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158 She hesitated to tell him, dreading his temper, went cautiously up the stairs, past the open doors of the lighted rooms.

Henri caught a glimpse of the dinner-table, through the flowers, and of three of the guests talking and laughing, lightly and pleasantly, in their well-bred, expressionless voices.

And then he found his two sisters in Marianne's room. As soon as Emilie saw him, she threw herself into his arms:

"Henri!"

"Sissy, what is it?"

She told him, briefly.

"The cad!" he cried. "The cad! Has he hit you? I'll . . . I'll . . ."

He wanted to rush downstairs; they held him back:

"Henri, for goodness' sake," Louise entreated, "remember there are people here!"

"Don't you all want your dinner?" asked Karel, at the door. "We're starving."

They went to the nursery, as it had been called for years, and sat down to table.

"I'm not hungry now," said Emilie.

"I don't want anything either," said Henri. "I'm calmer now . . . and I'm going downstairs."

They held him back again. And the time dragged on. Ottelientje and Huig were put to bed; Karel went to do his home-work; Marietje hung