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66 in Holland. The cook goes to market in the morning. . . .”

“And does she just buy ev-erything?”

“She buys enough for a couple of days: vegetables and eggs and whatever she wants.”

“Do you leave that to the cook?”

“Oh, yes! Imagine if I didn’t!” laughed Constance. “She simply couldn’t understand it! I used only to give her a few instructions.”

“Well, I must say that I don’t think that at all a prop-er way of house-keeping! . . . Do you, Kar-el?”

“It’s the way of the country,” growled Karel, under his breath. “Were you thinking of looking for a house in one of the new districts, Duinoord, for instance?”

“I’d rather not be so far from all of you.”

“Dear Con-stance!” laughed Cateau, with her round face. “But we all live more or less far from one ano-ther!”

There was a knock at the door: the porter showed Adolphine in.

“Ah, Adolphine! How nice of you to come, all the more as we are to meet at Mamma’s this evening. You’re a good sister.” And she kissed Adolphine. “This is my boy. I brought him to see you the other day, but you were out.”

“How d’ye do, Aunt?” said Addie, stiffly.

“Forgive the muddle, Adolphine. I was just unpacking my trunks.”

“We ought re-ally to be go-ing on, Ka-rel.”