, The Silver Skates 199

Father was only nineteen years ‘old then (it was in 1807, I be-
lieve) ; but he remembers it perfectly. A friend of his, Pro-
fessor Luzac, was among the killed. They have a tablet
erected to his memory in St. Peter’s Church, further on, —
the queerest thing you ever saw, with an image of the professor
carved upon it, representing him just as he looked when he was
found after the explosion.”

“What a strange idea! Isn’t Boerhaave’s monument in St.
Peter's also?”

“JT cannot remember. Perhaps Peter knows.”

The captain delighted Ben by saying that the monument
was there, and that he thought they might be able to see it
during the day.

“ Lambert,” continued Peter, ‘ask Ben if he saw Van der
Werf’s portrait at the Town Hall last night ?”

“No,” said Lambert, “I can answer for him. It was too
late to go in. I say, boys, it is really wonderful how much
Ben knows. Why, he has told me a volume of Dutch history
already. I’Il wager he has the siege of Leyden at his tongue’s
end.”

“ His tongue must burn, then,

29

interposed Ludwig; “ for,
if Bilderdyk’s account is true, it was a pretty hot affair.”

Ben was looking at them with an inquiring smile.

““We are speaking of the siege of Leyden,” explained
Lambert.

“© Oh, yes!” said Ben, eagerly : “I had forgotten all about
it. This was the very place. Let’s give old Van der Werf
three cheers. Hur—”

Van Mounen uttered a hasty “ Hush!” and explained that,
patriotic as the Dutch were, the police would soon have some-
thing to say, if a party of boys cheered in the street at midday.