The
Height Of His Ambition Would Be To Go To England With Me.
An old 'bastaard' woman, married to the Malay tailor here,
explained to me my popularity with the coloured people, as set
forth by 'dat Malay boy', my driver.
He told them he was sure I
was a 'very great Missis', because of my 'plenty good behaviour';
that I spoke to him just as to a white gentleman, and did not
'laugh and talk nonsense talk'. 'Never say "Here, you black
fellow", dat Misses.' The English, when they mean to be good-
natured, are generally offensively familiar, and 'talk nonsense
talk', i.e. imitate the Dutch English of the Malays and blacks; the
latter feel it the greatest compliment to be treated au serieux,
and spoken to in good English. Choslullah's theory was that I must
be related to the Queen, in consequence of my not 'knowing bad
behaviour'. The Malays, who are intelligent and proud, of course
feel the annoyance of vulgar familiarity more than the blacks, who
are rather awe-struck by civility, though they like and admire it.
Mrs. D- tells me that the coloured servant-girls, with all their
faults, are immaculately honest in these parts; and, indeed, as
every door and window is always left open, even when every soul is
out, and nothing locked up, there must be no thieves. Captain D-
told me he had been in remote Dutch farmhouses, where rouleaux of
gold were ranged under the thatch on the top of the low wall, the
doors being always left open; and everywhere the Dutch boers keep
their money by them, in coin.
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