door in Holland. The cook goes to market in the morning. . . .”
“And does she just buy ev-erything?”
“She buys enough for a couple of days: vegetables and eggs and whatever she wants.”
“Do you leave that to the cook?”
“Oh, yes! Imagine if I didn’t!” laughed Constance. “She simply couldn’t understand it! I used only to give her a few instructions.”
“Well, I must say that I don’t think that at all a prop-er way of house-keeping! . . . Do you, Kar-el?”
“It’s the way of the country,” growled Karel, under his breath. “Were you thinking of looking for a house in one of the new districts, Duinoord, for instance?”
“I’d rather not be so far from all of you.”
“Dear Con-stance!” laughed Cateau, with her round face. “But we all live more or less far from one ano-ther!”
There was a knock at the door: the porter showed Adolphine in.
“Ah, Adolphine! How nice of you to come, all the more as we are to meet at Mamma’s this evening. You’re a good sister.” And she kissed Adolphine. “This is my boy. I brought him to see you the other day, but you were out.”
“How d’ye do, Aunt?” said Addie, stiffly.
“Forgive the muddle, Adolphine. I was just unpacking my trunks.”
“We ought re-ally to be go-ing on, Ka-rel.”
