, why you fought with Jaap."

"Oh, a boys' quarrel, Mamma, about nothing, really, about nothing at
all! Jaap was tormenting a cat; and I can't stand that. Give me a kiss,
Mamma."

He kissed his mother very earnestly, embraced her in his clutching arms.
He would have forgiven her everything, if it had been really so, if he
had been the son of an Italian; but it would have been an everlasting
grief to him if he had not been his father's son....

CHAPTER XXX

Van Der Welcke kept himself under control that Sunday evening for Mamma
van Lowe's sake, but he was really shocked at Addie's concern and by the
calumnies that appeared to be stealthily uttered against him in the
Hague; and, next morning, he went to the Ministry of Justice, asked to
see Van Saetzema and, without beating about the bush, requested him to
punish his son Jaap for his spiteful slander. Van Saetzema, losing his
head in the face of Van der Welcke's lofty and resolute tone, stammered
and spluttered, spoke to Adolphine when he got home and delegated the
business to his wife. Adolphine, it is true, scolded Jaap for being so
stupid, but, in doing it, created an excitement that lasted for days and
penetrated to the Van Naghels, the Ruyvenaers, Karel and Cateau, Gerrit
and Adeline, Paul and Dorine, until everybody was talking about it and
knew of the incident, excepting only Mamma van Lowe, whom they always
spared, and Constance herself. A couple of days later, Van der Welcke
saw Van Saetzema again and asked him if he had corrected Jaap; and, when
he perceived in Van Saetzema's spluttering a certain vagueness, a
certain inclination to avoid the point, Van der Welcke, who was
naturally quick-tempered, flew into a rage and said he would speak to
Jaap himself. And, that same evening, three days after the Sunday in
question, Van der Welcke went to the Van Saetzemas', was very polite to
Adolphine and her husband, but told Jaap, in his parents' presence,
that, if he ever dared repeat his slanderous insinuations against Addie,
he, his Uncle van der Welcke, would give him a thrashing which he would
remember all the days of his life. Van Saetzema lost his head:
unaccustomed to such plain speaking, he spluttered and stammered,
blurting out conciliatory words; and Adolphine told Van der Welcke that
she was quite capable of punishing her children herself, if she thought
necessary. Van der Welcke, however, managed to keep cool and civil
towards the father and mothe