"I'm not ... I'm not disturbing her?"
"Not at all, ma'am: pray come in."
Then the door of the drawing-room opened and Constance herself stood before her:
"Adolphine!"
There was surprise in her voice, if not gladness: surprise at finding Adolphine there, Adolphine whom she had never seen at Driebergen, whom she had never seen lately, for the matter of that, except once or twice, casually, at the Hague or Baarn ... when poor Bertha had died.
"Adolphine!"
"I've come to see how you are getting on, Constance ... you and ... and Mamma...."
Adolphine's voice wavered, jerkily, beseechingly, uncertain of itself; and it was so strange for Constance to see Adolphine, to hear her uttering such words, in so hesitating a voice, that she was put out for a moment and could not frame a phrase of welcome, could not even make a show of cordiality. But she saw that the door at the end of the hall stood ajar; and she said to Truitje, almost angrily:
"Truitje, why is that door open again? You know I want it shut."
"It opens sometimes with the draught, ma'am," replied the maid.