rls,
you did not do me any particular _service_. It really was a great piece
of impertinence." But I said: "Prof. Fritsch's remarks were 10 times
more impertinent, for they related to another member of the staff, and
what was worse to you." Then she said: "My darling girls, that often
happens in life, that the absent are given a bad reputation, whether
justly or unjustly; one is liable to that in every profession." Hella
said that the head mistress was not like that or there would have been a
frightful row, since the matter had become known in all the High Schools
of Vienna. Then Frau Doktor M. said: "Yes, the Frau Direktorin is really
a splendid woman." Then there came something glorious, or really 2
glorious things: (1). She gave us some magnificent sweets, better than I
have ever eaten before. Hella agrees, and we are really connoisseurs in
the matter of sweets. The second thing, even more glorious, was this:
after we had been there some time, there was a knock at the door and in
came _her_ husband, the Herr Prof., and said: "How are you my treasure?"
and to us: "Goodday, young _ladies_." Then she introduced us, saying:
"Two of my best-loved pupils and my most faithful adherents." Then the
Herr Prof. laughed a great deal and said: "That can't be said of all
pupils." So I said quickly: "Oh yes, it can be said of Frau Doktor, the
whole class would go through fire for her." Then he went away, and she
said: "Excuse me for a moment," and we could hear quite plainly that _he
kissed her_ in the next room, and then she said as she came in again:
"Oh well, be off with you, Karl, goodbye." It's a pity his name is Karl,
it's so prosaic, and he calls her Lise, and I expect when they are alone
he calls her Lieschen, since he is a North German. I must go to bed,
it's half past 11 already. To be continued to-morrow. Sleep well, my
sweet glorious ecstatic golden and only treasure! God, I am so happy.

January 6th. Thank goodness to-day is a holiday, and we can't go
tobogganing because Dora has a _chill!!!_ I got the bookmarker on the
4th, worked at it all day and up till midnight, and yesterday I got up
at half past 5, went on working the whole morning, and at 2 o'clock we
took our mementoes to the house. Though we should have liked to give
them to her ourselves, we didn't, but only gave them to the maid. She
said: Shall I show you in? but Hella said: "No, thank you, we don't want
to disturb Frau Theyer, and when I reproached her for