Ferdinand, een jonge net afgestudeerde jurist, keert na een reis van twee jaar in Italië terug naar Amsterdam waar zijn ouders wonen. Op de terugweg in Nederland maakt hij vele verwikkelingen mee.

Pirates, highwaymen and damsels in distress inhabit this Romantic-age view of the Dutch Republic on the threshold of the Age of Reason. Written in an elegant, fluent style and full of cliffhangers, this is the Romantic story of a young man's difficulties in winning the heart of his beloved, Mejuffrouw Henriette Blaek, as he gets increasingly caught up in a web of conspiracies and misunderstandings. Third time I read this humorous adventure novel from 1840, which has much more to offer than just the notorious "Bekkesnijder" in the tavern at Soest. ( )