Nothing could shake his calm soul, and it was a waste of time to try to break anything to him gently.

Good news or bad news, it was well to be out with it, and Robert knew it.

So he stepped into the room, sat down in a chair near that of Mr.Huysman and said: "I hope, sir, that I've not caused you any inconvenience.

I didn't mean to keep you waiting so long." Master Jacobus turned and regarded him thoughtfully.

Then he took one long puff at his pipe, removed it from his mouth, and blew the smoke in spirals towards the ceiling.
"Robert," he said, after an inspection of a full minute, "why were you in such a hurry about coming back?
Are you sure you did everything you should before you came?
You wass sometimes a hasty lad." "I can't recall, sir, anything that I've neglected.