p pulling at your stockings when you are doing your lessons." As if I
would do any lessons in the holidays.

LAST HALF-YEAR, AGE FOURTEEN AND A HALF

LAST HALF-YEAR

July 30th. Thank goodness this is my 14th!!! birthday; Olga thought that
I was 16 or at least 15; but I said: No thank you; to _look_ like 16 is
_quite_ agreeable to me, but I should not like to _be_ 16, for after
all how long is one young, only 2 or 3 years at most. But as to feeling
different, as Hella said she did, I really can't notice anything of the
kind; I am merely delighted that no one, not even Dora, can now call me
a _child_. I do detest the word "child," except when Mother used to say:
"My darling child," but then it meant something quite different. I like
Mother's ring best of all my birthday presents; I shall wear it for
always and always. When I was going to cry, Father said so sweetly:
"Don't cry, Gretel, you must not cry on your 14th!! birthday, that would
be a fine beginning of _grown-upness!_" Besides the ring, Father gave me
a lovely black pearl necklace which suits me perfectly, and is at the
same time so cool; then Theodor Storm's _Immensee_, from Aunt Dora the
black openwork stockings and long black silk gloves, and from Dora a
dark grey leather wristband for my watch. But I shan't wear that until
we are back in Vienna and I am going to school again. Grandfather and
Grandmother sent fruit as usual, but nothing has come from Oswald. He
can't possibly have forgotten. I suppose his present will come later.
Father also gave me a box of delicious sweets. At dinner Aunt Dora had
ordered my favourite chocolate cream cake, and every one said: Hullo,
why have we got a Sunday dish on a weekday? And then it came out that it
was my birthday, and the Weiner girls, who knew it already, told most of
the other guests and nearly everyone came to wish me many happy returns.
Olga and Nelly had done so in the morning, and had given me a huge
nosegay of wild flowers and another of cut flowers. This afternoon we
are all going to Flagg; it is lovely there.

Evening: I must write some more. We could not have the expedition,
because there was a frightful thunderstorm from 2 to 4 o'clock. But
we enjoyed ourselves immensely. And I had another adventure: As I was
leaving the dining-room in order to go to the . . . ., I heard a voice
say: May I wish you a happy birthday, Fraulein? I turned round, and
there behind me stood the enormously tall fair-haire