Mamma is not fit to attend to her affairs, her money is in the hands of our solicitor at the Hague; and he controls it for her."
"And the income . . .?"
"It's invested. We get none of Mamma's money. Surely you knew that?"
"No, I didn't."
"The books can be seen at the solicitor's by any of the brothers and sisters."
"Why do you do that?"
"Because we don't want to touch Mamma's money."
"But why not? She's living with you!"
"We want to avoid unpleasantness with any of the brothers or sisters."
"But which of us would create any unpleasantness?" asked Adolphine, very humbly.
"By our way . . . there's no question of any unpleasantness."
"Yes," said Adolphine. "Still, I thought . . ."
"That we received all the interest on Mamma's money?"
"Yes. The money's lying there quite useless."
"There will be all the more for her grandchildren later on."
"Yes," said Adolphine, greatly surprised, remembering her long conversations during those many years with Saetzema, Karel and Cateau . . . because Van der Welcke and Constance at Driebergen were quietly taking Mamma's money for themselves. "I wonder the solicitor never told us!"
"I thought you knew all about it."
"No," said Adolphine, humbly, and did not add that the solicitor had once told Karel, but that they had all refused to believe it. "So Mamma . . . is really living at your expense!"
