of not passing his examination and that this was what got on his mind and upset him, that he couldn't concentrate on his books, that he would now look after himself. . . . There was a boat going to London; I gave him some money. . . . It's better this way, Mamma. Let him stand on his own legs. Here, the way things were going, he might have gone drudging on. . . ."
She wept distractedly:
"We shall miss him so. . . . He was the life of the house. . . . Papa, Papa will miss him badly. . . . Oh, it's terrible! . . . Poor, poor Adeline!"
They reached home.
"Let me speak to Aunt Adeline first."
"My dear, my dear, make everything right . . . Oh, put it so that Aunt thinks it right and accepts it: you can do everything, dear!"
"No, Mamma, I can't do everything."
"You can do everything, you can. What should we have done without you? Now that you have found him and talked to him and made things smooth for him, perhaps everything will be all right for him. If you hadn't found him . . .! How did you know that he had gone to Rotterdam?"
"I felt almost sure of it, Mummie. But I didn't know anything for certain. I might have been mistaken."
"You look so tired."
"I have had a tiring day."
"Addie, to people outside, to the family we will say . . ."
"That he has gone to America . . . a sudden idea . . . with introductions from Mr. Brauws."
"My dear, how can you talk of it so calmly?"
"Mummie, perhaps it's better as it is . . . for
