20
* Very good,5 he said, * then I'll leave a message.
Will you ask my brother-in-law to send his boy to
let me know what time I have to be at the town hall
for the registration ? *
He made his way back, he ate his breakfast and
began his day's work. Before the voices of the
school-children could be heard on the street, the
snow was falling more thickly, in tiny flakes that
whirled slowly, and within an hour the tiles on the
roof were thinly coated with white. When the
maid-servant had laid the table for the morning
coffee, Gerbrand said he would go now, otherwise
he would be too late for the registration. In Kruis-
straat he was shown into the dining-room ; he
could hear the sound of visitors making merry in
the drawing-room. Behind the stove stood four
bottles of wine. His grand brother-in-law had big
ideas. At last Berkenrode came into the room,
boisterous and bustling as usual, saying that, he had
urgent business. After receiving the congratula-
tions and thanking for them, he asked Werendonk
to come back in the afternoon, as he had unexpected
guests.
e Aren't you going to register the child at once
then ? '
c Oh, that's all over,' he said airily. c Two of my
friends were the witnesses.'
* But that's not right. As head of the family, I
should have been a witness, and Diderik, You