‘Here is mother,’ called Hermanus, and an old lady descended with many parcels and called out to them to help her, and came up the steps like a woman of forty rather than one of seventy. Small and dark and shrivelled and active, the black grapes on her head shaking and dancing, and her bead cape quivering. ‘Why, grandsons! come along and get my parcels, or you’ll get no fresh coffee. Why, what’s the matter, Hermanus! What’s wrong with grandfather?’ The old man stood erect with his hand still half raised on high. ‘What are you doing, Gabriel?’ ‘Father curses Willie and Munik for joining the English to help the French.’ ‘Oh, does he? then let him wait till he has heard me. I’ll have none of his Dopper ways now. What is the trouble, Gabriel?’ The old man raised his hand: ‘Cursed are the Dutch who join the English commandos! Cursed....’ ‘Now, listen to me, Gabriel Schwartzberg. Am I faithful wife of yours?’ ‘That have you ever been, Julie.’ ‘Then will you listen to me, and keep your cursing to the end, old man!’ The old man bowed his head and lowered his hand, and sank to a chair that Hermanus brought him. ‘Listen, then, Gabriel Jacobus Schwartzberg. The English are helping the French to fight those German brutes who would make slaves of all. You remember all I read you that the Germans did to the Belgian girls at Louvain. Did ever the English behave like that here? You know they did not. Did I love the English? You know I did not. But they were fair and honest and kindly. The _Mori Kaptan_ who took me away to the _laager_ treated me as if I had been his mother. Did they not give us back our Government? Oh yes, I know the _Predikant_, told you it was Boer slimness got it back, but he wanted money from you for his manse. It was English slimness who knew how to manage free people, not like your dirty Germans. Besides they are helping the French, whom you Germans attacked. I am French. I am a Duplessis, and I have not forgotten it, nor my mother, nor my mother’s mother, for all we married you fusty old _veldt_ Dutch. And your mother told me the same, and she was a Duplooy, and her mother was a Terblanche. Look in the old Bible and see! You men are so busy shooting bucks and smoking, you don’t think of such things, but we women do. So, Mr. Dutchman, my grandsons shall wear khaki and go and help the English and the French and those poor Belgian girls, and you shall give them your blessing, Gabriel, or I will go right away to my brother Armande Duplessis, who is _vriede reckter_[6] at Fauriesberg, and _Tanta_ will make your coffee. You know how you will like that.’ Julie was a very voluble person when stirred, and when she had finished the others murmured ‘_Ja! Ja!_’ while Commandant Delarey brought his rifle-butt with a ring on to the stones and said: ‘The Vrouw is right, _mynheer_, and the boys must come.’