"Then I strongly advise you to exercise a little self-control, or you will never have any happiness in life, in your own or your wife's or your family's."
"The family doesn't affect my happiness."
"What do you mean, Otto?"
"Why, I don't live and move and have my being in my family, Granny!"
"Oh, really, my boy, you're too horrid! Take me back to my seat. I see your mother beckoning to me: she wants me to sit between her and Aunt Ruyvenaer. The performance is beginning...."
"Ye-e-es," Cateau was whining to Van Saetzema, Van der Welcke and Karel. "An evening-party of six-ty peo-ple. And the Rus-sian Minister was there, and the Mis-tress of the Robes."
"Well, after all, if they have so many acquaintances," said Karel, under his breath, by way of excuse.
"Ye-e-es, but, Ka-rel, none of the fam-ily. Van der Wel-cke, were you invited, by chance?"
"No."
"Oh, not you ei-ther? Well, I should have thought that she would have asked Con-stance...."