," said Adolphine, whispering because of Marietje.

"She can't hear, she's play-ing. Oh, re-ally! And what next?"

"Well, I think, if Constance wants to see people in that sort of way,
she could have done so just as well in Brussels. She's supposed to have
come here for the family."

"But she doesn't _ask_ the fam-ily. Oh, you mustn't count _us_,
Phi-i-ine. We al-ways live ve-ry qui-etly. It's Ka-rel, you see."

"But I feel sure now that she means to get presented at Court."

"Yes, by Vrees-wijck, no doubt. Will he present her to the _Queen?_"
asked Cateau, rounding her owl's eyes.

"Oh, no!" said Adolphine, irritably. "But they mean to push themselves
with his assistance."

"Oh, is _that_ the way it's done? You see, _we_ know no-thing about the
_Court_. You wouldn't get Ka-rel to go to _Court_ for any-thing! Not if
you _paid_ him! But _now_ it's _quite_ cert-ain."

"Yes, I'm convinced of it now."

"About the _Court?_"

"Yes."

"Oh! Well, I al-ways thought that Con-stance would have too much _tact_
for _that_. And may I have a look at Floortje's trous-seau now,
Adolph-ine? She'll be mar-ried _quite_ soon now, _won't_ she? In a week?
Ah! And I al-ways think it so _nice_ to be mar-ried in _May_, don't
_you_, Adolph-ine?"

The two sisters' voices whined and snarled, the stairs creaked, the
doors slammed. Ta-ta, ta-ta, ta-ta, ta-ta, went the scales. Whew, boo,
whew! went the wind, roaring down the sooty chimney. Cr-r-rack!
Cr-r-rack! went the gouty flagstaff. "Strawberrees!... Fine
strawberrees!" shouted the costermonger outside. Ting! went Marietje's
obstinate false note.

The girl looked up through the window.

"Those poor trees!" thought Marietje. "Oh, those poor leaves!..."

CHAPTER XXIII

Adolphine enjoyed showing Cateau Floortje's trousseau, with its stacks
of linen. Adolphine attached more importance to her own house, her own
children, her own furniture, her own affairs, matters and things than to
anything else in the world. She was never tired of displaying, for the
extorted admiration of the sister or friend who came to visit her, the
thickness of her carpets, the heaviness of her curtains, the taste with
which she had arranged the ornaments in her drawing-room; and she
praised all that belonged to her, cried it up as though for a sale,
inviting the appreciation of her sister or friend. In her heart of
hearts, she was always afraid of being eclipsed and, in order to conceal
her fear fro