a walk, will you, with the two Hijdrechts? We
were going to the Witte; but, if you'll come with us, old man, we'll go
to Scheveningen instead."

The boy's senses suddenly became very acute and he heard a sort of pity
in Frans' voice. He began to feel very unhappy, because of that pity,
restrained himself spasmodically from sobbing, gulped it all down: all
about Italy and that he was not the child of his father. And he
hesitated whether he had better hide somewhere, all alone, or stay for
sympathy, with Frans....

"Come along, old man, come with us," said Frans. "Then we'll go to
Scheveningen."

And he went at once and told the other two students, the Hijdrechts, of
the change of plan.

"Then I'll leave my bicycle here," said Addie.

He went with the three young men, who, for his sake, did not go to the
Witte; and they walked to Scheveningen. And it was as though he heard
that note of pity in the Hijdrechts' voices too. Then, suddenly, on the
New Road, he saw the three Saetzemas cycling back to the Hague.

"There are our three nice gentlemen," said Frans.

The three boys nodded as they passed:

_"Bejour!"_

But Addie did not nod back.

Scheveningen was overcrowded, with its Sunday visitors; but the
Hijdrechts were quite amusing and Frans was always pleasant.

It was late, close upon six, when he decided to go home.

"Well, good-bye, old man," said Frans.

Addie pressed Frans' hand, wanted to thank him for the walk, but was too
proud, because of that pity, and could not:

"I'll come and fetch my bicycle to-morrow," was all he said, dully.

And he went home slowly, alone. He felt as though he could not go home;
as though he would have liked to walk somewhere else, anything to escape
going home. He felt as though, suddenly, he had to drag with him a heavy
sorrow, too heavy for his years, and as though it lay on his chest, on
his throat, on his lungs. But he reached home at last, about half-past
six.

"How late you are, Addie," said Constance, a little annoyed. "We've been
waiting for you for the last half hour. Have you been with the three
boys?"

"Yes," said Addie.

"Oh, then, it's all right," she said. They sat down to dinner, but Addie
was quiet, did not eat.

"What is it, my boy?" asked Van der Welcke.

"Nothing," said Addie.

But his parents were not used to seeing their child like that and
insisted on knowing what was the matter.

"I've been fighting with Jaap," said Addie. Constance, al