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62 “Does she?” asked Constance. “But she has to consider the cost of things, hasn’t she?”

“I have only two dress-es every year; but those are re-ally good.”

“And will Van der Welcke be here soon?” asked Karel.

“On Tuesday. Then we shall look round for a house. I do think it so delightful to be back at the Hague, among all of you. I see Mamma every day. Yesterday, I was at Bertha’s: a busy household, isn’t it? I came plump into the middle of all sorts of rehearsals, for the wedding. And I was at Gerrit’s: Adeline is a dear; and oh, how I laughed, how I laughed! What a lot of children! I can’t tell them one from the other yet. But how charming and delightful, that fair-haired little woman, with that fair-haired little troop; and she’s expecting another baby this summer! And Dorine is nice too. . . . Oh, you don’t know, you don’t know how glad I am to see you all! We are a big family and life at the Hague is so busy. . . . Look at Bertha. . . . And Gerrit and Adeline too are busy with their little troop. . . . But I do hope to take my place among you all again. It is so long since I saw you all! Ah, I didn’t want to force things! Mamma did come to see me twice in Brussels. But my brothers and sisters. . . No, it wasn’t kind of you! But I daresay it had to be! Things were as they were! You couldn’t very well respect me, you had to disown me, it couldn’t be helped! . . . I suffered tortures, all those years! I never had