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58 “Well, Adolph-ine said that she’d be sure to go to Court again.”

“I think that’s wrong of Constance,” said the old lady, sharply, inquisitively, eager for a bit of scandal. “And Bertha’s Emilie is soon to be married.”

“Ye-es. And Adolph-ine’s Floor-tje too.”

“I hear Emilie is to have a splendid trousseau,” said the old lady. “Floortje’s will be much less grand, I suppose?”

“Not so fine,” drawled Cateau. “But still ve-ry nice. What terrible wea-ther, me-vrouw! . . . Come, Ka-rel, we must be go-ing on. . . .”

In the brougham again. Next visit to Mr. and Mrs. IJkstra, cousins of Cateau, who was born an IJkstra:

“How d’ye do, Pie-ie-iet? How d’ye do, Anna?”

“How d’ye do, Cateau? How d’ye do, Karel? So Constance is back?”

“Yes. What do you thi-i-i-ink of it? And they all say ev-erywhere, that she is go-ing to Court.”

“Oh!”

“Nonsense!”

“Yes, Adolph-ine said so. . . and so did Mrs. van Frie-sesteijn.”

“How mad of Mrs. van der Welcke, with that past of hers!”

“Perhaps it’s her husband who wants to go.”

“Oh, no doubt it’s her husband.”

“And how does she look?”