Chapter XII
Around Amsterdam: South and South-East
Dutch railways--Amsterdam as a centre--Town
and country--Milking time--Scotch scenery in
Holland--Hilversum--Laren--Anton Mauve--Buckwheat Sunday--Dress
in Holland--Naarden's hour of agony--The indomitable
Dutch--_Through Noord-Holland_ again--Muiderberg--Muiden's
Castle.
The Dutch have several things to learn from the English; and there are
certain lessons which we might acquire from them. To them we might
impart the uses of the salt-spoon, and ask in return the secret of
punctuality on the railways.
The Dutch railways are admirable. The trains come in to the minute and
go out to the minute. The officials are intelligent and polite. The
carriages are good. Every station has its waiting-room, where you
may sit and read, and drink a cup of coffee that is not only hot and
fresh but is recognisably the product of the berry. It is impossible to
travel in the wrong train. It is very difficult not to get out at the
right station. The fares are very reasonable. The stationmasters are
the only visible and tangible members of the Dutch aristocracy. The
disposition of one's luggage is very simple when once it has been
mastered. The time tables are models of clarity.
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