ope Erna has not told Dora
about the kiss. If she has everyone will know and I shouldn't like that.
I lay in wait for Erna with the sweets which Aunt Dora sent us. Robert
and Liesel and I ate the rest. They were so good and nearly all large
ones. At first Robert wanted to take quite a little one, but I said he
must only have a big one. After that he always picked out the big ones.
When I came home in the evening with the empty box Father laughed and
said: There's nothing mean about our Gretel. Besides, Mother still has
a great box full; I have no idea whether Dora still has a lot, but I
expect so.

August 2nd. Oswald arrived this afternoon at 5. He's a great swell now;
he's begun to grow a moustache. In the evening Father took him to the
hotel to introduce him to some friends. He said it would be an awful
bore, but he will certainly make a good impression especially in his new
tourist getup and leather breeches. Grandmama and Grandpapa sent love to
all. I've never seen them. They have sent a lot of cakes and sweets and
Oswald grumbled no end because he had to bring them. Oswald is always
smoking cigarettes and Father said to him: Come along old chap, we'll
go to the inn and have a drink on the strength of your good report. It
seems to me rather funny; no one wants to drink anything when Dora and I
have a good report, at most they give us a present. Oswald has only Twos
and Threes and very few Ones and in Greek nothing but Satisfactory, but
I have nothing but Ones. He said something to Father in Latin and Father
laughed heartily and said something I could not understand. I don't
think it was Latin, but it may have been Magyar or English. Father knows
nearly all languages, even Czech, but thank goodness he doesn't talk
them unless he wants to tease us. Like that time at the station when
Dora and I were so ashamed. Czech is horrid, Mother says so too. When
Robert pretends to speak Czech it's screamingly funny.

August 3rd. I got a chill bathing the other day so now I am not allowed
to bathe for a few days. Robert keeps me company. We are quite alone and
he tells me all sorts of tales. He swings me so high that I positively
yell. To-day he made me really angry, for he said: Oswald is a regular
noodle. I said, that's not true, boys can never stand one another.
Besides, it is not true that he lisps. Anyhow I like Oswald much better
than Dora who always says "the children" when she is talking of me and
of Hella and even of Ro