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but their front-door was opened immediately. In
the darkness, all that Stien said was that she had
put a piece of turf in the stove because it was so
chilly, and when they were in the parlour she
looked at Floris and saw how thin he was ; then
she suddenly laid her head on his shoulder. Frans
stood up and gave him his hand, his mouth twitched,
but he said nothing. Werendonk asked for choco-
late to be made ; they were tired, he said, they
must go to bed soon. Thus after a year the boy
came home. They spoke of the weather, nothing
more. Then Floris went to his room with Stien
who carried the candle-stick ; once more he heard
the stairs creak. When she had lighted the lamp,
he saw that there was a new table and a new bed-
stead. c It's a nice room, isn't it ?' said Stien.
* Sleep well now.5
Floris was awakened by the sound of loud singing
down below, and while he was listening Jansje came
in with some breakfast. She gave him no special
greeting, treating him as though he had never been
away. She told him he was to stay in bed, for rest
was always a good thing. He stayed in bed, listen-
ing to the singing until he fell asleep again. It was
nearly midday when Frans wakened him.
In the parlour downstairs the voices of his uncles
sounded cheerful as they sat round the table at their
meal. Floris said that everything looked so clean,
the plates, the forks, the table-cloth, it seemed like