IN THE EAST INDIES. _139 
ever. Katherina is still dressmaking, poor woman, 
and has made my blue silk very pretty, but by no 
means a raving beauty. However I am satisfied with 
it and she has finished it off very neatly inside. 
You ask me to tell you about my personal self. I 
was never in better health in my life. My silk waists 
have held out beautifully. I have worn only two 
since November Ist. Katherina said yesterday that 
she thought she must keep one and take it back to 
_ you; they are orange with sunburn, oil of citronella, 
which we use for mosquitoes when in the woods, per- 
spiration and constant washings, but for this climate 
and country they are plenty good enough. When I 
go back to Singapore I intend to beginontwonew ones. 
My shoes, I may say that I have worn only one pair 
and they are so comfortable and look like new. Ah 
Woo, our Chinese servant, takes the greatest pride in 
keeping them as white as snow. My hair, well, it is 
as thick as ever and plenty of new hair coming in. I 
simply cannot curl it as the heat takes the curl out 
immediately; so I go straight-haired. 
We are having a great time here and have been 
taken into the pleasantest Dutch society in Java. 
T shall tell you about it. Tom knows a most charming 
old Dutchman, curator of the museum here, who has 
been most kind to us. His name is Pieter Ouwens. He 
has introduced us right and left; he has put us up at 
the club and has shown us all Buitenzorg. He is about 
sixty-five years of age and comes from a very old 
Dutch family, which has been traced back to the 
thirteenth century. He showed us an old family rec- 
ord book, and also a book of heraldry, which indicated 
that for generations the kings and queens of Holland 
