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down by the water, opposite the Heemstede reed-
ground. There, beside a boat moored to the bank,
he had seen three youths ; one of them, who looked
like a townsman, he had recognised as Werendonk's
nephew ; the two others looked as though they
might be tramps. This morning he hadn't gone so
near, but, even in the dim light of dawn, he had
seen in the distance that the boat was still there,
and two figures were standing on the bank. Al-
though it was wild weather, with hail and an icy
wind, Werendonk put on his jacket at once, and
when the eldest Minke boy—for they, too, had heard
the story—offered to go with him, he agreed. In the
Forest they had to wait for the steam-tram, walking
up and down to keep warm. When they arrived at
the Heemstede road, Werendonk realised that he
had forgotten the way to the meadows, he had to
follow Klaas along a footpath, across a ditch beside
a gardener's cottage, where he asked a labourer if
he had seen a boat. The man went with them.
They walked along the reed-ground beside the
Spaarne, but the boat was not there. This man
told them that a policeman had been there that
morning. Werendonk had to walk slowly because
of his legs ; he had to rest in the inn, and he sat
there silently looking at the floor.
Two days later it was Warner who came to say
that he had heard from his brother in Overveen that
there, too, thre& youths had been noticed, of whom