Het meisje uit de bloemenvelden

Summary

Kaatje, the daughter of the miller Schoonejans, and Jef, a little shepherd, who live near Delft, are happy together.

In a floral parade, the carriage the two children have decorated with tulips wins the first prize. The next day, during a thunderstorm, lightning destroys the mill and kills Schoonejans. A life of misery starts for his widow and daughter. Remembering how the theatre manager Boolmans had applauded the dancing of Kaatje and Jef at the floral parade, the widow takes her daughter to Amsterdam, where Boolmans engages Kaatje.

The years pass, and Kate has become a famous dancer. Jef has not forgotten his childhood friend, but when he walks to Amsterdam to see her, he discovers that she will no longer recognize him. Kate accepts the invitation of Voorhees, an aeronaut, to take a trip with him in his balloon. A storm comes up and the balloon explodes. Kate survives the crash, but she is now irrevocably blind.

Abandoned by all her former city admirers, Kate returns to Delft, happy to find that in Jef she has a faithful friend who loves her and wishes to marry her. "Have you forgiven me, Jef?", she asks, turning her sightless eyes upon him, as if trying to read his face. Jef puts his arms about her and kisses her. "Forgive you? Why, I love you, dear."