Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Three

The next morning, Ottilie Steyn de Weert arrived in Hoek Holland.She was accompanied by a young man of about thirty, a handsome, well-built young Englishman in a traveling cap, with broad shoulders, a checked coat and knickerbockers, and a clean rosy face.They took the train to The Hague. Ottilie Sterne was in a state of grief, but she could contain it so well that she never spoke of it; but she was skeptical, even convinced that the Tacoma was her father, and she Love him like a father. "He was always nice to me," she told her son, Hugh Chavelly, in English. "I will miss him dearly."

"He's your father," Hugh said coldly. "No," retorted Ottilie. "You don't know anything, Hugh. There's always gossip." "He gave you money to come to England." Mother Ottilie didn't know why, but she was a lot more honest with Hugh sometimes than she was with Lo at home.She loves these two sons, but she loves Lo because Lo is good to her, and she likes Hugh because he is handsome and broad-shouldered, and always reminds her of Chavelly, the man she loves the most.She never told Lo that the old gentleman had been generous to her, but she sometimes confessed to Hugh.She was happy to travel with Hugh, and to sit next to him; but she was unhappy when Hugh came back with her.He had never been to The Hague, and she felt that would only complicate things between her and Steyn, especially at this time.

"Hugh," she said, taking his hand in both of hers lovingly, "Hugh, it's a joy to be with you, my boy. The Hague would be better." "I dare say, it must be because of Styne, you know it in your heart." Xio withdrew his hand and said coldly. "I'm not going to meet that man, I'm not going to set foot in your house. I'm going to a hotel. Do you think I want to see that villain? You left my father for him, and I want to see that villain? I'm not going! I'm just Come and find out my fortune. I won't cause trouble. But I want to know, how much money you will get from that old man. I know he is your father, you will definitely have money. I want to know how the situation is now : Did he leave you an inheritance, and how much. As soon as I know that, I'll go back. Other than that, I won't bother anyone, not even you."

Ottilie sat, staring ahead, like a scolded child.It was just the two of them in the car, so she coaxed Hugh and said, "Son, dear boy, don't talk to your mother like that. I'm happy to have you by my side. I like you very much. You are very like your father. I loved you. Your father, oh, better than Styne, far better than Styne! Styne ruined my life. I should have been with your father, with all of you, with you, with John, with Mary Don't be so bitter, my boy, it hurts me so much, be nice to your mother! She's got nothing, she's got nothing in her life: Lo is married, the old man is dead. She's got nothing , if you don't treat her well, no one will treat her well again. In the past...everyone was so kind to her in the past, yeah, in the past..."

She started to cry.She felt sorry for the old man, she was angry with Lo, he was married, she was jealous of Ellie, and she pitied herself.Her baby-like fingers touched Hugh's strong arm.A smile played around his handsome, clean mouth, and he thought how funny she was as an old woman, but realized that she had been attractive, too.There was some kindness in his heart, and he put his arms around her waist hypocritically, and said, "Okay, don't cry, come here." He pulled her close and she leaned forward like a child, snuggling up against his tweed coat; he patted her hand and kissed her forehead.She was ecstatic, then lay sighing deeply; and he, smiling and shaking his head, looked down at his mother.

"Which hotel are you going to?" she asked. "Twin Cities Hotel," he said, "can you give me more money?" "No, Hugh," she answered, "all I have is for your fare, and—" "All your money?" "Yes, boy, really, I've lost a penny in my purse. I don't want any money either, so keep the rest!" He touched his pocket: "Not much." He looked for an opportunity and said, "You can give me some more when you arrive in The Hague. One day in the future, when I have money, you can come and live with me and enjoy your old age."

Satisfied to hear these words, she smiled and stroked his cheek, giving him a kiss she had never kissed Lo like.He is her favorite son and she really dotes on him.She would walk miles to hear a reluctant kind word from Hugh, and a kiss from him would cheer her up for an hour.In order to please him, her voice and caresses inadvertently regained some of their youthful allure.Hugh never thought she was angry, but Lo often did—she used to hit him, and even now she often raised her hand impulsively to hit him; she had never lost her temper like this with Hugh.She was struck by the masculinity of a son who would do anything for him.For this kind of masculinity, she can wrong herself, she has always done this, and now she is doing the same to her son.

When she arrived in The Hague, she promised Hugh to keep in touch with him at any time, told him to be friendly and not to do anything annoying, and then left.After Xio agreed, he left by himself.She came home to find her husband waiting for her. "How did the old man go?" she asked.He explained briefly, then said, "I am the executor." "You?" she asked. "Why not Lo? He's Ellie's husband." He shrugged, thinking it was a tricky question from her. "I don't know," he said coldly. "The old man arranged it this way. Besides, I will do everything with Luo. He will be back in two days. The funeral home will come tonight, and the funeral will be held tomorrow."

"Can't wait until Luo comes back?" "Dr. Tierence doesn't think it's advisable." She didn't tell him that Hugh had come with her, and after lunch she went to Maurice's Wharf and hugged Aunt Tacoma.Auntie was downcast, as if those red letters, those faded blood books were still spinning before her dull eyes.Ottilie Steyn asked to see the old gentleman one last time.She saw him, pale in the dim light, his pale old face resting on a white pillow with a few strands of hair.The old man's eyes were closed, the lines around his nose and mouth disappeared, and the wrinkles sagged like faded parchment.She rubbed her hands and began to cry.She used to like the old man very much, and he was always very kind to her, like a father...like a father...she will always remember him like this.She didn't know anything about Papa Dex.He, he is like her father.He doted on her since she was a child; later, he always helped her when she encountered money problems... Even if he blamed her, he would always blame her softly.Because she always plays games like this: when she divorced for the first time and separated from Bo Fu, he blamed him; for the second divorce, when she left Chaveli, he also scolded her.She remembered it all: in the East Indies, in The Hague.He liked Bove, he didn't like Chaveli, and he concluded that Styne was, after all, a good guy.Yes, because she couldn't control herself, couldn't handle her affairs, and he never snapped at her, he was always so nice to her...she would miss him, in mom's morning room, or those days, she Find him in the study, he gives her some money, kisses her, and says:

"Don't tell anyone." He never said he was her father, she always called him Mr. Tacoma; but she guessed it, and she felt it now, with absolute certainty—that this love, perhaps the last, was leaving her , has left her... In the evening she came again with Styne, and with Tierence, to watch the body be lowered into the coffin.Aunt Adèle said she was not afraid of being in the same house with a corpse, and neither were the maids: they had slept well last night.The next day, the day of the funeral too, Aunt Adèle was very calm.She quietly entertained Dr. LeLoves, who clutched his belly and gasped and groaned. He had planned to go to the graveyard with the others, but felt inadequate, so he stayed with Adele.The Deckers family came: Anton, Harold, and Dan; Steyn came; Delborough came with his son-in-law, Fritz Van Wely; the women came too: Ottilie Steyn Eun, Aunt Stephanie, Aunt Flor, Ina, and the little fair-haired bride, Lily; they all stayed with Dr. LeLoves and the overly quiet Aunt Adele.As the funeral procession parted, the women said how hard it was for Grandma; and the old doctor began to cry.Seeing the old man who was out of shape and slightly about to fall curled up in the chair, crying loudly: "Okay... yes... oh, yes!" He cried loudly. Poor, but Adele remained calm.Not so with Ottilie Sterne, who wept violently, and they all knew she was grieving for her father, though no one said it, not even whispered it.

The next morning, Stein saw a lawyer.When he got home, he said to his wife, "Adele has an inheritance of 30,000 guilders, and Ellie and you can get more than 100,000 each." Ottilie's mother sobbed, "My dear sir!" Sobbing, stammering, "Dear good sir!" "It's just that we feel, Ottilie, the lawyer and I, that it's best for Mommy not to mention the inheritance as much as possible." "Does the old gentleman admit that I am his daughter?" "There is no question of whether to admit it or not. He left half of the property to you. Minus Adele's, you and Ellie share equally. It's just that we think, for the sake of my mother, it's better not to treat unnecessary People brought it up." "Okay," Ottilie said. "If you choose to be silent, you can be silent, you know that." She looked at him: "I won't say it, but why do you say that?" "Because I read from the old gentleman's books, he often gives you money, at least there is an entry for 'To OS'." She blushed and said defensively, "I have no obligation to tell you." "No, but you always say that the money you find in the cupboard makes your life even more careless." "The old man told me not to tell anyone about the money..." "It's quite right for you not to say it. I'm just saying that if you choose to be silent, you can be silent, so keep silent now." "I don't want your advice, thanks!" she raged, but he had already left the room. She clenched her fists.Oh, she hates him, she hates him, especially his voice!She couldn't bear his cold and deep voice, his calm and calm words.She hated him, and she wanted to slap him to see if he would continue to speak in this cold, deliberate tone.Her hatred for him grew day by day, she hated him so much, she wished for him to die!She wept beside the old man's dead body, but danced beside Styne's!Oh, she hasn't realized how much she hates him: she imagines him dead, run over by a car, or stabbed in the heart or shot in the temple, leaving him mortally wounded... She I know that if this is the case, she must be overjoyed.It's all because he talks coldly, never says nice things to her, and never hugs her! "100,000 guilders!" she thought. "That's a lot of money. Oh, I still hope the dear old gentleman is still alive! In his kind way, giving me a few hundred guilders now and then, it'll haunt me! I'm rich indeed now but I have nothing else!" She shook hands and began to sob again, feeling alone and devastated: the old man was gone; Hugh was staying in a hotel, though in The Hague; luckily Lo was heading home that night...