e an interruption;
"perhaps you do not know wickedness when you see it; you cannot
distinguish between sin and sin; you are like those who would hang a
man for stealing bread as soon as for killing a child. What! Are you
indignant, Mevrouw, at such a charge? Are you not turning out, with no
character and no chance--a good enough imitation of hanging--a girl
who has been no more than foolish, just the same as if she had
committed the greatest sin?"

Vrouw Heigen broke in angrily, and Vrouw Snieder and Denah,
inexpressibly shocked; Mijnheer was also shocked, but he, and they
too, were vaguely uneasy under the reproach. Julia was satisfied; more
especially as her experience of them led her to expect they would,
though never persuaded they had made a mistake, yet feel more uneasy
by and by.

She rose from her chair. "Yes," she said, "it is a shame to speak of
such things, as you observe; do not let us speak of them any more.
Perhaps Mijnheer you would like to pay me, then I can go."

Mijnheer agreed rather hastily; then, realising the suddenness of the
step, he paused with his purse in his hand. "But can you go now?" he
asked. "Nothing is arranged; you had better wait a day or two."

"No," Julia answered, "I think not; it would be well to get the thing
over and done with; you would rather and so would I."

No one contradicting this, Mijnheer counted the money and gave it to
Julia.

"Thank you," she said; "now I will set the table for coffee drinking.
You will stay, of course, Mevrouw," she went on, turning to Vrouw
Snieder--"and Miss Denah, that will be two extra--Mijnheer Joost will
be in, Denah; you can tell him about it."

Denah flushed indignantly, and Vrouw Snieder could only say
"You--You--"

"Oh, I will not sit down with you, of course," Julia answered sweetly;
"I will take my coffee in the little room; is it not so, Mevrouw?"

Vrouw Van Heigen nodded; she did not know what else to do, and Julia
went away, leaving them as awkward and at a loss for words as if they
were the delinquents, not she. Denah felt this and resented it; the
elders felt it too, and for a moment or two looked at one another ill
at ease. However, in a little they recovered and began to talk over
Julia and her wrong doings till they felt quite comfortable again.
Denah did not join very much in the discussion; after she had once
again, by request, repeated what she had seen and what deduced
therefrom, she was left rather to herself. She