make an offer of marriage; that is why they stayed the
whole summer in B. instead of going to Hungary. Those were the _special
circumstances_, about which Hella said she could not write to me. I don
t see why she could not have told me _that_, I should have kept it to
myself; and after all, Lizzi is 19 1/2 now, and no one would have been
surprised that she is engaged at last. They can't have a great betrothal
party, for Baron G.'s father died in July. Hella is very much put out.
Lizzi says it does not matter a bit.

September 18th. Lizzi's betrothal cards arrived to-day. It must be
glorious to send out betrothal cards. Dora got quite red with annoyance,
though she said when I asked her: "Why do you flush up so, surely
there's no reason to be ashamed when anyone is _engaged!_" "Really, why
should you think I am ashamed, I am merely _extremely surprised_." But
one does not get so red as _that_ from surprise.

September 19th. School began to-day; unfortunately, for _she_ has gone.
And what was the Third is now the Fourth, and that is detestable, to sit
in the classroom without _her_. Luckily we have Frau Doktor St. as class
mistress, and she is to teach us mathematics and physics once more;
Frau Doktor F., whom we used to call Nutling and the Fifth used to call
Waterfall has gone, for she has been appointed to the German High School
in Lemberg. For the time being we are sitting in our old place, but
Hella says we must ask Frau Doktor S. to let us have another seat, for
the memory of the three years when we had Frau Doktor M. might make us
inattentive. That is a splendid idea. In German we have a master, in
French I am sorry to say it's still Frau Doktor Dunker, whose complexion
has not improved, and in English the head mistress. I am very pleased
with that, for first of all I like her very much, and secondly I shall
be in her good books from the start because Dora was her favourite. Of
course I'm not learning Latin, for it would not interest me now that
Frau Doktor M. has gone. Oh, and we have a new Religion teacher, for
Herr Professor K. has retired, since he was 60 already.

September 21st. We have managed it. In the long interval, Hella said to
Frau Doktor St., who was in charge. "Frau Doktor, may we venture to ask
for something?" So she said: "What, in the very first week; well, what
is it?" We said we should like to move from the third bench towards the
window, for we found it very painful to go on sitting where we