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Rh "Who can tell what they are doing, Bertha? Who can tell what goes on inside them?"

"No, they are not struggling."

"Who can tell?"

"No, no . . . Constance, it is just as well that we are going to Baarn."

They heard voices in the drawing-room, loud voices, with an Indian accent. The Ruyvenaers were going:

"Good-bye, Ber-r-rtha," said Aunt Lot, looking through the door. "We're going, Ber-r-rtha."

Constance and Bertha went back to the drawing-room. Bertha forgot to wipe the tears from her eyes, kissed Aunt Lot. Adolphine and Cateau came up to Bertha:

"Ber-tha," whined Cateau; and this time she whined with a vengeance. "We just want-ed to say a word to you. Emilie-tje must not get a di-vorce."

"No," said Adolphine, "if she goes and gets a divorce, the family will become impossible. It'll create a scandal, if they are divorced."

"Ye-es," Cateau droned aloud, "it would be a scan-dal, Ber-tha. Don't you think so too, Constance?"

"There's no question of it . . . for the moment," said Constance. "Emilie has gone abroad for a bit with Henri; and the change is sure to do her good and make her a little calmer."

"Oh? . . . Has she gone a-broad?"