He went in, through the conservatory: the old woman was sitting there, staring quietly out of the window; Adèletje was busy with the plants.
"Well, Mummie, how are you? What do you say to this fine weather?"
"What?"
"What do you say, Mum, to this fine weather?"
The old lady nodded her head contentedly:
"Lovely, lovely," she said. "The wet monsoon is over. But tell Gertrude ... to be careful ... of the river ... behind the Palace."
Her voice sounded like a voice from the past and spoke of things of the past.
"Where is Gerdy?" Van der Welcke asked Adèletje.
"In the drawing-room. Uncle Paul's in there, playing."
He heard the piano: Paul was improvising. Van der Welcke found Gerdy leaning over the back of her chair, very pale.