Part 41 (1/2)
”No; but when Van der Welcke has to arrange a thing...!”
”It was that young bounder who arranged things.”
”Addie?”
”Of course.”
”Oh, so that young bounder arranged things!”
”Look here, what are we to say to Mamma?”
”Well, I don't intend to mention it. For that matter, I know nothing.”
”Nor I. The women had better do it.”
”But they're too much upset.”
”The best thing will be not to say anything.”
”Yes, it's best not to say anything to Mamma.”
”Lord, what a day!... And to have to ride for an hour in this weather at a foot's pace ... behind the body of an undergraduate who has been sent down from Leiden and must needs run away to Paris with his sister and become a circus-clown....”
”And go getting murdered into the bargain! But we mustn't tell anybody that. No, no, we won't speak about it. We'll merely say that he was taken ill. After all, it's a rotten incident ... for us.”
”Yes, it's very rotten for us.”
”Lord, Lord, how people will jabber!”
”Of course they will.”
”Of course they will.”
”If things con-tin-ue like _this_ ... _I_ shall leave the _Hague_,” said Karel. ”Ca-teau said so _too_.”
He copied his wife's voice: he always copied her voice, unconsciously, when he talked about her.
”Are we nearly there?”
”No such luck!”
”Lord, what a day!...”
”How people will talk!...”
The carriage containing Constance had driven on ahead of the procession.
Emilie leant against her, feebly and listlessly, without speaking or hearing. When they approached the Kerkhoflaan, Emilie said:
”Auntie ... it's just stupid chance....”
”What, dear?”