“That I was with you—all day!”
Holsma reflected.
“Certainly,” he said, “all day.”
“From early this morning—from seven o’clock on.”
“From seven o’clock on,” the doctor repeated.
“And—I ate breakfast at your house.”
“Certainly, the young gentleman ate breakfast at our house. To be sure, he ate breakfast with us. Kaatje, you can ride in the carriage with us.”
As Holsma helped Walter in he gave the coachman directions to stop at Juffrouw Pieterse’s, where “the girl” was “to leave a message.” When he took a seat by his protégé, Walter pressed his hand and exclaimed: “Oh, what a good fortune it is that I found you!”
“Do you think so? It was only a—mere accident. Mrs. Claus is a——”
“A cousin?” interrupted Walter.