l. That is why the girls are in such a rage. "They are
bursting with pride" (that's what my sister says of me and Hella, but
it is not true). "Our two students" said the mistress when we came away.
She told us to write to her from the country. I shall.

July 15th. Lizzi, Hella's sister, is not so horrid as Dora, she
is always so nice! To-day she gave each of us at least ten
chocolate-creams. It's true Hella often says to me: "You don't know her,
what a beast she can be. _Your_ sister is generally very nice to me."
Certainly it is very funny the way in which she always speaks of us as
"the little ones" or "the children," as if she had never been a child
herself, and indeed a much littler one than we are. Besides we're just
the same as she is now. She is in the fourth class and we are in the
first.

To-morrow we are going to Kaltenbach in Tyrol. I'm frightfully excited.
Hella went away to-day to Hungary to her uncle and aunt with her mother
and Lizzi. Her father is at manoeuvres.

July 19th. It's awfully hard to write every day in the holidays.
Everything is so new and one has no time to write. We are living in a
big house in the forest. Dora bagged the front veranda straight off
for her own writing. At the back of the house there are such swarms of
horrid little flies; everything is black with flies. I do hate flies and
such things. I'm not going to put up with being driven out of the
front veranda. I won't have it. Besides, Father said: "Don't quarrel,
children!" (_Children_ to _her_ too!!) He's quite right. She puts
on such airs because she'll be fourteen in October. "The verandas are
common property," said Father. Father's always so just. He never lets
Dora lord it over me, but Mother often makes a favourite of Dora. I'm
writing to Hella to-day. She's not written to me yet.

July 21st. Hella has written to me, 4 pages, and such a jolly letter. I
don't know what I should do without her! Perhaps she will come here in
August or perhaps I shall go to stay with her. I think I would rather go
to stay with her. I like paying long visits. Father said: "We'll see,"
and that means he'll let me go. When Father and Mother say We'll see it
really means Yes; but they won't say "yes" so that if it does not come
off one can't say that they haven't kept their word. Father really lets
me do anything I like, but not Mother. Still, if I practice my piano
regularly perhaps she'll let me go. I must go for a walk.

July 22nd. Hella wro