Nicholas
when she was 13 and I'm not 12 yet. All we get are chocolates and sweets
and dates and that sort of thing, not proper presents. The girls want to
give the Frau Doktor a great Krampus * to leave it on her desk. I think
that's silly. It's not a proper present for a teacher one is really fond
of, one doesn't want to waste sweets on a teacher one doesn't like, and
to give an empty Krampus would be rude. Mother is really right and a
Krampus is only suitable for children.

* Krampus=Ruprechtsknecht, i.e. a little Demon, who serves
St. Nicholas, and is a bogey man to carry off naughty children
An image of this Demon filled with sweets, is given as a present
on the feast of St. Nicholas which inaugurates the Christmas
season.--Translators' Note.

December 1st. We are giving everyone of the staff a Krampus, each of
us is to subscribe a crown, I hope Father will give me the crown extra.
Perhaps he'll give us more pocket money now, at least another crown,
that would be splendid. We are going to give big Krampuses to the ones
we like best, and: small ones to those we are not so fond of. We're
afraid to give one to Professor J. But if he doesn't get one perhaps
he'll be offended.

December 2nd. To-day we went to buy Krampuses for the staff. The one for
Frau Doktor M. is the finest. When you open it the first thing you see
is little books with Schiller, Goethe, and Fairy Tales written on the
backs, and then underneath these are the sweets. That's exactly suited
for her, for the Frau Doktor teaches German and in the Fourth in German
they are reading these poets. Last month in the Fourth they had a
Schiller festival and Frau Doktor made a splendid speech and some of
the girls gave recitations. Besides Hella has shown me an awful poem by
Schiller. There you can read: if only I could catch her in the bath, she
would cry for mercy, for I would soon show the girl that I am a man. And
then in another place: "To my mate in God's likeness I can show _that_
which is the source of life." But you can only find that in the _large_
editions of Schiller. I believe we've got some books of that sort in
our bookcase, for when Inspee was rummaging there the other day Mother
called from the next room: "Dora, what are you hunting for in the
bookcase? I can tell you where it is." And she said: Oh, it's nothing, I
was just looking for something, and shut the door quickly.

December 4th. The girls are so tiresome and ha