24
dissembling when he said that it .had completely
escaped his memory. And when, after a week, he
had still not received it, he asked himself why such
a sum was not being paid. With this thought sus-
picion took possession of his mind and increased
rapidly for, in a short time, his brother-in-law was
going from bad to worse.
Early in the New Year his sister Agnete came and
said she wanted to speak to him alone in the back-
parlour. She asked for money, saying that her
husband had so many bills to meet that he was not
able to give her enough. c So long as he is paying
everyone his due,3 said Gerbrand, e that's all right,
I hope he'll continue to do so.' The very same day
he heard from Diderik that his sister had been com-
plaining that her husband had to go to Amsterdam
every day, she thought he must have worries, though
he said nothing about them. c And why does he
have to go to Amsterdam every day ?' asked
Gerbrand.
Suspicion soon crystallised. His neighbour, Wou-
ters, came up to him in the street and said : c It's
a very sad thing for your sister, and she married
such a short time. Yesterday morning they brought
your brother-in-law home from Amsterdam in a
cab, and my assistant wasn't the only one who saw
that he couldn't stand on his legs. The whole
town knows about his wild goings-on over there.
As his elder you ought to have a word with him.'