er Welcke, leaning forward over his handle-bar,
pedalling like mad.

Then she felt happy, because he was merry, like a child....

Emilie had been married a day or two, when Addie said, at dinner:

"I went for a walk with Henri van Naghel and his friend Kees Hijdrecht."

"But, Addie," said Constance, who was very irritable that day, "why are
you always with those boys? Do they really care for going out with you?
Why not go to Aunt Adolphine's boys instead? They are your own age."

"Well, I can understand that Addie prefers Henri," Van der Welcke let
fall, unfortunately.

"Why?" she asked, immediately up in arms.

He wished to avoid a dispute--he was sometimes more reasonable than
she--and he merely said:

"Well, they're rather rough."

"It would be a miracle," she at once began to cavil, "if you ever saw
anything good in the Van Saetzemas' house."

He looked at her with wide eyes, his fine, young, blue eyes:

"But, Constance...."

"Yes, you're always crabbing Adolphine, her husband, her house, her
children...."

"But, Constance, I never mention them...."

"That's not true!"

"I assure you!"

"That is not true, I tell you! Only the other day, you said the house
was vulgar; two days ago, you said Van Saetzema looked like a
farm-labourer."

"But you yourself said, at Emilie's wedding...."

"It's not true: I said nothing. I tell you, once and for all, I won't
have you always crabbing one of my sisters and her household. This time,
it is the boys who are rather rough...."

"Oh, perhaps you want to see Addie like them?"

"I think it ridiculous for Addie to be always going about with
undergraduates. The Van Saetzema boys are very nice and of his own age."

"And I think them three unmannerly young black-guards."

"Henri, I forbid you from this time forward to comment on my family in
my presence!"

"Look here, you give your orders to your servants, not to me!"

"I won't have it, I tell you...."

But he flung down his napkin, rose from his seat, left the room
suddenly, in a passion. Addie sat quietly looking before him, playing
with his fork.

"Papa has very bad manners! To go throwing down his napkin, slamming the
door, like a schoolboy!" she said, fretfully, involuntarily, as though
to annoy Addie. But he frowned and said nothing; and she went on, "At
least, in my father's house I was never accustomed to such rudeness!"

Suddenly, he clenched his little fist and banged it on the table till
the