ok Oswald away to-day. Mother cried such a lot.
When Oswald was leaving I whispered to him: I know what's the matter
with you. But he did not understand me for he said: Silly duffer.
Perhaps he only said that because of Father who was looking on with a
fearful scowl.
October 27th. Everything seems to have gone wrong. Yesterday I got
unsatisfactory in history, and in arithmetic to-day I couldn't get a
single sum right. I'm frightfully worried about missing that gymnastic
lesson. It will be all right if Mother gives me the money to-morrow, for
if she goes herself she will certainly find out about it.
October 28th. To-day the head mistress was present at our French lesson
and said awfully nice things about me. She said I was good enough in
French to be in the Third and then she asked me whether I was as good in
the other subjects. I didn't want to say either Yes or No, and all the
other girls said Yes, she's good at everything. The head patted me on
the shoulder and said: I'm glad to hear that. When she had gone I cried
like anything and Madame Arnau asked: Why, what's the matter? and the
other girls said: In arithmetic she had Unsatisfactory but she can
really do her sums awfully well. Then Madame said: "You'll soon wipe off
that Unsatisfactory."
October 30th. To-day I had a frightful bother with Fraulein Vischer in
the history lesson. Yesterday when I got into the tram with Mother there
was Fraulein V. I looked the other way so that Mother shouldn't see her
and so that she should not tell Mother about me. When she came in to-day
she said: Lainer, do you know the rules? I knew directly what she meant
and said "I did bow to you in the tram but you didn't see me." "That's a
fine thing to do, first you do wrong and then try to excuse yourself by
telling a lie. Sit down!" I felt awful for all the girls looked at me.
In the 11 interval Berta Franke said to me: Don't worry, she's got her
knife into you and will always find something to complain of. She must
have spoken to Frau Doktor M., for in the German lesson the subject for
viva voce composition was Good Manners. And all the girls looked at me
again. She didn't say anything more. She's a perfect angel, my darling
E. M., her name is Elisabeth; but she does not keep her name-day because
she's a Protestant; that's an awful shame because November 19th is
coming soon.
October 31st. I've been so lucky. Nothing's come out about the gymnastic
lesson though Mother was there
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