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148 “Yellow, rather,” said Van Saetzema.

“Ye-es,” droned Cateau. “Now your Floortje, Saet-ze-ma, looks so sweet in white. And what a nice fellow Dij-kerhof is! Such a thorough man. But how pale Ber-tha looks!”

“Green, rather,” said Van der Welcke, very seriously.

Cateau looked up, with her owl’s eyes:

“Green?” she repeated, cautiously. “Do you re-ally think Ber-tha looks green, Van der Wel-cke? Yes, she is tired, no doubt.”

“To-morrow,” thought Van der Welcke, “all the Hague will know that I thought Bertha looked green. . . .”

A tableau was discovered in the distance. The idea was Paul’s and he explained it to Constance:

“You see, it represents Luxury. The great wheel crushing down upon Marietje and Carolientje is Industry; and Floortje is Luxury, standing in a dancing attitude on Industry and scattering gold and ropes of pearls at twopence a rope. It’s not quite clear, perhaps, Luxury standing upon Industry and crushing Marianne and Carolientje. Floortje is fidgeting and giggling. Oh, I must tell you, Adolphine was delighted when she heard that Floortje, her Floortje, was to be Luxury and to crush Bertha’s Marianne!”

Constance, surrounded by all her family, was in a gentle, happy mood:

“Oh, Paul, it’s a very nice, motherly feeling on