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The others now plainly heard the wheels rattling and saw the great dogs tugging and leaping along as if possessed. High up in the car sat uncle, with his tall hat on his round head, bolt upright in his glossy black-broadcloth coat; and beside him broad-bodied Aunt Stanse, with coloured ribbons fluttering round her cap and a glitter of beads upon her breast.
His breath rustled; and each puff from his hoarse throat, blowing out the thin flesh of his cheeks, escaped through a little opening on one side of his sunken lips, which each time opened and shut. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" cried Barbara. "That's bad, that's bad," said Stanse and shook her head. "His eyes are shut and yet he's not asleep!" "Zeen!
"Father, we've been out with cousin," said Bertje. They had to take their coffee and their cakebread-and-butter in a hurry: it was time to put the dogs in, said uncle. Doorke said they were put in. Frazie helped her sister on with her things: "You'll find the looking-glass hanging in the window, Stanse. I must go and put on another skirt too and come a bit of the way with you."
There were many people in the inn and much loud merriment. The new arrivals were soon sitting among the others, staying on and listening to all the jolly songs; and, when this had gone on for some time, they forgot the hour and the parting. Aunt Stanse held her stomach with laughing; she was not behindhand when the glasses had to be emptied or when her turn came to sing a song.
"I'll run home and fetch some, Zalia." "Yes, Mite, do." And Mite went off. "Well, Zeen, no better yet?" Zeen did not answer. She took a pail of water and a cloth, cleaned away the mess from beside the bed and then went back to peel her potatoes. Mite came back with the English salt. Treze Wizeur and Stanse Zegers, who had heard the news, also came to see how Zeen was getting on.
Fonske hid his in the drawer, next to the canary-seed, Dolfke his in the cupboard and Bertje shoved his portion into his pockets. It was not long before three or four of them were fighting like thieves and robbers, while Stanse and Frazie went to look at the baby, which lay sleeping quietly in the cradle. First one more drop of cherry-gin apiece and then to dinner.
"Hi, mates, I see something!" Fonske called from the walnut-tree. The boys stretched their necks and so did father: it was jogging along in the distance, coming nearer and nearer. "Uncle Petrus and Aunt Stanse in the dog-cart!" They slithered out of the tree like cats and ran down the road as fast as they could.
"What a sad sick man," said Stanse, softly. Mite wanted to give him some food, eggs: it might be faintness. Treze wanted to bring him round with gin: her husband had once.... "Is there any, for the night?..." asked Stanse. "There's a whole bottle over there, in the cupboard."
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