o religion
lesson. But the H. Rel. Prof. had a chat with us. He asked each of us
where we were going to spend the summer, and when I said I was going
to Rodaun, Weinberger said: I say, _only_ to Rodaun! and several of the
other girls chimed in: _Only_ to Rodaun; why that's only a drive on the
steam tram. I was frightfully annoyed, for we generally go to Tyrol
or Styria; I said so directly, and then Franke said: Last year too, I
think, you went somewhere quite close to Vienna, where was it, Hain--,
and then she stopped and made as if she had never heard of Hainfeld. Of
course that was all put on, but she's very angry because we won't speak
to her since that business about the _cousin!_ But now I was to learn
what true friendship is. While I was getting still more angry, Hella
said: Rita's Mother is now in _Franzensbad, the world-famous health
resort_; she is ill, and Prof. Sch. has to go and see her at least
once a week. The Herr Rel. Prof. was awfully nice and said: Rodaun is
a lovely place. The air there is very fine and will certainly do your
Mother a lot of good. That's the chief thing, isn't it children? I hope
that God will spare all your parents for many years. When the Herr
Rel. Prof. said that, Lampel, whose Mother died last winter, burst
out crying, and I cried too, for I thought of my talk with Father.
Weinberger and Franke thought I was crying because I was annoyed because
we were only going to Rodaun. In the interval Franke said: After all,
there's no harm in going to Rodaun, that's no reason for crying. But
Hella said: "Excuse me, the Lainers can go anywhere they please, they
are so well off that many people might envy them. Besides, her Mother
and her sister are in Franzensbad now, where everything is frightfully
expensive, and in Rodaun they have rented a house all for themselves.
Rita is crying because she is anxious about her Mother, not because
of anything you said." Of course we don't speak a word to Franke now.
Mother does not want us to anyhow, she did not like her at all when she
met her last year. Mother has a fine instinct in such matters.

July 6th. We broke up to-day. I have nothing but Very Goods, except of
course in ---- Natural History! That was to be expected. What -- -- (I
can't bring myself to write the name) said was perfectly right. Nearly
all the girls who were still there brought Frau Doktor M. and Frau
Doktor St. flowers as farewell tokens. This time, Hella and I were
allowed to go w