“Thanks, very much!” replied Eline cordially, while for a moment she sat down in Georges’ chair beside Madame Verstraeten. Marie had turned very pale, but it was not noticeable under her white veil.
“Théodore writes that Suzanne and van Stralenburg, with the baby, are coming to stay with them next week, and mamma is all excitement about it.”
“What, was mamma going to the Horze? And Howard is coming here?”
“Yes; that’s just the dilemma.”
“Dear old Madame Erlevoort!” said Madame Verstraeten.
“Percy wrote he was coming towards the latter part of July. Well, van Stralenburg cannot stay longer than the twentieth, writes Théodore. So you can understand”—and she forced herself to look kindly at Eline—“you can understand how mamma feels about it. To journey to Zwolle, that she will not be able to manage; and to leave the Hague before the twentieth, while Howard and Cathérine are coming—that of course she cannot do.”
“But Howard is also going to the Horze later on, is he not?” asked Otto.
“Yes; but he will want to stay a little in the Hague first, and take advantage of Scheveningen,” answered Frédérique. “Mamma is thinking of all sorts of plans; she would be in despair if she did not see her new grandchild this summer, you can understand that.”
“Well, then, I shall prevail on mamma to go to Zwolle with me, [[166]]one of these days; that will be the best way out of it,” answered Otto. “The journey to the Horze is still more troublesome.”
“You might try,” said Frédérique. “That would certainly solve the problem.”