Louis Couperus

“ Ina told the others about Uncle Daan and Aunt Floor; they were amused at the twenty packs of Chinese playing-cards. Gus, who was a good mimie, imitated the Indian accent of Aunt Floor, whom he remembered from her last visit, a couple of years ago; and Ina laughed merrily at her boy's wit. Thus encouraged, Gus mimicked Aunt Stefanie, made his face look like an elderly bird's, with a quivering, flexible neck, and D'Herbourg roared with delight; but Pol, the undergraduate, cried:
"Don't forget, Gus, that you've got expectations from Aunt. You must never let her know you mimic her!" ”

“ He tried to remember the last words which he had exchanged with Daan. He could not remember. He decided that Ina knew nothing, but that she guessed, because of his increased depression.... Oh, if the Thing would only pass! ... Oh, if the old people would only die! ... Oh, that no one might be left to know! ... It was enough, it was enough, there had been enough years of self-reproach and silent, inward punishment for people who were so old, so very old.... ”

“ He looked at her.
"Ina," he said, "Uncle Daan sometimes has different ideas about absolute honesty in business ... from those which I have. But he always ends by accepting my view. I am not depressed by any secret about money." ”

“ Well, for Lily she was doing everything in her power, working on the feelings of both Aunt Stefanie and Uncle Anton. As for Pol, he must manage as best he could: if he had a million, he would still be hard up. The dinner-hour approached; and she waited, with D'Herbourg and the two boys, in the dining-room, for Papa to come down. When Harold Dercksz entered, it seemed to her that Father's long, lean figure, which was always bent, was now more bent than ever; a bilious yellow gave his hollow cheeks a deep metallic colour. Ina loved a formal but cheerful table ”

“ Harold Dercksz felt pity for the old man, for the old woman.... Oh, if it would but pass! ... How long the years lasted! ... How old they had grown! ... Why must they grow so old? ... Was that their punishment, their punishment, the punishment of both of them? For he now knew what part his mother had played in the crime, the terrible crime. Daan had told him; Ma-Boeten had told her son; the m'antri had told Daan. There were so many who knew it! And the old people believed that nobody ... ”

“ For sixty long years it had been passing, passing. ... And the old man and the old woman, both in their respective houses or sitting together at the windows, were waiting until it should have passed. ... ”