Page:Small Souls (1919).djvu/132

124 Constance for the first time appeared to realize that Addie must seem a little queer to her mother:

“Oh, he’s always like that!” she said. “He helps us. He’s a man. Aren’t you, my man? . . .”

He now went up to her and kissed her, to please her:

“So you see, I must find Papa before seven o’clock, or he’ll be angry,” he said, keeping to the point.

“Well, shall we go round to the Witte together?” asked Paul.

“Oh, Uncle, that would be awfully good of you!”

“But I can’t take you in, old chap!”

“No, Uncle, I’ll wait outside, if you’ll just look for Papa and tell him I want to speak to him.”

“About a house you’ve taken for him!”

“No, don’t be silly, Uncle.”

“Good-bye, Constance; good-bye, Mamma: I’m going with my Nephew Addie. . . to the Witte!”

And Paul stood up, choking with laughter, while Addie, afraid of missing his father, urged him to hurry.

“But, my dear,” asked Mrs. van Lowe, “does your boy always take the law into his own hands like that?”

“Oh, Mamma, he is such a help to us!”

“But what a way to bring him up! That’s not a boy of thirteen!”

“He is a very uncommon child. Where should we be if he didn’t help us.”

“So you think Van der Welcke will take the house near the Woods?”