ll whispered, and Mother cried,
although the operation had made her quite well again. Unfortunately
yesterday, Aunt Alma was there when we were, and Father said that seeing
so many people at once was too exciting for Mother, and we must go away.
Of course he really meant that Aunt Alma and Marina had better go away,
but Aunt did not understand or would not. Why on earth did Aunt come?
We hardly ever meet since the trouble about Marina and that jackanapes
Erwin; only when there is a family party; Oswald says it's not a family
gathering but a family dispersal because nearly always some one takes
offence.

November 30th. To-day I managed to be _alone_ with Mother. At school I
said I had an awfully bad headache and asked if I might go home before
the French lesson; I really had. What I told Mother was that Frau Doktor
Dunker was ill, so we had no lesson. Really one ought not to tell lies
to an invalid, but this was a _pious fraud_ as Hella's mother always
calls anything of the sort, and no one will find out, because Frau
Doktor Dunker has nothing to do with the Fourth, so Dora won't hear
anything about it. Mother said she was _awfully pleased_ to be able to
see _me_ alone for once. That absolutely proves that Dora does go alone.
Mother was so sweet, and Sister Klara said she was a perfect angel in
goodness and patience. Then I burst out crying and Mother had to soothe
me. At first, after I got home, I did not want to say anything about it,
but when we were putting on our things after dinner to go and see Mother
I said en passant as it were: "This is the second time I shall be seeing
Mother to-day." And when Dora said: What do you mean? I said quite
curtly: "One of our lessons did not come off, and so I took the chance
_too_ of being able to see Mother _alone_." Then she said: Did the
porter let you in without any trouble? It surprises me very much that
such _very_ young girls, who are almost children still, are allowed to
go in alone. Luckily Aunt came in at that moment and said: "Oh well,
nobody thinks Gretl quite a child now, and _both of you_ can go alone to
the hospital all right." On the way we did not speak to one another.

December 5th. For St. Nicholas day we took Mother a big flower pot, and
tied to the stick was a label on which Father had written; "Being ill
is punishable as an unpermissible offence in the sense of Section 7 the
Mothers' and Housewives' Act." Mother was frightfully amused. The doctor
says she is