Louis Couperus

“ The two men went away, leaving her to the care of the women. At the bottom of the stairs, the dimly-lighted ground-floor shivered, full of shadow silent as the grave. Daan Dercksz took Roelofsz' arm, while the doctor hobbled laboriously down the stairs, from the bad leg on to the sound leg. ”

“ Her mind's quite clear; her memory is good; well-well, yes-yes, that's a blessing, at her age...."
"And Takma also...."
"Keeps well, keeps well, yes-yes.... Well-well, we're all growing old ... I too, yes-yes, I too...."
But Daan Dercksz was greatly agitated. He had promised his brother Harold to be very careful and not to talk, but, during the two months that he had known, the secret and the horror of it burnt into his soul, the soul of a business-man who, old as he was, for the first time underwent a great emotion outside his business. ”

“ I've always discussed everything with Harold. I spoke to you because I knew that you knew...."
"Well-well-well, yes-yes-yes ... But Daan, Dercksz, don't speak to any one else!"
"No, no, I sha'n't speak to any one else."
"Not to Stefanie, not to Anton, not to Ottilie ..."
"Their child! ..."
"Yes-yes, her child and his. Hush-hush, Daan, these are such old things, they're all past!"
"If only they were! But they are not past ... as long as Mamma ... and Takma ... are still alive!"
"Yes-yes, yes-yes, you're right: as long as they're alive, those things are not past ... ”

“ He rose laboriously, now that Daan Dercksz came downstairs, followed by Stefanie, followed by old Mr. Takma, who refused any assistance on the stairs, though Anna made a point of looking on anxiously, driving away the cat, fearing lest it should slip between the old gentleman's feet.
"Grandmamma is tired," said Daan Dercksz.
"Then I'd better not go up," said Ina. "No, Anna, I think I won't go up. I'll come back some other day soon. Grandmamma has had so many visitors to-day." ”

“ Anna, come quick!"
Daan Dercksz was an old man, but a shiver ran down his back like ice-cold water. The doctor started, tottering on his legs, and at last drew up his shapeless bulk and cried:
"What is it? What is it?"
And the two men hurried up the stairs as fast as they could, with Anna behind them.
There were two lamps alight in the drawing-room; and the old lady was sitting straight up in her chair. Her eyes, enormously dilated, stared from her head in tense dismay; her mouth remained open, after the scream which she had uttered, and formed a dark cavity ”

“ And she acted as though his scream was no more than an exclamation following upon a failure to hear, because of his deafness; she raised her voice politely and quietly and repeated in a little louder tone, articulating her words very clearly:
"Is it true that, sixty years ago, Grandmamma—though she was thirty-seven then—was still a gloriously beautiful woman? Yes, those old people took more care of themselves than we do. I'm forty-five, but I'm an old woman...."
"Come, come," said Aunt Floor, "an oldd womann!"
And the doctor mumbled:
"Yes-yes, aha, oh, is that what you were asking, Ina? ... ”

“ In the old days, yes, in the old days they, people, used to talk ... about Mamma and Takma and the children, about Anton, about you ... and that scandal in India ... about Ottilie: they talked a great deal about Ottilie .... That's all past now ... it's passing.... We are old ... yes-yes ... we are old...."
He sank back in his chair; his shapeless bulk collapsed over his slanting paunch, as if it would fall to the floor.
At that moment there came from upstairs a shrill scream, suppressed but penetrating, as though it issued from an old throat that was being strangled ”

“ I thought you were older."
"I'm only ssixty, I tell you!" said Aunt Floor, wrathfully.
"Yes-yes, then you're the same age ... as ... as Ottilie.... Well-well, well-well! ..."
"Yes," said Aunt Floor, "I'm just the same age as Ottilie Steyn."
"Sixty years ... well- well!" mumbled the doctor.
"You were a young man then, doctor," said Ina, with a little laugh.
"Yes-yes, child, yes-yes ... a young man!"
"There's a good many years between you and Grandmamma, isn't there?"
"Yes-yes-yes!" said Dr. Roelofsz, confirming the statement vehemently. "Nine years' difference, nine years.... And with Takma ... ”

“ He told me himself."
"And he too ... did he never tell?"
"No, he never told!"
"He's a good fellow, yes-yes, one of the best of fellows. He does not want to bring disgrace ... oh, dear ... on his old mother's head! ...
Daan, Daan ... O my God! ... Daan, don't you ever tell: don't ever tell!"
"No, I sha'n't tell. I have spoken to you and to Harold, because I discuss everything with him; business matters and ..., and everything. He's often helped me.... He helped me in India, in a nasty affair which I had out there ... in my time ... yes ... O Lord ... in my time! ”