a Frenchwoman, and that is something. As for Joost, it is surely of
little importance to him, he is too quiet to say anything to her; she
talks little; she must be shy."

Denah had nothing to say to this, although, seeing in which person her
own interest in the Van Heigens lay, she possibly found some comfort
in the assurance. After a little she remarked, "That girl has no
accomplishments; she is as old-fashioned as our Aunt Barje, a
_huisvrouw_, no more. It is strange, for the English women make fun
of us for this, and pretend that they are educated and advanced above
us; she is not, she can do nothing but speak a few languages; she
cannot sing nor play, she has read no science, she cannot draw, nor
model in wax, nor make paper flowers, nor do bead work; she could not
even crochet till I showed her how. I wonder if she has made any
progress with the pattern I gave her. Shall we go and see by and by? I
might set her right if she is in a difficulty, and we could at the
same time inquire after Mevrouw's throat; she had a weakness, I
noticed, on Tuesday."

Anna agreed; she was a most obliging sister, and a while later they
set out together for the Van Heigens' house. They did not walk in the
wide, clean road, but were careful to keep to the path, pausing a
moment to consult before starting for the other side when it was
necessary to cross over.

The Van Heigens' house stood on the outskirts of the town, a long way
back from the road. The bulb garden lay all round it, though
immediately in front was a lawn so soft and green that no one ever
walked on it. The house was of wood, painted white, and had a
high-pitched roof of strange, dark-coloured tiles; a canal lay on two