ll mannerisms, himself in fact, a voice inside her cried down
the aching pity, saying, "I could not do it, I could not do it!" But
when she was alone in the little room with the door shut between, the
pity grew strong again till it almost welled up in tears. Poor Joost!
Poor humble, earnest, unselfish Joost! That he should care so, that he
should have set his hopes on her, his star--a will-o'-wisp of devious
ways! That he should ache for this unworthy cause, and for it shut his
eyes to the homely happiness which might have been his!

She rose quickly and went up-stairs to get her hat and jacket. Soon
after, the carriage, which she had extravagantly ordered, came, and
she called the servant to help her down with her luggage. They got it
down the narrow staircase between them and into the hall; Julia
glanced back at the white marble kitchen for the last time, and at the
dim little sitting-room. Vrouw Van Heigen was there, very much
absorbed in crochet; but she had left the door ajar so that she might
know when Julia went, and that must have occupied a prominent place in
her mind, for she made a mistake at every other stitch.

"Good-bye, Mevrouw," Julia said.

Vrouw Van Heigen grunted; she remembered what was due to herself and
propriety.

"And, oh," Julia looked back to say as she remembered it, "don't
forget that last lot of peach-brandy we made, it was not properly tied
down; you ought to look at the covers some time this week."

"Ah, yes," said the old lady, forgetting propriety, "thank you, thank
you, I'll see to it; it will never do to have that go; such fine
peaches too."

Then Julia went out and got into the carriage. Mijnheer was in his
office; he did not think it quite right to come to see her start
either; all the same he came to the door to tell the driver to be
careful not to go on the grass. Joost came also and looked over his
father's shoulder, and Julia, who had been amused at Vrouw Van Heigen,
suddenly forgot this little amusement again.

Joost left his father. "I will tell the man," he said. "I will go
after him too and shut the gate; it grows late for it to be open."

The carriage had already started, and he had to hurry after it; even
then he did not catch it up till it was past the bend of the drive.
Then the man saw him and pulled up, though it is doubtful if he got
any order or, indeed, any word. Julia had been looking back, but from
the other side; and because she had been looking back and