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his papers and books on the table. And when the
day's takings had been entered, he did sums and
puzzled over the amounts of the debts, it was a
troublesome business so to arrange things that each
one received a share with due consideration of his
need. He had interviewed all the creditors and
come to an understanding with them. There were
some who had lost everything and had to live on
what the Werendonks could share out, they had the
right to be helped first. What could be saved by
thrift, added to what they used normally to put by,
was barely enough to provide these people with a
meagre weekly dole; the less needy had to wait.
All this kept him fully occupied. When he stopped
to think for a moment because he couldn't see his
way clearly, it worried him perpetually to hear
Agnete's sighs as she sat with her knitting at the
other side of the table. Then he would look at
her, but he said nothing. The crying of the child,,
too, in the room above disturbed him. In the
daytime he took no notice, although its voice was
heard a lot—the daily woman said she had never
known such a restless baby. But in the evenings,
when the house was quiet and he had to concentrate
on head-work, it made him impatient. Every
evening as soon as the Damiaatjes began to chime
the child started crying ; it had begun to do this soon
after it was born, and it didn't seem to be losing
the habit. During that half-hour, therefore, he