erhaps," assented Hartmann, quite unruffled, as he set to work
enveloping some seed catalogues that lay on the table. Grimm evidently
was about to pursue the flying foe with fresh invective. But Marta came
in from the kitchen, and, with her, Willem. At sight of the boy, Grimm's
frown softened into a smile of welcome.

"_Come seg huge moroche tegen, Mynheer Grimm_," said Marta, while
Willem, walking over to Peter, held out a thin little hand in greeting,
with the salutation:

"_Huge moroche, Mynheer Grimm._"

"_Huge moroche, Willem_," replied Grimm kindly, pressing the boy's hand.

"I'm all ready to take the flowers over to the rectory," announced
Willem, drifting into English.

"If you're tired after going to the station, Otto can take them," said
Grimm.

"Oh, I'm not a bit tired."

"And you're getting real well again?"

"_Ja, Mynheer._ The doctor says I'm all right now."

"That's good. Tell Otto to give you a _big_ armful of flowers for the
rectory. A _big_ armful, remember."

Marta's grandmotherly gaze fancied it detected a twist in the boy's
neatly tied cravat. So she swooped down upon him and bore him away to
the window seat, where her blurring eyes would have light enough to
readjust the tie to her satisfaction. Grimm, with a quick glance to make
sure they were not in earshot, tapped Hartmann on the shoulder and
whispered:

"There's a nice result of the 'freedom' you said young girls ought to
have. Marta's Anne Marie had nothing but freedom. She was the worst
spoiled child in town. Marta let her come and go as she pleased. Come
and go--Heaven knows where. And Heaven knows where the poor shamed girl
is now. Every time I look at Willem," raising his voice to normal pitch
as Marta and her grandson passed into the kitchen, "I realise how right
I've been in the way I've brought up Katje. H'--m! Want me to give Katje
a chance for more freedom, do you? Why----"

"Mr. Grimm," interrupted Hartmann, suddenly getting to his feet and
facing his employer, "I'd like to be transferred to your Florida
headquarters. At once, if it is convenient to you. I want to work out in
the open for a while."

"What?" exclaimed Grimm dumfounded. "Florida? At this time of the year?
And you were so glad to get back here to--Pshaw! You've just got a
cranky fit on you, lad. Get rid of it. Put on your overalls and go out
and potter around among those beloved vegetables of yours. Change your
ideas, I say. Change the whole lot of them