That evening, after dinner, Van der Welcke, Constance and Addie went to Mrs. van Lowe’s, where they found Dorine, who wanted to meet her brother-in-law.
“I was thinking of you to-day,” she said. “I had a lot of errands to do, for Bertha; and so, as I was going through the town, I thought to myself, ‘I’ll go on to Duinoord and see if there are many houses to let.’ I’m simply worn out!”
“But Dorine, how sweet of you!” said Constance.
Van der Welcke too was surprised:
“That’s really extremely kind of you, my new sister!”
“Here is a list I made, with the rent, in most cases.”
“Only, Dorine, Duinoord is so far from Mamma.”
“Yes; but, Connie,” said Mamma, “you can’t get anything in this neighbourhood for eight hundred guilders.”
“What’s the use of living at the Hague,” said Constance, impatiently, “and being an hour away from you? I want to live near you.”
“Well, we shall see,” Van der Welcke ventured to put in.
“See, see, see!” said Constance, angrily. “I
