A door was heard opening above; and Walter came in sight. He tumbled down the steps and fell unconscious at Femke’s feet.
“That boy!” groaned the old lady, while the girls stood as if transfixed. Femke picked Walter up and carried him upstairs. His bed was pointed out to her, and she placed him in it. No one had the courage to run her away when she took a chair by the bedside. If at this moment the rights of the Pieterses and Femke had been voted upon, all the votes would have gone to Femke.
She wept, and stammered “Don’t be angry, Juffrouw; but I couldn’t sleep for thinking of him.”
Chapter XVII
The evening of the birthday party came. All of the Pieterses went, leaving Walter to be taken care of by Leentje.
Juffrouw Laps was doing the honors.
“A strange state of affairs,” said the birthday uncle. “And what did she want?”
“Oh, goodness, M’neer, I don’t know myself. I’ve told Gertrude a hundred times that it’s too much for me. Just imagine to yourself—such a thing issuing commands in my house! I told Mina to pitch her out. And Pietro said——”
“You ought to have seen me get hold of her,” croaked that brave young woman, showing a blue place on her hand. From this it might have been inferred that Femke had had hold of Pietro.