while clutching his gun with his right hand and threatening the cashier." "He's a goner." "He quickly fled out the door, knocked down two cops with his gun and jumped into the waiting car that swiftly disappeared into the nightly darkness of Chicago's streets." "Stupid coppers!" "At home Beppie waited with a beating heart for Ben Morrison." "For the king of her heart, the king of Chicago's criminals." "To be continued..." "A pity." "Nice story." "What a guy!" "Those things only happen in America." "We ought to go there!" "Let's steal a boat and sail to America." "Smart thinking, we could do that." "When we have lots of money, I will send my father a big box of cigars." "And my mother a hat with feathers and my sisters a bag filled with candy." "By then, you can buy your father and mother a villa." "And yourself a castle." "And for your sisters an encyclopedia." "What for?" "Pietje, I am beat." "I am hitting the sack." "I am putting out the candle." "Now that is a fine boat." "No way, that is a barge." "You will have a huge beard by the time you get to America." "Look!" "What are they doing on the bridge?" "What's going on?" "He threw the cat from that barge into the water." "Watch this, right on its head." "It will drown." "Not my problem." "Shame on you." "Should that poor animal drown?" "It's just a cat." "Do you think a cat has no feelings?" "Get that animal out!" "For a cat?" "Stop it, animal torturer!" "If you miserable lot won't, then I will..." "But... but you are..." "You little rascal, I have you now." "You are the pastor from the herrings." "What is your name?" "I'm not telling." "Rascal!" "Rascal!" "Rascal!" "Rascal!" "Rascal!" "Rascal!" "Rascal?" "What's his name?" "Jan Grovers." "I am counting on you to be hardworking and behave accordingly." "You are in the pastor's house now and someone who has seen prison on the inside is obliged do her very best." "You should thank the pastor for hiring you in spite of your past." "Now, put on your apron and get to work." "Yes, miss..." "My name is miss De Wit." "Miss Theresia?" "Yes, Father?" "Miss Theresia?" "Yes, Father?" "Now now, miss Theresia, there is nothing to be alarmed about." "Here." "Father!" "What am I to do with this horrible animal?" "You're crazy, jumping into the water for a cat." "And now you're all wet." "If your mother sees you..." "It will dry up soon." "Look, there goes my mother." "What is she doing here?" "Going to my grandfather." "He lives in the milk shop over there." "Good morning, grandfather." "Well, well." "Grandfather?" "What do you want?" "Can I have a word with you?" "Now?" "Can't we go inside?" "Inside?" "Come with me." "We can't go that way." "She can't see me like this." "Hang on!" "There might be something worth stealing." "Steal?" "Yes!" "Go on, quick!" "Not one penny!" "My husband is sick and without a job." "And my legs prevent me from working daily." "Just five guilders, you must have that." "Isn't your milk business doing well." "No, I barely scrape by." "You have a bag full of guilders under your mattress." "Please grampa." "Under my mattress?" "How do you know that?" "As if I were that stupid." "No, I hide my money somewhere else every day." "Here, nothing but straw, you can have that." "How can you be this heartless." "We are your children." "Children?" "Lazy is what you all are." "You and your bastard Jan." "He lies through his teeth and steals like the ravens." "Two guilders, if it buys me some peace and quiet." "But return the money on the 1st!" "Yes, grandfather, I will." "You don't need to see where I keep my money." "Turn around!" "What?" "Turn around!" "Are you deaf." "Oh, right." "If your sweet son were to find out where I stash my money... he might rob me." "Come!" "Let's go!" "What... what's that?" "My milk!" "Milk?" "My milk!" "If I get my hands on that scum!" "My milk, my very best milk!" "Go away!" "Stay here, keep your hand on that hole!" "You are not getting a single penny!" "At least five jugs wasted." "Mother, Pietje's mother asked for you." "Does a certain madam Grovers live here?" "Madam Flodder?" "Madam Flodder, what do you want?" "My Pietje didn't come home last night." "Your boy will turn him into a murderer." "My Jan is a sweet boy but your Pietje leads my boy astray." "Where does my boy learn such foul language?" "From your lazy boy." "You know what you are!" "?" "An Amsterdam criminal!" "Look who's talking, Rotterdam slut." "Madam Grovers." "Do excuse me, Father." "Take a seat." "You are all beneath me." "Paupers!" "Nobody talks that way to me." "Bald madam!" "You should have stayed in Amsterdam." "Do forgive me, Father." "How can I be of service?" "I came to talk about your son." "What has he done this time?" "Done?" "He jumped into the water to save a cat." "For a cat?" "You have no idea how wild that boy is." "Not one bit of politeness or respect for a parent." "But at times he can be oh, so sweet, mopping the floor and cleaning the stove." "He is my own flesh and blood but at times he is like the devil." "I shouldn't say it but sometimes I wish the Lord would take him from me." "The boy is nothing but a thief." "Now now, come come, madam Grovers." "I don't think he is all that bad." "In any case, he does have a heart." "What's her name?" "Lientje." "And hers?" "Mientje." "And hers?" "Fientje." "I will try to change Jan into a decent person." "You needn't try." "It's an ungrateful task." "Foul language is what you will get." "Isn't he here?" "No." "Heaven knows where he is this time." "Buying scrap metal" "Will the pump be ready by tomorrow?" "Certainly, sir." "Will do." "Well, let's see what you have." "It's real copper." "Maybe." "Let's weigh it first." "Would he give us a guilder?" "Say, we could use that bicycle pump." "Hide it under your coat." "Should we..." "And then leave quietly, got it?" "I can give you two quarters." "Well, I am going ahead." "See ya." "Two quarters?" "That is not much." "But alright then." "Here you go." "Who took that pump?" "Pump?" "Must have been your friend." "My friend?" "My friends don't steal." "In Holland there is a house, in Zeeland there is a house..." "What..." "Well Jan, are you..." "Stay here, my boy." "Don't run away." "Let me go!" "What have you been up to?" "What did you steal?" "Give it here." "That is Jan Grovers, correct?" "I beg your pardon, sir." "One moment, constable." "Why are you after this boy?" "He stole van der Harm's bicycle pump." "What do you have under your coat?" "Me?" "You can turn me upside down but you won't find a thing." "Do you see a bicycle pump?" "Did you say that?" "Me?" "Didn't I tell the shop owner that my friends don't steal?" "Constable..." "Father?" "I don't believe Jan meant any harm." "I actually know him somewhat." "No, no, Jan is a good boy." "Well, he doesn't have a good reputation." "But it might be a mistake." "I will go to that shop myself." "Okay, Father." "Okay, Mr. Chief Constable." "Got a light for me?" "A light?" "You can get a slap across the face." "Got it?" "You are quite polite..." "Jan." "Say, Jan..." "Is that your friend?" "My friend?" "I know him." "Well, I don't like that boy." "Got it?" "Good." "Now take me to the shop from where you took the pump." "Oh yes!" "I will talk to the owner and see if he won't press charges." "Let's go." "And... should you feel like it, Jan, you should come and visit me tonight." "Visit?" "Yes." "Don't you want to see the cat?" "Sure, sure." "You have to feed it little mice." "It will make him nice and round." "Then you are coming tonight?" "Yes, Father." "And Father..." "If was really kind of you, getting me out of this jam." "Really..." "In return I ask but one thing." "That you will never lie to me again." "Agreed?" "I am counting on you." "Yes, Father." "Bye." "What is the meaning of that?" "That gentleman is my fiancé." "We are getting married in September." "That chimney sweeper is no gentleman." "But even a chimney sweeper will think twice before marrying someone who has faced the law." "Good day." "The pastor told me to come and look up the cat." "I was to come through the kitchen." "Through the kitchen?" "Look up what?" "The cat." "What?" "The cat!" "Is she deaf?" "The pastor is upstairs in his room." "Stop that noise!" "Can't you take off your shoes when entering a house?" "Anna!" "Get the scrubber and hot water." "The lady needs to clean herself." "You are soiling the entire house, dirty boy." "Well, Jan. You made it." "Nice of you to drop by." "Oh yes, very nice!" "What is the problem?" "Just look at that." "My, oh my, Jan." "From now on take off your shoes." "Right away, sir." "Give it to me, I will do it myself." "Classy visit in the parsonage." "Tell me, Jan, where did you get that beautiful harmonica?" "A gift." "Really?" "Yes." "There was a very big house and there was a children's party." "And there was a bully who played on it." "But he sucked of course." "When he saw me he said:" "You play on it." "And after I played on it..." "He just gave it to you?" "Yes, just like that." "A gift." "Jan, is that the truth?" "Yes!" "You shook on it that you would never lie to me again." "There was a children's party." "Oh." "But he didn't give it to me." "The boy left it behind and..." "The boy who's harmonica you took must now be very sad." "Yes!" "You like playing on it, don't you?" "Don't you agree, Jan?" "Bye, miss." "A muddy carpet thanks to that rascal." "Scum!" "Too bad." "Silence all!" "Hendrik is going to recite a birthday poem." "Hennie, wait with that lemonade." "We have all come here, on this brand new year." "Drink a glass of lemonade, eat a slice of chocolate cake." "All the best, my dear Koos, become the cleverest that arose." "Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Hennie, Hennie, start here." "The birthday boy first." "Right." "Who is that?" "I don't know." "What do you want?" "Miss, I accidentally took that bully's harmonica." "That is my harmonica!" "Have you played on it?" "Yes, want to hear?" "I want it back!" "It is dirty since he played on it." "Bah!" "Dirty?" "Just because I played on it?" "Father, you are too kindhearted." "Here is your coffee." "Thank you." "You allow everyone into your house." "And now that scoundrel." "Trust me, he is good on the inside." "He has just been neglected and never had guidance." "You can't take off bad qualities as if it were a pair of gloves." "The pastor's house is no place for criminals." "It is just that you can't miss me." "You know very well I don't need it since my late aunt's inheritance." "Miss Theresia, we have quarreled for so many years that we can't do without." "I just knew he wouldn't return that horrible instrument." "Good day, Father." "Jan, what's with that harmonica?" "Harmonica?" "There was a very nice lady and she gave it to me as a gift." "She found me dirty." "I believe you, Jan." "Well, Father, I believe you too." "Miss Theresia, tell Hanna to make sausage sandwiches." "Sausage?" "Aren't you hungry?" "I am always hungry." "Then we will feed you properly." "Really?" "Then you ought to feed Miss Theresia better." "She is a bag of bones." "What did you say?" "Did I mention Jan has a kind heart?" "Well, am I getting some food or not?" "All that yelling." "My head is bursting." "Well I'll be." "That's quite enough, Jan." "Care for a glass of soda?" "Sure, great for burping." "We are out of soda." "Coffee is fine by me." "Are you allowing him to drink your coffee?" "The coffee is no good." "Far too sweet." "This is going to be a pleasant evening." "Say, did you take off your shoes?" "Here you go." "Ah, there is the cat." "My sweet little pussy!" "Go and catch some mice." "Off you go." "That will give him courage." "Jan, it will take some time before we have taught you some manners." "But they are my father's." "Father, that scoundrel didn't take off his shoes." "The carpet is all muddy again." "I took them off upstairs." "Anna!" "Anna!" "Get the scrubber and hot water." "It wouldn't be my housekeeper , Father." "Now, Jan. Why don't you light up a nice cigar, my boy." "No, take off your hat first like a good boy." "There, Jan, there." "Father, then you must have mine." "No, thank you, my boy." "Thank you." "No?" "They are good ones." "I found them on the steps of City Hall." "I prefer my own brand." "Oh, well..." "I will save your cigar for my father." "That's commendable, my boy." "He will say you're a good boy." "He will probably whip me." "He does that every night with his belt." "He always beats me on the head." "But I don't mind." "I don't feel it anyway." "No?" "You don't believe me?" "Shall I bang my head on the table?" "No..." "It doesn't hurt me, look." "Now, now, my boy!" "Does your father beat you every night?" "Every night and he is strong." "He is as strong as an ox." "Well, there's nothing to it." "He gets meat every night" "All we get are potatoes." "Listen, Jan. I have talked with your mother." "She tells me you cause her and your father a lot of grief." "Me?" "Yes." "In their own way your parents want what is best for you." "And they are honest, aren't they?" "True." "Can't you try to be good and honest?" "What must I do?" "Come now, you know that very well." "When you steal or lie, can't you feel that you are doing something bad?" "Well, yeah." "Father, what's that?" "That is a map." "Does it have America on it?" "But of course." "This is America." "And that is the Atlantic Ocean and this is Rotterdam." "I am going to the barber to get my hair done." "And then to the movies." "Do I need an umbrella?" "No." "Remember to walk Fiffie." "If he soils the room, I will smack you." "Bye, sweetie pie." "Mommy will be right back." "You are always off and leave me to babysit the dog." "Are you going with baldie?" "None of your concern." "You promised me five cents if Fiffie didn't soil the room." "I have to rush to the barber." "You will get a nickel when I get back." "No, I'm not coming." "I have to iron the laundry and put up the potatoes." "My mother is out." "I have to babysit Mientje." "She has a bad cough." "Let's just go." "Don't get too close to the hot pot with coals, Mientje." "Screw it." "The cursed barber was closed." "I will have to do my hair myself." "What are you doing?" "Nothing." "Jan Grovers called." "I told you not to talk to that scum." "What do you want?" "Leave us alone!" "You are not to talk with that scum!" "Scum!" "?" "Put the curls on the stove." "I have to get my hair curled." "I won't have you talking to people who send their lazy children out to steal." "Take that!" "I hope your house burns down!" "Help!" "Fire!" "Fire!" "Help!" "Pietje, come here!" "That bastard!" "That crooked rascal set fire to the house." "Fiffie, Fiffie, get off." "No, don't leave!" "Fire!" "Help!" "Help!" "He torched my room and corrupts my Pietje." "He is the plague of the neighborhood." "They should send him to the reformatory." "But I will sue him!" "I won't let my Pietje be corrupted by him." "He belongs in jail!" "Calm down, miss Bongers." "I admit it doesn't look good for Jan. I have several complaints about him." "But it is our duty to ensure that these boys stay out of jail for they might come into contact with bad elements making them even worse." "I completely agree." "It would especially in Jan's case be a shame for there is much good in him." "Miss Bongers, I'm counting on you not to press charges." "We are trying to save these boys." "They wouldn't be like this under different circumstances." "Harshness and poverty destroy much of a child's spirit." "Nice child." "All that matters is giving them a better place." "Guiding them with tact and love and where they can see good." "Talk all you want but I want Jan punished!" "And severe!" "Where is this respectable neighborhood going to!" "?" "The decency isn't merely threatened by these boys, miss Bongers." "What are you looking at me for?" "Are you accusing me?" "Let us confine ourselves to the case." "Father, there might be a way out if you will vouch for the boy." "With your help I could see to it that he is taken in by a reformatory in Brabant." "With guidance he can learn a trade and I'm confident that the brothers will change Jan into a good person." "You know what they do to you there?" "They make you sleep in a coffin with nails and whip you with a studded belt." "They will shave a bald spot on your head and make you a pastor." "They won't hold me." "I am taking off at the first opportunity." "You?" "No way." "They will send the bloodhounds after you if you run away." "There goes our plan to sail to America." "I will run away!" "You!" "?" "Even if I have to smash my head through the wall." "You don't know me." "We will see, Jan." "I will check the railroad car daily to see if you are there." "Monastery..." "You can't tell me your age, Jan?" "No, sir, I can't." "Then we'll just have to ask your father." "He doesn't know either." "You need to ask my mother." "Your mother?" "You can write her a letter and ask her when you were born." "I can't write." "We will soon take care of that." "A lad like you should know how to write." "Write?" "Rubbish." "I don't want to write." "I..." "You will later on." "I know what you will do to me if I refuse!" "Force me into a dark hole, on my knees and with my hands up and then whip me." "No way." "Never!" "What kind of nonsense is that?" "And then you will shave my head bald and put me in one of those dresses." "You wish." "Some nice ideas you have about us." "Brother Severus." "Yes, Father?" "Show Jan his bed in the dormitory." "Jan, I am quite sure you will soon laugh at all those silly things you said." "And I am glad that you want to stay with us." "We hope you do us proud here under Mother of God's protection." "Go now with brother Severus." "Hi, brother Severus." "Hi, my boy." "This is our new friend." "Show him his bed in the dormitory." "Yes, brother Severus." "Nice here, isn't it?" "I don't like it." "This is brother Medadus." "You are the new one, aren't you?" "Yes and you the old one, aren't you?" "Say again?" "This is our dormitory." "The big boys have their own rooms over there." "And the little boys sleep in these beds." "Beds?" "Don't you sleep in coffins with nails?" "Coffins?" "You are crazy." "And look, this is my room." "This is the wrestler Dirk van den Berg, the swimmer Piet Ooms, the cyclist Jaap Eden and the footballer Ralf." "And this is my altar." "Pretty, isn't it?" "I wrapped the crown in tinfoil to make it prettier." "Isn't our Mother of God beautiful?" "My mother is much prettier." "My mother has a hat with feathers on her head." "And a silk dress and a gold brooch on her chest." "And big diamonds on all her fingers." "If this is all you can show me, it isn't much." "We have a lot of rabbit holes." "Real rabbits?" "Wild rabbits, not like the tamed ones you have." "I had a twelve pound rabbit once." "Your wild ones are no match against that." "Is this real copper?" "Yes." "A hare entered our kitchen once and a skylark flew into the dormitory." "And I have a blind nightingale in a cage." "And it can sing..." "We have a nightingale nest in the bush just across." "You are full of it." "I don't buy it." "Humbug and rubbish." "Attention, everyone." "We - are - sit - ting - on - the - bench." "Good." "Now you, Jan." "The - mas - ter - has - a - big mouth!" "I will get you, you little brat!" "Silence!" "What?" "Keep your dirty boots with you!" "Shut it!" "I want to sleep!" "I want to sleep!" "We have to get up early tomorrow." "I want out!" "I want out!" "I want out!" "That boy is a cross to bear." "The stubbornest we have had this far." "And quite backward for his age." "You could even say stupid." "He is a hopeless case." "I don't agree, brother Severus." "He has character." "Character?" "I have watched him well and believe me, he has an original character." "He may be somewhat backward, as you call it, but the Lord cares more for heart than intellect and finds none hopeless." "Anyone can be saved as long as they have some good will inside." "No, it's still not quite right." "Is that you, my boy." "You can come a bit closer." "What ya doin'?" "I am tuning." "The organ pipes, can't you see?" "I am the organ builder." "Organ builder?" "Yes and for quite some time now." "It should get a new inside." "The old one is rather weak on the chest." "Look, that is the vox humana." "And that is the angelica." "And these long ones are the deep bass tones." "And the little ones are the high whistling tones." "That's what they are for." "A connoisseur I see." "You seem to be knowledgeable." "But of course." "A mouth organ." "Very nice." "An organ has an inside just like us humans." "You couldn't sing neither without lungs for breathing,... or vocal cords or a throat." "We make... the bowels of the organ." "Won't you help me?" "No, it's not much of an organ." "It doesn't even have female heads with curly hair on it." "Ours at the fair is nicer." "This one sounds nicer." "All that puppetry and complication." "Just turn the crank on ours and it plays." "I prefer the harmonica." "Jan, you can always come up and see me." "Sure." "See ya." "I have to do slave work in the field." "It will do you good." "Your sister." "Say what!" "?" "You'd better watch it." "Sweat!" "I am sweating to death." "I can't handle this slave work." "Damn mosquitoes!" "Those bitches eat you up alive." "Go and rest a little in the shade behind the fence." "Here, have a cigar." "Against the mosquitoes." "A cigar?" "For me?" "But be back before lunch!" "Brother Severus?" "Yes?" "There are no bloodhounds here, are there?" "Lunch, boys." "Lunch!" "But where is Jan?" "Jan?" "Jan, where are you?" "Get back here!" "Stealing my boat!" "Get back here!" "To Rotterdam." "They first sent the hounds after me." "Big black animals with a red mouth." "I gave them a death kick!" "Then I swam across the channel." "But those bitches couldn't swim." "And did they whip you?" "With the cat o' nine tails." "Each tail had a sting and my back is completely scarred." "And nothing to eat." "And to smoke?" "Nope." "That can't happen in America." "Pastors have little authority there." "I spotted a nice boat with a topsail and an engine while you were away." "Near your grandfather's house." "My grandfather?" "We just need a few gasoline cans and we can be in England in just one day." "England?" "Oh yes, oh yes, my sweet, my lovely." "Shut it." "Or we sail straight to America." "Straight?" "I heard someone crossed it with a rowing boat in the summer." "We will need supplies and canned food." "And some money." "And a map." "We need it in order to know where to steer." "A map?" "Not bad but where can we get one?" "The pastor has a one with islands on it and the entire sea and all the sandbanks." "Say is the pastor home?" "Be careful or they will see us." "Pietje, do you hear that?" "What an organ." "What has gotten into you?" "This is the way to the pastor's house, dummy." "Let's go." "What is that?" "You said no one would be home." "That is Anna." "She won't come up." "She is going home soon." "The pastor is at the evening prayer with the housekeeper." "Come on." "That is the map." "Awesome, isn't it?" "The cat!" "Pietje, tell me when you see something." "What is that?" "Anna, are you still here?" "Yes, Father." "You can go home, Anna." "Miss Theresia will be back soon." "Very well, Father." "He is going to his room." "We can't go through the garden or he will see us." "Great..." "Where are we, anyway?" "Theresia's room, the housekeeper." "Say, would she keep her money in here?" "Let's just leave." "I don't want to get caught up here." "One sec." "Let's go." "We can go through the basement." "Anna is about to leave." "Hang on." "What are you doing?" "Don't you get it, dummy?" "That is for our trip to America." "But that's..." "Theresia's." "Come on, move." "We've got to split." "But..." "She is leaving." "We can go through the window." "She is outside with her lover." "Have you ever heard of a red herring?" "They are gone!" "Say." "What?" "Here, take it, quick!" "Come on, I will show you the boat." "Quite something, isn't it." "Dunno." "What?" "It's too close to my grandfather's house." "Stop worrying, we are going at night." "Tomorrow night is fine." "Let's quickly go to our railroad car to hide the money and all." "My grandfather." "What!" "?" "My hat." "Leave it, come on!" "This hat is..." "If only he hasn't stolen my money, the crook." "Do you think he recognized me?" "In the dark?" "And what if." "You can't go home tonight." "Stay and sleep here." "But let's hide everything first." "And now a couple of bad herring heads on it." "The smell is so strong no one will snoop about." "I am going home and won't let on to my mother." "And you can sleep here." "You keep the money." "If my mother looks in my pants she will find it for sure." "Can you hear that?" "An harmonica." "Har..." "Be here tomorrow night at eight." "But don't let them see you or they will bust you." "Nice music." "Are you listening?" "To the music." "Just like my mother when she is doing the laundry." "I will be here tomorrow night at eight." "But then they won't see me before we set sail." "Are you sixteen!" "?" "You talk like a child." "Oh, my beloved mother..." "No, no..." "It is just that Mientje had a bad cough." "Stop talking and make haste." "We will meet here tomorrow night at eight." "Maybe... here." "Or here..." "No." "Or..." "But where can they be?" "I'll be..." "Wait, in the..." "Not here." "Yes..." "No." "Here..." "And not here." "Those dirty thieves!" "They stole my guilders." "I put them behind the teapot this morning." "Or was that... yesterday?" "No, no." "This morning!" "Then they must be there." "Stolen." "Hands off, the meat is for your father." "You are having potatoes." "Finally." "The rabbits are fed and now it is my turn" "Can't you hear the knocking, Mien?" "Go and open the door." "Hi, Mientje." "Hi all!" "Jan, where are you coming from?" "Did you leave the monastery?" "No, they sent me to town on an errand." "An errand to the city." "I still have to go shopping." "They gave me three guilders." "For a railway ticket and the trip but I came on foot." "I rode with a farmer and helped harvesting the potatoes." "He gave me a couple of guilders and some soup." "Since I have a lot of money left, I bought you all something." "This is for you, Mientje, Sweet candy balls." "And these are yours." "Say "thank you" to Jan." "And now off you go." "Will keep them sweet." "I bought it at the fair as I was passing by." "And for father, a bag of cigars." "Here, father." "These are good ones, not those smelly ones." "Cigars, for me?" "Yes." "And for mother..." "Look mother, three guilders." "Because mother prefers money, don't you." "Such a sweet boy." "And look, mother." "A nice wallet of real leather." "Look." "Say, Jan, what errand did they give you?" "It's like this." "I work at the organ factory" "What kind of factory?" "I am an organ builder." "A magnificent trade!" "You need long pipes for it, made out of lead and tin." "Aluminium is worthless." "Aluminium pipes don't sound nice." "You have to order those at the master plumber." "They sent me because I am knowledgeable." "But the organ isn't an ordinary street organ." "It is a big organ used for the Holy Mass." "And I have to help build it." "Does it pay?" "Organ builder..." "A magnificent trade!" "There aren't even six in the country and each church has its own organ." "They let you help with the organ?" "They take real good care of me." "Everyone has his own room and the food is great." "They play football and I have my own altar next to my bed." "I covered Saint Mary's crown with tinfoil because I am giving her a silver cloak when I get back." "And now I have to go." "In the middle of the night?" "I will have to walk all night to be back in time." "That just won't do." "You have become a man so you must eat well." "Mother, get him a plate." "Sit down, son." "This is for me..." "and this is for you." "My Jan, an organ builder?" "The neighbours will be surprised." "That is the rascal." "I didn't do anything!" "I didn't do it." "Father, help me!" "Silence!" "You can take the scoundrel with you." "The monastery let us know you ran away." "I am not going to jail!" "Let me go!" "He stole my guilders." "I didn't do it." "Father, help me!" "Grandpa, he wouldn't do that to us." "I don't care, that boy is a disgrace." "You have to cut him off." "I saw him walking..." "I don't want to!" "...and lose his hat." "I don't want to go to jail!" "Here, my old hat." "I gave it to him for Saint Nicholas." "Father!" "It is your own fault that you are here." "I'm innocent." "I didn't do a thing." "That is what they all say." "You'd better confess." "Confess to what, I didn't do a thing!" "Have it your way if you wish to be stubborn." "Off to bed." "The lights will soon go out." "I didn't do it!" "I didn't do it!" "I didn't do it!" "I di..." "The lights!" "I didn't do it!" "I want out!" "Hail Mary full of grace." "The Lord is with thee." "Blessed art thou amongst women." "Thou art..." "I will never do it again, I will never steal again." "Holy Mother Mary, make them release me from this prison." "Make them release me." "Hail Mary full of grace." "The Lord is with thee." "Blessed art thou amongst women." "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb..." "I see." "So you wish to visit your son Jan?" "If you please, director." "They came for him last night." "He said he was innocent, but that much money..." "My husband said:" "Mother, go see him and get him to tell the truth." "I am not in favor of visits." "Parents are usually to blame when their kids are no good." "I agree, but my husband has beaten him every single night." "If I were to talk to him, he might tell me the truth." "A mother crying just upsets the boys." "No, sir, I..." "I won't cry." "Please, sir." "Just for a moment." "Very well then." "Hello, my boy." "How are you?" "Fine." "We were shocked when they came for you last night." "We miss you so much." "And your sisters keep asking:" "Mother, when is Jan coming back?" "And your father [...inaudible...]" "Then why doesn't father visit me?" "Is he still mad at me?" "No." "He just doesn't want to see you behind bars." "You can also stay away if you think I stole it." "Why won't you tell me the truth?" "I am telling the truth!" "Your father wrote you a letter." "Won't you take it?" "What for?" "Then I will just leave it on your bed." "You can read it when you are in a better mood." "Here, Jan, I brought you some chocolate." "I hid it under my apron since it wasn't allowed." "Here, Jan, take it." "Chocolate keeps me wide awake." "Use it to keep your bellies full." "You are also hungry." "I will fry you some nice flatfish when you get back home." "Just go home!" "Grandfather can have those fried flatfish." "Time's up." "Already?" "Can't I stay a little longer?" "Hurry up, you have already stayed too long." "I keep to the rules." "Mom!" "Once a thief, always a thief." "Just don't think about it." "My wife took my letter to the house of correction this morning." "I wrote to him very harshly that he should confess to the truth." "Cut him off is what I say." "We never lead him astray." "I didn't and neither did his grandfather." "We never dealt with the police." "Did you write him all that?" "Well, I can't remember exactly, but but I wrote at the very top:" "To Jan Grovers." "And I wrote him... that everything his father said came true." "That is what I always said." "Shall we have another one?" "The same." "I wrote to him that it was his own fault." "And at the very end:" "Be honest." "Yours sincerely, thy father." "That way he knows who sent him the letter." "Magnificent." "Cheers." "Cheers." "When I lie awake at night, I can see my Jan surrounded by thieves and murderers." "How could a son do that to his father?" "Father... it is a disaster." "What is that for?" "Another drink." "All my shiny guilders stolen, by my own grandson." "But I will cut him off!" "Jannes, write down our tab for my son." "He will pay you next Saturday." "That boy is a disaster." "And to think his name is Johannes Godefridus Bernardus." "After me!" "Johannes Godefridus Bernardus." "After me!" "One... two three... four..." "What the heck, the clock has stopped." "My guilders..." "Well, I'll be damned!" "Then the boy is innocent." "Jan will be here shortly." "It is fortunate that his grandfather found his money." "Quite dumb, to hide his money in the clock and then to forget where he put it." "Director, Grovers is here." "Send him in." "Praise the Lord you are innocent, my boy." "And now straight home for a nice meal." "We can discuss it further then." "I am not going." "That Theresia will just whine about her muddled carpet." "Put her in a monastery!" "They ought to put her in a coffin with nails and send the bloodhounds after her." "But what are you saying, Jan!" "?" "It's true." "I had to sleep in a coffin." "Jan, I had hoped you would always tell me the truth." "It's true!" "What is?" "Theresia is a bitch!" "Ask Anna how she bullies her just because she was in jail." "Anna's the only one who cares for others." "She always gave me currants buns." "Believe me, superintendent." "Three months in prison." "Jailed for ninety days and nights gets to you." "You can't get rid of it that easily." "They aren't gloves you can just take off." "Yes..." "May I finish!" "?" "I can assure you that I always expected mischief." "To defile the pastor's sacred house..." "What is the meaning of this?" "Hold on, my boy." "What is going on in this "sacred house"?" "Father, I have often said that human nature is subject to certain laws." "Bad tendencies can't be changed in a whim." "They are... not like a pair of gloves you take off." "I know that by now." "Why is police here?" "Father?" "Yes, Anna?" "They're saying I stole Miss Theresia's trinkets." "Trinkets?" "The jewelry I inherited from my aunt." "And she took the household money also." "But, Father..." "I know nothing of this theft." "I'm innocent, I swear!" "I believe you, Anna." "Father, the case is quite clear and leaves no room for discussion." "It happened last night." "You were in the chapel while the lady was having worries, correct?" "I was having worries." "With the boning in my corset as a matter of fact." "Is your corset also proof now?" "It must be a mistake, Theresia." "Mistake?" "I found a chain with a medallion here in the kitchen." "Here, in the pocket of her apron." "Here you go." "I didn't do it, Father." "Honestly!" "Good Lord, will you stop crying!" "Look at me." "Do you know more of this, yes or no?" "No!" "Then someone else committed the theft." "But Father, it is as clear as crystal." "She broke into the dresser, put the money and jewelry in her apron's pockets and went to the kitchen." "There she emptied her apron, but forgot the chain." "Miss, will you come with us to the station." "Hey Pietje, come here, come here!" "I say..." "I thought they had locked you up." "Why did you even go home last night?" "Anna is..." "Anna?" "The pastor's Anna." "She got some ten lashes in the kitchen." "They took her to jail in a police van." "Problem solved then." "I took the jewels 'cause I thought you weren't coming." "Let's make haste!" "The boat is nearby." "No, Pietje!" "Anna is in prison." "If we don't hurry, we will never reach America." "Should Anna go to jail for this?" "Will you admit to the theft?" "I don't want Anna to go to jail." "She is to be married in September." "Do you want to end up in jail?" "No." "I am not going back to jail." "Then let's go." "Come on." "No!" "I will tell them Anna didn't do it." "Then they will get us both!" "You're mad." "I won't go to the house of correction." "Better than jail." "Don't bring misfortune upon yourself, you idiot." "Jan!" "Even if she was in jail ten times, should we deprive the poor creature of her one chance to decency?" "Decency..." "As decent as that rascal Jan." "You barely got him out of jail and the scoundrel ran right off." "Your kindness has indeed been rewarded." "As for Anna..." "She didn't even clean properly today." "Now I have to do the maid's job." "Will you excuse me, Father." "Where is the pastor?" "Father?" "Jan?" "Father!" "Anna didn't..." "Yes?" "Anna is..." "What about Anna?" "Anna didn't do it!" "Anna isn't..." "What!" "?" "Pietje Puk and I stole it." "What is that, my boy?" "Is it really true?" "Yes, Father." "Anna is innocent." "My opinion of Jan is simply this:" "He has never lied to me and I am convinced that he is telling the truth." "He has quite an imagination but that isn't necessarily a bad trait." "For those with imagination, two roads lie open." "That of good and that of evil." "The road to heaven and the road to hell." "I always knew divine providence would put him at a crossroad." "And he took the right road." "He took the blame and didn't want someone else, my maid Anna, to be innocently jailed." "I thank you, Father." "You may step down." "Jan Grovers." "Rise, the president is talking to you." "Rise." "Didn't you hear me speaking to you?" "No, sir, I..." "I didn't hear a thing." "But Jan, what were you thinking of?" "If brother Nardus has finished his organ." "What organ?" "What organ?" "Not a simple organ as the one at the fair but a big one for the Holy Mass." "It has an inside just like people have." "With lungs and vocal cords." "Because without it a person can't sing or whistle." "Order." "Order!" "A restraining order for them?" "No, no." "Now look, Jan." "You confessed to the theft, didn't you?" "Indeed I have, my lord." "But I will never do it again." "It is about time you felt regret." "Yes, yes, yes..." "Gotcha!" "What are you doing?" "Catching a fly." "Order!" "You must be serious and pay more attention." "Yes." "Do you realize you can go to jail for what you did?" "I do, my lord." "Take a seat." "We will now proceed with the main witness, the psychiatrist." "That's fine by me." "Order!" "Professor Doctor Moltenius." "Be so kind as to bring these two animals with you." "I need them for my statement." "Say, am I still on for today?" "Beats me." "It's the shrink's turn now." "Jan Grovers is without question a prolonged case of degeneration, accentuated by a most unfavorable environment." "To show to you the influence of the environment I took the liberty of bringing two laboratory animals." "I gave one mouse the most favorable living conditions for an entire year." "The other mouse, however, the most unfavorable." "It was malnourished and locked up in a dark cupboard." "I can prove that the second animal, due to its poor living conditions, the inferior environment, is mentally at a lower level than the first animal." "I will open their skulls once the experiment has been concluded." "Let us take Jan Grovers." "Due to his poor social conditions he stayed backward and is thus unaccountable for his actions." "In my opinion, this case belongs not here but in a reformatory." "I thank you, Professor." "It is now the prosecutor's turn." "Honorable Lord President of the Court." "The accused Pietje Puk is clearly guilty as is shown by finding the jewels on him." "Jan Grovers' statement is true but I find him, unlike the psychiatrist, fully accountable." "Laws are meant to be obeyed!" "But there are mitigating circumstances in Jan Grovers' case since he turned himself in as an accomplice." "I thank you." "Master Vermeer." "Honorable Lord President of the Court." "I shan't present Grovers better than he is." "He is an accomplice to theft." "But my lords, just consider how little real happiness this boy has known and have a secure life." "My lords, send the boy outside, to a reformatory in God's open country." "Give him the opportunity to become human and to forever stay out of prison." "My lords, do not destroy a youthful life and be lenient in your judgment." "Jan, it is time we said our goodbyes." "Father, could I ask you something?" "What have you been up to?" "Well..." "Do you remember the mice in the court?" "Yes." "Couldn't you take care of them?" "He wanted to cut them open but they are such nice animals." "Aren't the mice in the professor's lab?" "No, they are here." "I stole them." "You take them, Father." "It is for sure the last time I will steal." "And Father, many thanks." "Can you hear that?" "It is Brother Nardus."