room, and an
amber necklace.

February 14th. It's a good thing that we have the half-term holiday
to-day and to-morrow for that gives me time to write all about
yesterday. It was simply phenomenal! I went to wish Hella many happy
returns quite early, and I stayed to dinner and Lajos and Jeno had been
invited to dinner too in the afternoon the 2 Ehrenfelds came and brought
a box of sweets, and 3 of Hella's girl cousins and two boys, one of whom
is frightfully stupid and never speaks a word, and several aunts and
other ladies, for the grown-ups had their friends too. But we did not
bother about them, for the dining-room, Lizzi's room, and Hella's room
had been arranged for us. Hella had been sent such a lot of flowers
that they nearly gave us a headache. At dinner Lajos proposed a toast
to Hella and another at tea. Hella was splendid, and in the evening she
said to me: "At 14 one really does become a different being." For in
proposing his toast Lajos had said that every 7 years a human being
is completely changed, and Hella thinks that is perfectly true. Thank
goodness, _in 6 1/2 months I shall change my whole being too_. There
really did seem to be something different about her, and when we all had
to blow to extinguish the candles on her birthday cake, all except the
life-light in the middle, as a sign that the other years have passed,
she really got quite pale, for she was afraid that in joke or through
awkwardness some one would blow out her life-light. Thank goodness it
was all right. I don't much care for such things myself, for I'm always
afraid that something might happen. Of course I know that it's only a
superstition, but it would have been horribly unpleasant if anyone
had blown out the life-light. _Openly!!_ Lajos gave Hella an enormous
_square_ box of sweets, and _secretly!!_ a silver ring with a heart
pendant. He wanted her to wear this until it is replaced by a _gold_
one--the _wedding_ ring. But she can't because of her parents, so she
begged me to allow her to say that I had given it her, but that would
not do either because of Father and Mother. _These_ things are such a
nuisance, and that is why no young man will ever go on living at home
where one is continually being questioned about everything one has,
and does, and wears. After tea we sang: "Had I but stayed on my lonely
Hearth" and other sad songs, because they are the prettiest, and in the
evening we danced while Hella's Father played for us; and