ecause it was
her _mother_. I certainly shan't tell Dora whatever happens, for that
would make me feel still more ashamed. As for a San-- T--, I shall never
be able to buy one for myself even if I live to be 80. And it would be
awful for Father to know about it. I wonder whether men really do know;
I suppose they must know about their wives, but at any rate they can't
know anything about their daughters.

July 3rd. Dora does know after all. For I switched off the light
_before_ I undressed, and then Dora snapped at me: "What on earth are
you up to, switch it on again directly." "No I won't." Then she came
over and wanted to switch it on herself; "Oh do please wait until I've
got into bed." "O-o-h, is that it," said Dora, "why didn't you say so
before? I've always hidden my things from you, and you haven't got any
yet." And then we talked for quite a long time, and she told me that
Mother had commissioned her to tell me everything _when_ -- -- -- Mother
had told her all about it, but she said it was better for one girl to
tell it to another, because that was least awkward. Mother knew too
that in January Hella had . . . But how? I never let on! It was midnight
before we switched off the light.

July 6th. Oh, I am so unhappy, when we went to get our reports to-day
and said good-bye to Frau Doktor M., she was awfully sweet, and at
the end she said: "I hope that you won't give too much trouble to my
successor." At first we did not understand, for we thought she only
meant that it is always uncertain whether the same member of the staff
will keep the same class from year to year, but then she said: "I am
leaving the school because I am going to be married." It gave me such a
pang, and I said: "Oh, is it true?" "Yes, Lainer, it's quite true." And
all the girls thronged round her and wanted to kiss her hand. No one
spoke for a moment, and then Hella said: "Frau Doktor, may I ask you
something? But you mustn't be angry!" "All right, ask away!" "Is it the
captain we met in Carnuntum?" She was quite puzzled for a minute, and
then she laughed like anything and said, "No, Bruckner, it is not he,
for he has a wife already." And Gilly, who is not so frightfully fond of
her as Hella and I are, said: "Frau Doktor, please tell us whom you
are going to marry." "There's no secret about it, I am going to marry a
professor in Heidelberg." That is why she has to leave the High School.
It's simply ruined my holidays. Hella has such lovely id