u unpack?"

"Mevrouw, I can't understand what the young mevrouw's _baboe_[10]
says...."

"_Mau apa_,[11] Alima?"

"_Njonja moeda_[12] asks if _njonja besar_[13] would mind coming
upstairs," said the _baboe_, in Malay.

"Yes, I'll come at once."

"What are you all doing here?" asked Marietje, at the door. "Mamma, has
Emilie's dress come? May I see?"

"If you please, mevrouw, the old mevrouw and Mrs. van der Welcke are
downstairs.... Shall I ask them to wait in the drawing-room?"

"Granny!" shouted Frans over the balusters.

"Half a moment!" said Henri, rushing down the stairs. "I'll fetch Granny
and Auntie."

Marianne began sobbing again:

"My dear child, what's the matter now?" exclaimed Bertha.

"I'm going mad!" cried Marianne.

Emilie kissed her.

Old Mrs. van Lowe came slowly up the stairs, gallantly escorted by her
grandson, and was met on the landing by her other grandson.

"Granny, Emilie's wedding-dress has come and she's going to try it on!"
cried Marietje, excitedly.

"Am I in the way?" asked Constance.

"No, of course not, Constance," said Bertha.

"Come in."

All the doors of the boudoir and bedroom were open. Louise came in--she
usually kept out of the way at busy times--and, together with Bertha and
the lady's maid, shook out the white dress, which straightway filled the
whole room with a snowy whiteness....

"What is it, _baboe_?" asked Mrs. van Lowe. "_Njonja moeda_ asks if
_njonja besar_ would come upstairs," repeated the _baboe_. "But perhaps
if the _kandjeng njonja besar_[14] could come...." she added, piling on
the titles out of respect for the old lady, who had once been the
_njonja besar Bogor_.[15]

"Then I'll go up," said the old lady. "Constance, will you come too?..."

Very slowly, a little tired after the stairs, the old lady climbed up,
with her hand on the baluster-rail. Constance followed her. On the top
floor, there was a sudden draught; doors slammed.

"_Baboe_.... Is there a window open?"

The _baboe_ ran about stupidly, unfamiliar as yet with Dutch doors and
windows.

In a sitting-room, they found Frances, Otto's wife, with the two
children.

"But, Frances, you've got a window open!"

"Oh, Grandmamma, I was suffocating!"

"_Baboe_, shut the window at once! Frances, how could you!"

"I can't, _kandjeng_!" sighed the _baboe_, pressing with the strength of
a gnat on the bars of the solid Dutch window.

Constance helped her, pushed down the window.