Walter Pieterse Part 46

One cry came from Dr. Holsma's coachman, who was driving up hurriedly; the other cry meant that two boys, who were fis.h.i.+ng in the ditch for frogs, had caught Walter's cap.

Walter accepted his lost property without question or complaint; while Kaatje, with tears in her eyes, ran up to Dr. Holsma to explain what was the matter.

"Is it really so bad?" asked that gentleman presently.

He approached Walter, who was shaking the mud from his cap, glad to think that he was concealing his embarra.s.sment and fright.

"Well, my boy, it's a good thing I met you here. I wanted to ask you if you wouldn't like to take dinner with us this evening. Afterwards we will all go out for a little amus.e.m.e.nt, if you like."

That was the tone Walter needed to hear. He burst into tears.

"Thank you, thank you! That will be nice for my mother, too."

Holsma motioned to Kaatje, who had timidly retired to the background.

"Go to Juffrouw Pieterse and tell her that the young gentleman dines with us, and that he is going to spend the evening with us."

"Yes," cried Walter quickly, "and----"

The doctor looked at him anxiously. He was afraid that he saw symptoms of the alleged mental disorder; but Walter's eye was calm and gave no ground for fear.

"M'neer, can't she say too that I----"

"Out with it, my boy! What have you on your heart?"

"That I was with you--all day!"

Holsma reflected.

"Certainly," he said, "all day."

"From early this morning--from seven o'clock on."

"From seven o'clock on," the doctor repeated.

"And--I ate breakfast at your house."

"Certainly, the young gentleman ate breakfast at our house. To be sure, he ate breakfast with us. Kaatje, you can ride in the carriage with us."

As Holsma helped Walter in he gave the coachman directions to stop at Juffrouw Pieterse's, where "the girl" was "to leave a message." When he took a seat by his protege, Walter pressed his hand and exclaimed: "Oh, what a good fortune it is that I found you!"

"Do you think so? It was only a--mere accident. Mrs. Claus is a----"

"A cousin?" interrupted Walter.

"Yes, and she's a good woman," said Holsma. "She is a cousin of ours, and I came to visit her. I do that every week, not as a physician, but as a kinsman. You can go to see her as much as you like: nothing will hurt you there."

"M'neer!" exclaimed Walter suddenly--and he caught his breath--"I think so much of Femke!"

"So?" answered Holsma dryly. "I do too."

The doctor was diagnosing Walter's case; but he preferred to do it quietly. While speaking of indifferent things, he noted that Kaatje had been mistaken; that Walter was both excited and exhausted, but that his mind was unaffected. On the contrary, his mind was growing. His soul was expanding.

When Kaatje left the carriage, Walter felt that the time had come to give and receive explanations. Holsma was of a contrary opinion. He was friendly enough, but showed no inclination for heart-to-heart confidences. Walter's confusing story was promptly interrupted.

"I've heard that you're going to enter the world of business."

"Yes, sir, the day after to-morrow."

"Well, that isn't bad, if you get into the right hands. You must work, though; and that's good for boys like you."

Fearing that Walter might imagine he was something more than the average boy, Holsma continued immediately:

"It's a good thing for everybody, especially young people. They're all alike; and all need to work. All boys must work; and girls, too. Everybody must work."

Walter did not understand that the doctor was giving him a dose of medicine; but he saw that the time for explanations had not yet arrived. Still he would have felt better if he could have unburdened his mind of at least a part of those persistent memories of last night. His instinct of chivalry would have prevented him from mentioning the details of the Laps affair, which, after all, had only been an ineffective attack.

He began again; but the doctor interrupted him before he had hardly mentioned the fried potatoes.

"Yes, such things happen to everybody. That doesn't amount to anything. The thing for young people to do--and for old people, too--is to work. It seems to be rather windy."

That was true. If it had only been as windy yesterday.

"Do you like pictures?" asked Holsma, when they had left the carriage and were entering his home.

"Of course!"

"Good! Just go into that room. Look at everything as long as you please."

The doctor pushed him into the room, then ran through the hall and up the stairs to prepare the family for Walter's reception.

Walter found little pleasure in paintings. He had had no training in art. For him, a man with a dog and a hare was merely a man with a dog and a hare. He felt that a poem ought to have been written about it all; then it would have been intelligible. His glance fell on the portrait of a woman, or a queen, or a fairy, or a mayor's daughter.

Femke!

Instead of the North Holland cap she wore a diadem of sparkling stars, or rays of----

"Dinner is ready, and papa and mamma invite you to come out to the dining-room. Are you still sore after your fall?" It was little Sietske.

"I didn't fall."

"I mean from your fall on the table in the coffee-house. How comical! Well, if you are all right again, we're going out this evening--papa, mamma, William, Hermann, you, I--all! We're going to the theatre!"

Sietske had understood her orders.

"Going out?--to the theatre? But my mother----"

"Papa will attend to that. Don't worry; he will arrange everything."